I reached 70 in June of 2013. I was looking for answers and honestly a "fix" for the pain and fatigue I was feeling. It's harder now because all the symptoms can look like the onset of old age. Into my 70th year I went for a Doctor's appointment some 3 hours down from my home and yet still in Maine. It was with the rheumatology group I'd been seeing for the last year and a half. Once again a new doctor was there. Once again he was looking at my file while walking in. I was surprised when he said, "I think you have fibromyalgia."
"Why," I asked.
"Well, you have pain and fatigue and all the tests done on you are normal."
Then he touched the tender points on my body. "Aha, you have them all!"
I was astonished because no one else had any idea what was going on with my body. I came home with some hand-outs and so ideas as to how to deal with it but I wasn't sure he really new what I had.
I decided to see a second rheumatologist to confirm the diagnosis. She spent an hour and 1/2 with me and came to the same conclusion. She had read my file ahead of time and she asked a lot of questions and did an extensive work-up. However, in the end, she said she really didn't take on patients with fibromyalgia.
She sent my file back to my home clinic to my PA. My PA was able to begin the journey, with me, to figure out what would work or not work now that we had an actual diagnosis. It seemed like a touch-down!
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