Fibromyalgia and diabetes: Lab tests essential in diagnosing the difference

Main symptoms of diabetes

Fibromyalgia and diabetes have many of the same symptoms. That's why it's important to have a comprehensive examination in determining the differences. Learning from experience can be the hard way, so here are some tips to help prevent a problem of diagnosis and treatment with these conditions.

As a life care planner and counselor I had many opportunities to interact with clients with their doctors in preparing case material or providing guidance. I also had personal experience with health conditions that helped me learn that medical diagnosis is not a perfect science, so the patient needs to be vigilant and informed. That's particularly true because certain conditions can
produce similar symptoms; and if the right one is not treated, serious harm to a patient can result. My personal story reflects these issues.

I experienced chills and sometimes what I thought were hot flashes at night. I felt lethargic intermittently throughout the day. Sometimes I would have to sleep in my chair at work in order to get through the work day. My feet had small red sores around the toes that sometimes burned, and I had fungus under my toenails I had for years. My face would break out in red patches around the nose and across the forehead. I had fungal infections on my feet and terrible itching. I would frequently ache all over. I had sleep problems and often felt depressed for no reason. During my young adulthood, prior to menopause, I suffered from painful menstrual symptoms. I did not have frequent thirst, but as I was to learn later, this may be a primary symptom but is not always present with diabetics, as diagnosis is based upon a cluster of symptoms, blood sugar problems.

After visiting a rheumatologist, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. This was before the present set of medications specifically for the condition. I took medication for sleep, to bring down inflammation, and to help mood. A podiatrist prescribed a special cream for my feet, and a general physician recommended special shampoos and face creams. But the lethargy, aching, and major symptoms remained, although somewhat minimized as I went from doctor to doctor for treatment. But none tested my blood sugar.

After suffering debilitating headaches, on top of other symptoms making it difficult to function, I went to a doctor for assessment and tests. This doctor asked for medical records but said because diagnoses can sometimes be incorrect, she would do complete screening for certain conditions that mirrored fibromyalgia. One of these conditions was diabetes.

When the results came back from testing, I learned I am diabetic. After being placed on diabetic medication and following a regimen of low carbohydrate foods, I found my symptoms all but disappeared. But some of the side effects from long-term diabetes had already caused nerve damage. Had doctors done more thorough lab tests and regular evaluation of symptoms, perhaps there might be a difference in the present outcome of my condition.

My story is one among many people who have treatable conditions not properly diagnosed or where doctors made medical conclusions based upon a particular orientation, specialty or interest of the time. In my case, I had visited specialists in rheumatology, orthopedics, and gynecology whose focus was outside the area of diabetes when an internist trained in working with diabetics may have been sufficient.

These are the symptoms in the conditions of fibromyalgia according to Web MD:
 Anxiety
 Concentration and memory problems
 Depression
 Digestive disorders
 Discoloration of hands and feet (Raynaud's phenomenon)
 Dryness in mouth, nose, and eyes
 Fatigue
 Headaches
 Irritable bowel syndrome
 Morning stiffness
 Pain
 Painful menstrual cramps
 Sleep problems
 Swelling, numbness, and tingling in hands, arms, feet, and legs
 Urinary symptoms
Physicians also maintain people with fibromyalgia have more yeast infections and depression than those without the condition.
Symptoms of diabetes from this same resource
 Excessive thirst and appetite
 Increased urination (sometimes as often as every hour)
 Unusual weight loss or gain
 Fatigue
 Nausea, perhaps vomiting
 Blurred vision
 In women, frequent vaginal infections
 In men and women, yeast infections
 Dry mouth
 Slow-healing sores or cuts
 Itching skin, especially in the groin or vaginal area

It has been found people with diabetes are twice as likely to suffer from depression as non-diabetics. As has been noted earlier, fibromyalgia patients are often seen with depression. Research has also established sleep problems to be frequent among diabetics. Skin complications are one of the concerns, and low blood sugar can cause headaches. Digestive problems can be part of the condition of diabetes as a result of nerve damage. This is also one of the hallmarks of fibromyalgia as well.

The value of having a complete diagnosis, to include lab tests, is critical in preventing wrong diagnoses where the patients end up having complications, which is often the case with diabetes. Given the symptom parallels in diabetes and fibromyalgia, that patients and even their doctors may not properly assess, the information about both conditions can be of consequence in addition to undergoing comprehensive evaluation to include testing blood sugar. This can often be the definitive explanation for certain symptoms that can put the patient on the right track for getting help and prevent serious side effects from developing, as is the case with diabetes.

Diabetes management: causes and tips to control diabetes

Christina (Guest Writer) — Diabetes is a genetic  disease. Nowadays three out of five persons are victims of diabetes. Changing lifestyle, increasing stress at a very small age, consumption of unhealthy junk food – all are other responsible factors for diabetes.

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Several metabolism variances cause diabetes in the human body. Level of sugar increases in the blood, which is called glucose. Consequently, the pancreas stops producing insulin-producing cells. The main motto of diabetes management is maintained in the balance for reinstating carbohydrate/insulin cells. Various medical treatments are used to improve the status of insulin in the body, like giving insulin injections, following special diet chart, exercises, and medications.

The following healthy practice can help out to diabetes patients stay fit.

Check medical history of your family

Diabetes is a genetic disease. If your parents and grandparents had this disease then maybe you are the next target. You should consume healthy food from the very beginning.  Don’t wait for the disease to attack first. Consult your physician and start taking precautions from the very beginning.

Check your diet 

Consumption of sugar is a big no-no. Nowadays diabetics don’t have to compromise much as every eatable is also available in the variety of sugar free too, like desserts, chocolates, cookies, and ice cream etc.   Avoid the use of certain fruits like mango and dates as there is plenty of sugar in these fruits. Add fiber, oats, porridge, multi grains in your diet. Don’t remain hungry ever; have something quickly as you feel hungry as the blood pressure of diabetics drops drastically in the situation of a hungry stomach for a longer time period. Follow a particular diet chart from breakfast till dinner with the help of dieticians instead of your own guesswork.

Sister diseases

Diabetes give birth to many other diseases with its origin in the human body. Cholesterol level in the body should be maintained. The majority of the diabetics are patients of high blood pressure too. So high temperament in such situation is a big no-no. Patients should avoid taking alcohol as it disturbs the circulation of blood in the body. Chances of heart attack are always there, so try to avoid non-vegetarian food, and deep fried unhealthy food, which may block your arteries and can put you in a very helpless situation.

Decrease in production of white blood cells

Blood cells work like caring doctors in our body. When the production of white cells decreases, or the existing ones start becoming feeble, this affects the immunity, resistance power of our body to fight against the germs of diseases. This is the reason why the wounds of diabetics don’t heal up and in the situation of chronic stage the injured body part needs to be separated from the body by doctors. So diabetics should do their best to rescue themselves from injuries.

The workout is a must

Outdoor activities and workout are a must for diabetics. The patient can choose the activity according to their interest. Yoga or other exercise plans should be practiced under the strict supervision of trainers.

Diabetes is no longer an issue for developing extreme anxiety. Worldwide specialists are there with excellent medications and other therapies to treat you. Many determined and disciplined diabetics had overcome the disease as no obstacle can be bigger than the determination of a person to keep their health.

About Author

Christina is an experienced writer and has been writing on various topics like diabetes, weight loss, nutrition, fitness, beauty, skin care and more. She is also a regular contributor at help you find counselling services.

Environmental toxins tied to obesity and diabetes

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Recently health news reported that Americans  are among the most obese in the world. The United States also suffers from an epidemic of diabetes.  Could environmental factors be involved?

Environmental scientists pose this question for research.  What they found is that environmental chemicals may indeed be contributing factors to epidemics of diabetes and obesity, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a division of the National Toxicology Program.

Researchers have discovered that certain types of chemical closures may actually increase obesity risk by altering the development of neural circuits that regulate eating behavior. This issue may become greater when combined with a diet that is high in fat carbohydrates and calories.

While experts stress the need for daily exercise and sunshine, weather can interfere with good intentions. So as temperature extremes occur, people respond by exercising less and eating more, especially when the weather is cold. Scientists believe there are interacting variables between human behavior in relationship to climate change.

Like other nations, the United States is making the hard choices, and some of those choices are whether to provide a short-term fix or a longer-term control. That means going green may indeed improve overall health if it means reducing environmental toxins which consequently interfere with human health.

Science continues to examine health concerns in relationship to patterns in the environment. Specific links to diabetes are still being studied that involve the questions raised by the present research.

Research puts Type 2 diabetes cure within reach

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Editor - Can you cure diabetes?  Most experts would say no, as the struggle against the dreaded disease has appeared to be a difficult one with the rise in rates of diabetes around the world, but new research reveals that a naturally-occurring compound may be able to reverse and prevent it.

Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found they were able to  reverse diabetes in mice with the use of a compound called nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), which naturally occurs in the body.

Scientists found that the blood sugar of the mice returned completely back to normal after being given the compound.

NMN  helps with the production of an important molecule that harvests energy  and has been shown to promote healthy metabolism throughout the body, including in the pancreas, liver, muscle and fat tissue.

During the aging process the production of NMN is reduced, leading to abnormal metabolic conditions such as diabetes.  Scientists now believe it could be possible in the future to take a compound just like one takes a vitamin, which could potentially return blood sugar to normal..

Shin-ichiro Imai, MD, PhD, associate professor of developmental biology tells us, "After giving NMN, glucose tolerance goes completely back to normal in female diabetic mice," says "In males, we see a milder effect compared to females, but we still see an effect. These are really remarkable results. NMN improves diabetic symptoms, at least in mice."

Because the mechanisms that NMN influences are largely the same in mice and humans, Imai says this discovery holds promise for people with diabetes. Imai says the researchers plan to check whether this mechanism is equally compromised in human patients with type 2 diabetes in the "very near future."

Type 2 diabetes, occurs when the pancreas makes insulin but it doesn't work very well so that the blood sugar may rise or fall below normal in a fashion that triggers additional health problems, such as heart attack or stroke.  Type 2 diabetes is associated with older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose metabolism, physical inactivity, and race/ethnicity.  It is reported to affect 8.3 per cent of the general US population and 26.9 percent of those people over age 65.

Type I diabetes: new research on prevention

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Carol Forsloff - New research reported by Diabetes magazine reports that an oral or nasal administration of insulin can protect against the development of Type I diabetes.

52 adults were tested over a period of 12 months, some given a placebo and others nasal insulin.  The results showed that the nasal spray provided protection against the development of Type I by inducing an immune tolerance to insulin.

Gizmag quotes Professor Len Harrison of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Australia as saying,  "The results showed that the vaccine allowed the immune system to restore immune tolerance to insulin.  When subsequently given insulin by injection, the participants who had received the nasal insulin vaccine were found to be desensitized to insulin."

According to the American Diabetes Association Type I diabetes is an early onset disease diagnosed in children and young adults and that is characterized by the body’s inability to produce insulin.  Insulin is a hormone required for sugar conversion and turning it into the kind of energy the body needs to live healthy life.

Those people who have early onset diabetes require lifelong insulin treatments, so this new research is considered a major breakthrough in prevention of the disease.