Men with Fibromyalgia

Hi, I know you don't hear of many men with fibro, I haven't heard of any forum that is for men. I have had my fibro for 19 yrs and there ain't any help n support at all for the condition,apart from g.p's, mine are really helpful but not all recognize it at all. I know its called" the invisible disability" n it really annoys me when people think your taking the p*ss. I do hope you find any male forums and if I hear of any I shall post them on here. Good luck Alicia x

I believe this is the only Fibro forum, but I'm not certain.

I'm a man with Fibromyalgia, and also notice some discussions don't pertain to us. But I haven't really noticed my symptoms being different from the Fibro symptoms of women. Everybody's symptoms are different. One doctor I knew said "there are as many types of Fibromyalgia as there are people with Fibromyalgia". The condition has dozens of confirmed symptoms, and each person may have a few or many of those, so there are MANY combinations of symptoms possible.

I have theories of why there are more women diagnosed with Fibro than men. One of them is that Fibro is a condition primarily involving pain. Women are far more likely to be willing to admit to pain at the doctor's office (and in general) than your average man is. This may be a culture or social thing. Men are often seen as stoic, and if they're in pain they should grin and bear it, or just pull up their bootstraps and deal with it. If that's the case, then men may be less likely to present to their doctor with the symptoms of Fibro, and therefore less likely to be diagnosed.

Also, women are far more likely to suffer from thyroid conditions and other autoimmune conditions than men, and these are often seen in Fibro patients.

Another reason is that Fibromyalgia is very often seen in people who have a history of PTSD, often from abuse when they were younger. Statistically, girls suffer from more of this kind of abuse than boys do, and that may influence the stats on Fibro as well.

In any case, it's a rough condition for anyone who has it, but luckily it's becoming better understood now, and there are ways to treat it and minimize its impact on our lives.

Azzarh-

I can understand how you feel and you are right.

And it's more likely for women to know about fibro before men.

There is a great book out which if you read it, will educate you on all about it and strategies that can help you to cope better with it and even reduce it. With fibro , it may come and go as it pleases, depends on what triggers it of. With me, it is cold weather and feeling cold, and certain thoughts/memories and fears can also trigger it, lack of sleep and fatigue are a few more..Try google. men with fibro

I'm sure that this forum will help ....

hey azzarh, i am a man [it says so on my passport ], i have suffered with fibro for years. i went to series of hospital seminars with about 15 others, i was the only man there, there must be lots of men with it maybe they dont get it as bad as us or maybe because they are men their doctors dont take it seriously, i dont know, it seems quite an individual thing  but i get it pretty bad so im with you bro.

Hi Azzarh. So glad that some men have the courage to speak up about this condition. And yes, I think the way men are raised to be strong and to 'suck it up' can lead to men suffering in silence. Women are more expressive also of their emotions. And emotions are very involved with this Fibro condition. Usually someone has endured tremendous stress and heartache before they are diagnosed. So managing stress, feelings and emotions is crucial to managing this condition. And that is something that is very difficult for most men. So I am happy that you have found some other men who are dealing with this as well. I encourage you all to keep in contact with one another and give the support that each of you need. Glad you have found this forum guys! 

Hi Azzarh

Fibromyalgia Aware is an organization that recently published the male point of view