Myth Debunked III of VI

IT’S NOT A REAL CONDITION

What makes a disease, disorder or illness real? The terms used for any condition have been coined by someone for the first time and added to medical manuals to account for certain diagnostic markers or symptoms.

What makes that condition real? The lack of a specific test to definitively conclude the presence of fibromyalgia does not make it any less real than the many conditions that likewise lack a particular test for diagnosis. Diagnosis of fibromyalgia is challenging and often involves a process of elimination. Nonetheless, there are specific diagnostic criteria to be used in a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is also an invisible illness. Just because someone may look ‘fine’ does not mean that they are. Many Fibromites and those with chronic pain have become skilled at downplaying just how poorly they’re feeling and how bad their pain and other symptoms really are. “I’m fine” is probably our most common lie.

^{There are several different version of this all of which are accurate}.

Just because a condition cannot be seen from simply looking at a person does not mean the illness does not exist.

Tags: Disciplined, Disclaimer I am not a medical professional, Fibro, Fibromyalgia, Fibromyalgia Awareness Month, Fibromyalgia is Real, I'm Fine, Invisible Disease, Invisible illness, Myth, Myth Debunked, Myth series, Not a myth