Hi JennyJ,
I'm sorry to hear you are struggling with feeling like this, perfectly understandable though that is. There are a few people on here who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I have a dear, dear friend with it and know how very difficult it is for her.
Frankly, I don't think the medical profession is up to speed with the symptoms relating to severe hormonal change and how that impacts all the systems. The only diagnostic tool they still have is process of elimination till they can whittle it down to some expression of chronically challenged systems. Now, whether a "label" is relevant or not is up for debate. Some conditions may prove usefully labelled if it means a better quality of life for the sufferer through a pathway of appropriate medication, support, benefits etc. However, many do not and the sufferer is left trying to navigate their own way along a very bewildering, exhausting and fluctuating trajectory.
Having been diagnosed with M.E. seventeen years ago, I think I can safely say now that it still remains pretty much a mystery to the medical profession leaving many unknowns and misunderstandings along the way, far less many wrongly prescribed treatments and therapies, some of which make sufferers worse!
However, I am starting to come round to the notion that such conditions belong under an umbrella term of Fibromyalgia, M.E./CFS etc and may not be triggered by what the common perceptions are. There are now theories that M.E. for example may be triggered by protracted stress, environmental factors, a sudden physical trauma like a road accident or hormones! This is moving away from the narrow misconception of viral triggering and is becoming more evolved, more sophisticated.
According to updates in the NICE guidelines, these conditions ARE recognised in this way now.
If I were you and if you have the energy, I would keep at it with the same gp making sure I have evidence to match what I am presenting with if needs be. There may be a timescale of having to have certain symptoms for a certain period of time and you can monitor yourself in this way with further evidence of this nature. Failing that, I would ask the surgery practice manager if there is a gp with a special interest in fatigue conditions because you are not feeling heard by the one you are seeing. You could then get bloods run and raise the issue of potential hormonal contribution.
Try not to Google too much or let yourself be "spooked" by anything or anyone. Try to just focus on your own, unique experience and take heart in that by chipping away at your surgery and noting your symptoms you are being your own hero, something very empowering. Good luck! 😊
