32 male diagnosed 12 years ago, symptoms for 25 years.

I recently went to a neurologist for a problem with some headaches I've had for a few years. During the normal course of my exam he stopped and repeated a portion of it, then got concerned and asked if I ever have numbness in my limbs.

"Oh yeah. I have fibromyalgia. I get some numbness and nerve pain sometimes."

"Like pins and needles?"

"Yep and bee stings."

"That's not fibromyalgia. You have nerve damage."

Turns out that while I do have FM, I also had some pretty bad vitamin deficiencies that were basically starving my nerve endings.

The problem was that the symptoms from the deficiency and the nerve damage to me just looked...normal? This had likely been gong on for years because I've had that deficiency diagnosed before, too.

I got into the habit of ignoring how I felt and dealing as best I could everyday. My doctors so often said "well maybe it's the fibromyalgia" when they couldn't find a cause that I started doing it, too.

Other things can make you tired. Other things can hurt. Please don't be afraid to advocate for yourself. Pay attention when your symptoms change and tell your doctor.

Edit : Thanks so much for the award, kind stranger! I've never gotten one of those before that's really cool.

Also Edit: It is really important to draw attention to the fact that advocating for yourself with healthcare providers can unfortunately be much harder for women than it typically is for men.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/women-and-pain-disparities-in-experience-and-treatment-2017100912562

I showed up to a brand new doctor and told her a problem. She sent me for an MRI which showed nothing, and she told me to go straight to a specialist and told me on my way out "don't let this go." The specialist did a CT scan, and it showed nothing, and we moved straight on to the next step. It went this way until we found the cause. No one doubted me. No one questioned whether I was just being "sensitive."

If I were a woman my experience might have been quite different. I'm grateful that I was heard and believed, but I do want to utilize the (small) opportunity to highlight that women need to be believed, also. This phenomenon is real, and your pain is valid.

Thanks for the support, everyone!