How is CFS/ Fibro diagnosed ?, lots of questions...

Perhaps some of you knowledgeable contributors can answer a few basic questions.

1) Is CFS and Fibromyalgia the same?

2) Is there any specific test yet that specifically diagnoses it in a medically / scientific manner., blood test, gene test, antibodies, ect?

I ask these questions as a 43 yr old  Dx'ed with Hashimoto with antibodies decades ago. These questions come up on the thyroid board on occasion where I generally  post / answer Hashimoto questions..I have not read through this CFS forum, so I dont know if these are daily questions or not....What I know is severe hypo can have some similar symptoms to CFS / Fibro.

3) How do they differentiate CFS from hypothyroid,   since many  patients have both?

I have seen a list of pain areas (11 out of 17 [?] locations) used for diagnosing fibromyalgia, other than that, it seems a lot of the time the medical field just puts this label on people. Many hypo thyroid people struggle to find the right thyroid hormone brand that works for them, and some continue to have lingering symptoms, although more manageable. After years some people find they were low on a specific vitamin or mineral and it sometimes makes a huge difference.

4) If there is no official testing for Dxing (lab testing), is it possible some of these patients have  severe  Hashimoto and they are being under treated or taking a thyroid med that does not work for them?

T4 only med makes a few people feel that way, even if they have 'good' labs with it. The reason why many add T3 and feel better. I have been there, and through the whole Armour and Nature Throid reformulation mess which is why I take Canadian Erfa Thyroid now.

5) If someone is on a thyroid med that does not relieve symptoms, yet looks good on labs, what is to stop a doctor from saying they have Fibro if they really cant prove it?

I mention this, since a doc in the past who worshiped Synthroid and would not let me take anything else suggested that I may have had Fibro or Fatigue syndrome, but he had no proof. I would not accept that. This doc also told me Armour was evil concoction made from bovine (cow), wrong it pig, so I had no belief in him at all.

So, in a way I am not seeking these answers just for myself , but for the hypo thyroid community as this is obviously related.

thanks

[grendslori]

I don't know that Fibromyalgia is related to hypothyroidism at all. The doctor to diagnose Fibro is the Rhuematologist as it falls under his specialty. There are 18 pressure points on the body; you have to have pain in 11 of those points. The pain is severe and can last up to 5+ minutes AFTER the doctor releases his touch. Something as simple as just laying in bed can cause a person to be in enough pain to not be able to sleep or lay still. A simple hug, causes pain. Many Fibro patients will tell you that this syndrome progesses so it gets worse in time. many have a hard time walking and have balance issues. As far as I know, there are no blood tests to verify this problem, only the point system. Sometimes I will describe the lack of energy this way: I feel like I have been swimming for hours and my muscles ache so bad as a result, I just can't keep going on. Do I think that some doctors just label people with the Fibro diagnosis, just because? Yes, I certainly do, but I do not think that it is related to hypothyroidism. CFS and Fibro are not the same. CFS has more to due with fatigue and Fibro has more to do with pain even though they both have simular symptoms and those symptoms overlap. If a patient has CFS and hypothyroidism, once they are treated for the hypothyroidism and their test results are normal; if they are still having severe fatigue, it would be the result of the CFS, that is one way of confirming a diagnosis of CFS, if the doctor suspects that is an issue. Sometimes the treatment and it's results, tells the doctor the diagnosis even if he doesn't have a solid diagnosis to begin with..