Symptoms of Fibromyalgia?

A fellow caregiver asked...

How do I know if my wife's joint pain and achy muscles are caused by fibromyalgia or something else?

Expert Answer

Carolyn Rosenblatt, R.N. and Attorney is the author of author of The Boomer's Guide to Aging Parents. She has over 40 years of combined experience in her two professions. As a nurse, she has extensive experience with geriatrics, chronic illness, pain management, dementias, disability, family dynamics, and death and dying. As a trial attorney, she advocated for for the rights of injured individuals and neglected elders. She is also co-founder of AgingParents.com.

There is no sure way to know if your wife's joint pain is a symptom of fibromyalgia or if is something else. I presume she has been to a doctor and had a thorough workup to find out the cause of her joint pain. If not, she needs to do that. Joint pain can come from many other causes besides fibromyalgia. Some conditions in which joint pain is a symptom can be treated successfully. You need medical advice and I encourage you to get it soon. If there is an effective way to relieve her joint pain it is well worth finding out and trying what her doctor prescribes. When you visit the doctor, it can be helpful to have a record of how often the joint pain comes on, how bad it gets, the time of day it bothers her most and what has worked in the past to help her feel better. If you have that information ready, the doctor has a better chance of helping.