Men with Fibromyalgia

For generations women had a tough time convincing doctors to take them seriously for many medical conditions, especially Fibromyalgia. Women have been called hysterical and told to curtail their active imaginations. However, men with Fibromyalgia are dealing with an entirely different issue; they just don't talk about it. Can you blame men for not coming forward with a women's disease when she is being told that it's all in her head?

Now, let me tell you a little about this serious syndrome for both men and woman. Not necessarily the facts the doctors give you, but how the sufferers perceive it. Do you remember the flu that kept you from getting up out of bed for two weeks? Remember how difficult it was getting up out of bed and going to the bathroom? You were tired, uncomfortable, and ached all over, so you took medication to sleep. Now, I want you to imagine two things. First, you have no medication to ease the flu symptoms and second, the flu never goes away. In fact, Fibromyalgia does progress, not only does your pain and fatigue increase, other symptoms start appearing, regardless of whether you are a man or a woman.

With men, these flu-like symptoms manifest themselves a little differently at first because of gender roles and the physical differences between men and women. Men don't go to doctors and often become stoic, hiding symptoms. Additionally, men have a tendency to isolate more than women and don't want to be seen as whiners. They often wait until they can't function at all before seeking medical attention. Fibromyalgia is sometimes called the invisible disability and for men this is especially true. I talked to Ron Mesic, Michigan, who began suffering with fibromyalgia as a teen. Ron said, "I seriously suspect that when I started seeking help, the prevailing attitude of medical professionals was that men should be tough, and importantly - modern medicine doesn't cure much, they just make the patient comfortable while the body cures itself."

Now, don't get me wrong, women will also push through the pain and fatigue to take care of their jobs, family, and home, but they will also seek medical attention much earlier in the process. Gender roles may not be the only reason though since insomnia manifests itself earlier in women. Ron also pointed out another difference, "Men are also more difficult to diagnose, since the physical muscle structure of men is different, they often don't have pain in the 18 pressure points that doctors often use to diagnose fibromyalgia." Of course, as the syndrome progresses, men and women quickly become equal.

So, whether you are a man or a woman, you need to go to the doctor, get diagnosed, and stop suffering in silence. As more people are diagnosed, the more research the pharmaceutical companies are willing to finance. In fact, recent research found that the majority of Fibromyalgia sufferers have a retrovirus, which causes prostrate cancer in men. So, to help support research, go to Fibromyalgia Research and Programs at National Fibromyalgia Association.

For more information about Fibromyalgia, see:

• Men with Fibromyalgia articles: One of my favorites is Not Lazy - Not Crazy because it addresses issues for all Fibromyalgia sufferers.
• Fibromyalgia Symptoms and Associated Syndromes.