My initial diagnosis was a few things.. I took maybe a dozen blood tests for the obvious including Lupus, Lyme and that’s sort of thing. I saw a rheumatologist who determined I had “symptoms consistent with fibromyalgia.” I immediately requested a referral from my GP to the Environmental Health Clinic at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto. It took just over 2 years to get my appointment but I got in. Luckily for me, my partner at the time was working at Sunnybrook/WCH,. He pulled a few strings and called in a few favours to ensure that I got the top physician.
I was able to see Dr Alison Bested. At the time she was *the* top physician for Fbromyalgia, Myalgic Encephalitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Multiple Chemical Snsitivities
Dr Alison Christine Bested, MD, FRCP(C), is a Haematological Pathologist, one of only about 100 Haematological Pathologists in Canada. Her training covered areas including: Immunology, Blood Banking, Genetics, Anatomical Pathology, Internal Medicine and Haematology both clinical and laboratory. She is currently the Chair of Integrative Medicine at Nova Southeastern University. Prior to this position, she was the Medical Director of the Complex Chronic Disease Program at BC Women’s Hospital clinic, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Prior to this she was Medical Specialist Liaison, then Acting Medical Director at the Environmental Health Clinic at Women’s College Health Sciences Centre, in Toronto, Ontario,. Dr. Bested’s medical specialty practice had dealt with complex chronic medical conditions including: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), Fibromyalgia (FM), Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) and persistent Lyme Disease.
Dr. Bested participated on the Expert Medical Consensus Panel that wrote the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Clinical Working Case Definition, Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols. This consensus definition was published in the Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 2003. In the literature this is known as the Canadian Consensus Definition of ME/CFS and is used worldwide by clinicians and researchers. She was one of the authors of the 2014 ME/CFS Primer for Clinicians published by the International Association of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This summary publication is an updated version of the Canadian Consensus Definition of ME/CFS. Dr Bested has, with co-authors, written 2 books on these topics: : “Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia”, 2nd Edition, 2008 and “The Complete Fibromyalgia Health Diet Guild and Cookbook”, 2013.
What did she do? She sent me for more extensive testing, mainly blood work. Unfortunately due to cost I was unable to pay for some of the tests which she had ordered. So while she didn’t have 100% of the results she did confirm 100% that I do have fibromyalgia. Her staff also confirmed the CFS diagnosis aswell.
Tags: CFS, CFS&ME, CFS/ME, CFSME, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), Diagnosis, Dr Alison Bested, Dr Bested, Fibro, Fibromyalgia, FMS, ME&CFS, ME/CFS, MECFS, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(ME/CFS), Physician
Fibromyalgia 
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