Despite the fact that like 80% of all fibromyalgia patients are women, there are some males with the condition who also need to be able to deal with the condition on their terms. Males often approach illness in a totally different way then women do.
There is also a female stigma associated with the condition, fibromyalgia that could make it even more difficult for a man to receive a correct diagnosis based on his symptoms and medical history.
His doctor would have to be current on fibromyalgia research and open to the possibilities of all diagnosis’s that could be the root of his symptoms including fibromyalgia. Sometimes if we are not looking for something, we don’t see it.
It can be difficult for a man with fibromyalgia to receive the same level of recognition or emotional support that women with the condition receive. There is still very much the idea that fibromyalgia is “all in the head” anyways, and if a man should voice the notion that he is suffering from fibromyalgia he is more likely to receive ridicule and teasing especially from other men.
This isn’t to say that a man with fibromyalgia can’t find support because he can; he just has to look a little more for it. Online he can find support here:
http://www.menwithfibro.com/home.html
You can find other places online by searching under the keywords: “men fibromyalgia”.
Men can benefit from joining local or online support groups that are set up for men with fibromyalgia because they can find support for those times in life when stress can be compounded by the symptoms he has, the diagnostic stage can be very long (months even years).
This can be very wearing on a man, anxiety and depression can easily set in making support a necessity, adjusting to life with a chronic illness can be very stressful and change is never easy especially for men, and he may have very little support in his life other than that which he finds through support groups.
Most males still believe that they have to be “tougher” and not complain when they are in pain so it is emotionally more difficult for a man to admit to having symptoms that require medical intervention.
Men also hate to change lifestyles for any reason and being diagnosed with fibromyalgia pretty much demands that you do things differently if you hope to lessen the effects of your fibromyalgia symptoms.
The symptoms that may solicit some lifestyle changes for men with the condition are:
- Muscle pain, muscle twitches, or leg cramps
- Sleep disturbances
- Fatigue
- Sensitivity to light, sound, odors, cold, foods, or medications
- Dizziness
- Stomach upsets
- Depression or anxiety
- Headaches or migraines
You can learn more about fibromyalgia at Health A-Z!
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