How can I get diagnosed?
I have many of the symptoms but have not been diagnosed. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 2006, but none of my doctors seem to want to follow-up with me or they chalk it up to being all in my head aka a mental issue! So what can I do, where do I go? I am in Ohio. Any advice would help. Thanks!
Great, thank you for the information!! I greatly appreciate it!
Hi there! Thank you so much for turning to this community. We are definitely here for you.
If you think the symptoms you’re having indicate ankylosing spondylitis in addition to it instead of fibromyalgia (definitely not the same as AS but many people have both), you definitely want to make sure you have a great rheumatologist on your side.
First up, you can search for rheumatologist (patient recommended) in Ohio / your zip code using the Spondylitis Association: https://spondylitis.org/resources-support/educational-materials-resources/find-a-rheumatologist/
Second, here’s what you should know about diagnosis:
https://ankylosingspondylitis.net/diagnosis
A rheumatologist will generally look at your family history, talk to you about what you’re experiencing, maybe do some sort of physical check, like bending over to touch your toes.
They will likely do an x-ray or MRI. They will also probably take blood to check for inflammation and also a genetic marker associated with this disease.
The genetic marker is called HLAB27. If you are positive for it, that is one diagnostic criteria. It’s not a requirement, because a lot of people with ankylosing spondylitis are negative and they still have the disease. But it is one helpful piece of the puzzle.
Here’s a great organization: https://spondylitis.org/about-spondylitis/could-i-have-spondyloarthritis/
Feel free to reply here or DM me if you need any more help!
