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Is fibromyalgia 'only in your head'?

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MariaB

21/04/2021 at 18:06

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MariaB

Last activity on 14/02/2024 at 13:17

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Hello all, I just had the strangest experience and I had to come on here to see what you all think.

We just moved house this month so I went to see my new GP in our new area. I told him that I had fibromyalgia and he went off on a long thing saying that fibromyalgia is purely psychological and that it is due to psychological shock or trauma experienced in life.

I have never heard that in my life and needless to say I will be changing GPs! Have any of you ever heard anything like that? I know from my experience it took me a while to get diagnosed and to get my doctors to really look at my symptoms but I've never been told that fibro isn't real! 😱

What do you all think?

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Suzhannah

18/05/2021 at 17:16

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Last activity on 19/02/2023 at 17:04

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Sadly this is just one cause psychiatrists have hung onto And then passed as an option to medical people. There is actually no evidence to back up this claim...I suppose doctors dont like to admit they dont know stuff

Other reasons put forward by some specialists are

Bank on head / shock or long illness in childhood

IBS disorder

Poor immune system

Different Virus's like scarlett fever

A car accident

Drinking & smoking, drug taking

The actual truth is:

We as patients and them as doctors dont know the reason for ME/cfs or Fibro. If they did then there would be a clear cause & a clear effective treatment Which there is not

Both illnesses have about 60 overlapping symptoms and sadley Neither leading consultants or scientists or retro-virologists or neurologists or rheumatologists or psychiatrists know how ME & Fibro are caused

It would be a huge discovery A world wide announcement if they did

Take care

You take whatever safe prescribed meds help you And rest a lot Close curtains Reduce noise Use tens machines and or gentle stretching or yoga or maybe reduce glutton in your diet and remove seeds from foods like cucumber & tomatoes etc ...not cures by any means just helpful tools that may aid your symptoms a little

Take care of you xx

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Suzanne

Is fibromyalgia 'only in your head'? https://www.carenity.co.uk/forum/fibromyalgia/living-with-fibromyalgia/fibromyalgia-and-psychology-4123 2021-05-18 17:16:39

Rozanne

19/05/2021 at 09:24

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Rozanne

Last activity on 28/08/2021 at 00:24

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@Suzhannah thank you so much for this. Most especially grateful for your advice.

Take care of yourself as well🌹

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Rose

Is fibromyalgia 'only in your head'? https://www.carenity.co.uk/forum/fibromyalgia/living-with-fibromyalgia/fibromyalgia-and-psychology-4123 2021-05-19 09:24:24

pinsnneedles

22/06/2021 at 15:13

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pinsnneedles

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Reading this thread is so interesting, it's shocking to read about the reactions of some people! There's the saying that you can never know what is going on in someone else's life - it's even more true for fibro! You never know if tomorrow is going to be a good day or bad.

Is fibromyalgia 'only in your head'? https://www.carenity.co.uk/forum/fibromyalgia/living-with-fibromyalgia/fibromyalgia-and-psychology-4123 2021-06-22 15:13:50

Courtney_J

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22/06/2021 at 15:29

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Courtney_J

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Hello everyone,

Thank you for sharing in this discussion! If you haven't seen it already, we just published an article on this topic that you may find interesting. You can read it here: Why do some still believe that fibromyalgia is a psychosomatic illness?

What do you think? Have you ever been told that your fibro is "in your head"? Do others around you understand what you're going through?
@Suzy1243‍ @Wibblewobble‍ @Suzanne37‍ @Triciajean‍ @JoannieP‍ @Nicnac2020‍ @Sarahbubbles‍ @Ttotty‍ @Carolinem‍ @Calia160‍ @Cookie 321‍ @Smiler383‍‍ @gertyb‍ @Linda456123‍ @Kimmy64‍ @Hursttracey‍ @Saskia‍

Feel free to share your thoughts with us here!

Take care,
Courtney

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Courtney_J, Community Manager, Carenity UK

Is fibromyalgia 'only in your head'? https://www.carenity.co.uk/forum/fibromyalgia/living-with-fibromyalgia/fibromyalgia-and-psychology-4123 2021-06-22 15:29:57

MariaB

20/07/2021 at 15:07

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MariaB

Last activity on 14/02/2024 at 13:17

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25 comments posted | 19 in the Fibromyalgia Forum

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It's good reading everyone and hearing that it's not just me! I ended up finding a new GP in the end. I'll give the article a read, I think doctors need more education about fibro!

Is fibromyalgia 'only in your head'? https://www.carenity.co.uk/forum/fibromyalgia/living-with-fibromyalgia/fibromyalgia-and-psychology-4123 2021-07-20 15:07:36

Pippadog

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23/07/2021 at 12:27

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Pippadog

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Last activity on 21/07/2024 at 22:45

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190 comments posted | 17 in the Fibromyalgia Forum

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Your experience with your new GP was an unnecessary outcome. It is not a psychological condition although I did think I was going crazy at one point. I understand it's a neurological condition ( the signals from the brain to parts of the body are malfunctioning hence different activities all over the body eg pain, tingling, stinging and more. As to why the brain is acting this way the Medics are not sure but they feel it is Triggered by a shock to our system eg an acute illness or an accident or something similar. I hope this is helpful, maybe views could change in time.

Is fibromyalgia 'only in your head'? https://www.carenity.co.uk/forum/fibromyalgia/living-with-fibromyalgia/fibromyalgia-and-psychology-4123 2021-07-23 12:27:13

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