Hi all, just a quick intro !!!

[Northernsoulie]

Hello everybody!!...im a 49 yr old male, still in the process of getting a diagnosis, Fybro has been 'muttered' a few times by my GP, but I also have one GP that doesnt believe in Fybro.Im really struggling to get some good advice, also have one of these ESA50 medical forms to fill in too, dreading it!!

[Sniffer8]

Hi Northernsoulie

Greetings from a 57 year old male. You certainly need a sympathetic GP who'll take you seriously. I'm also in receipt of ESA. Take time to put as much detail onto the form as you can muster. It's not easy to fully express all that you are going through.

[neesey1005]

Hi I have seen a doctor who told me to relax more and "its in my head" -I kept changing doctor - now they are listening - 3 years on - good luck - Neese x

[LtAngua52]

Hi northernsoulie,

Welcome to the forum but I'm sorry you have to join us. Unsympathetic doctors are the norm unfortunately. You will have a lot of sympathy from us on here with that one!

Take your time with the form, try to show just how your symptoms prevent you working and doing anything. You may like to get help from CAB or your local welfare rights organisation. I found the latter very helpful in the past. Make sure you keep a copy and send it recorded too. You'd be surprised how many forms seem to go astray on way to the dwp. At least they say it's not received. there seems to be a Bermuda triangle on the way to the dwp where they all end up, so you need proof and the copy. Get as many documents to support your claim as you can from doctors, physio, counsellors, whatever. You could also contact our own benefit advisor too.

Good luck.

[sastek]

Hi and welcome to the group. I am a 45 year old bloke so I have a fair idea of how you feel. Unfortunately sceptical and/or plain useless GP's are very common when it comes to Fibro. The best advice that I can give you on the ESA50 form is that you explain how you feel on your worst days and avoid giving too much detail about your "better days"

I'm more than happy to help you in any way that I can.

[BlueMermaid3]

Hi there

Welcome to the forum 😊 I am sorry to hear that you are having problems getting a diagnosis. It is unfortunately extremely common to take many years to get a definitive diagnosis of Fibromyalgia, as the conditon mimics so many other illnesses that first need to be eliminated.

If you have a look on our mother site you'll find lots of useful information on Fibro fmauk.org

If this is the first time you have filled a benefits claim form in I would strongly recommend that you get some professional help. We have a benefits advisor called Janet who I believe is away at the moment, but I am going to find out when she returns and I will come back and let you know.

Other than that contact your local CAB and see if they have anyone who can help you. Another thing that you can do is to Google for a Disability Advocate. There are various ones that you can choose from. They are charities that will help you free of charge and can sometimes attend any assessments you may have to attend.

If you have a look on the right of your screen under Pinned Posts in blue you'll find steps on how to lock your posts. The choice is yours but we try our best to be safe on the Internet.

If you need any help navigating the forum please let me know and I will be more than happy to help you.

Wishing you less pain and more peace

Lu x

Administrator

[Janet28]

Hi there Northernsoulie welcome to the site. Sorry you can't get diagnosis but it's same old story over & over. Best thing you can do is ask if there is any other gps in the practice that is knowledgeable about Fibromyalgia, if that fails, try change doctor because you will always have a problem with this one and believe me when I say, you really don't want the stress of that.

But in saying all of that, fibromyalgia is not easy to diagnose because it has very similar symptoms to lots of other things. They go through a big elimination process of blood tests etc.

It is good to keep a diary of how you feel on a daily basis & write all your symptoms down. Doctors seem to cope with that, otherwise there is always so much to tell them, half of its forgotten or there no time because some doctors don't seem to be able to multitask & usually only can deal with 1 thing at a time.

You can also ask him to refer you to a specialist !. It is your right to do so.

I wish you luck with it all & keep us informed ☺

Peace, luv n light

Jan x

[Tel59]

Hi Northern..😊..welcome..😊.. i was being told for 10 years i had arthritus until i ask for proof & i was then told i couldnt have proof as it was only an assumption so right away i saw another doctor who told me sounds like fibro so refered me to a rhumatologist who are the experts for dignosing it..maybe if u ask ur doctor to refere u then u will know for sure..hope this helps..😊..Terri

[rosewine]

Just like to say welcome to the site. Hope that you get a firm diagnosis soon and some help. Talking about help do try and get help with that form as they tie you in knots. Hopefully look forward to future posts from you but unfortunately that will mean you have joined the Fibro club which isn't to be recommended. Take care.x

[Kevo6788]

First things first my freind is ditch the doctor who thinks fibro is a fairytale....These type of doctors can set you back no end both in getting diagnosed and mentally confusing you...I had a Doctor exactly like it too...I can put up with medics not really understanding fibro or not really knowing what type of help/treatment to offer but to dismiss fibro as a illness/disease or even worse is the 'All in your head' diagnosis is totally unacebtable in this day and age ...Hope you get sorted soon and recieve some treatment to alleviate your pain etc....

[TheAuthor]

Hi Northernsoulie

I sincerely hope that you are feeling as well as you possibly can be today? Welcome to the forum and it is wonderful to make your acquaintance. As the others have said, you may find it beneficial to change your GP for another one as this doctor is really not helping you my friend. I want to sincerely wish you all the best of luck and please take care of yourself.

All my hopes and dreams for you

Ken

[lyzzie]

Hi northernsoulie, I havnt been looking at this site for very long myself, didnt know it even existed, but the people have been wonderful and I have been much more upbeat about my problems as there is always someone who knows what your going through or has good advice. Hope you get you answers soon and feel better soon, but remember, theres always someone on this site for you to talk to. Best thing I ever did. Lyzzie.

[Alice2355]

I didn't realise there was so many men on the site xx