wondering if I have fibro, and what kind of doctor should I see?

[Guest guest]

I joined this group a while ago on the advice of a friend, who told

me that symptoms I have sounded to her like I have fibromyalgia (she

based this on another friend of hers, who has been dxd with it and we

have similar problems). I asked my doctor about it at my next

appointment-I go every 3 months for monitoring of another problem-and

he basically dismissed it saying its a catch-all diagnosis, doesnt

really exist, etc...and I dropped it. And then all of a sudden I

felt better and it wasnt that important to me. Now though the

symptoms I had are back, and it has me wondering again. I know no

one here is a doctor....but if I give a list of my problems could I

get some opinions about whether I have fibro? Also-since my regular

doctor obviously is not a good choice to get treatment from since he

thinks it doesnt really exist, what kind of specialist should I go to

to be diagnosed? Also, are there specific blood tests or other kind

of tests that are typically done to diagnose it? And lastly, what

kind of treatments do people usually use? I know these are a LOT of

things to ask in one email, but any help would be appreciated. Here

are my the symptoms, not listed in any particular order: severe pain

in right hip (currently dxd as bursitis); occasional pain in left

hip; occasional lower back pain (not too severe usually); headaches

almost every day; EXTREME fatigue-sometimes I am so tired I sleep

right through my alarm going off and do not hear the telephone, and

its hard for me to get out of bed even as late as noon; fatigue so

severe that somedays I stay in bed practically the whole day; all-

over body pain that causes me to stay in bed or to just transfer from

bed to couch for the whole day; feeling too tired to do anything-

shopping and simple errands seem like ordeals that I actually have to

recover from; muscle pain in the neck/shoulder area; pain around my

ribs (not constant, only if pressure is applied); inability to walk

fast; can't walk stairs normally, have to do it like a toddler (one

step at a time); sometimes my toes are freezing but the rest of my

body is normal temp; facial pain-feels like a constant sinus

infection; diarreah that seems to happen more than most people get

it. I think thats it, except I should also say that I'm being

treated for depression and anxiety. Does this sound like fibro?

If it does sound like it, what kind of doctor should I see for a dx?

And is there anything that can be done to help me?

I live in NJ-if anyone knows of a good doctor for fibro anywhere in

NJ I would really appreciate the name. Please feel free to respond

privately if you prefer. Thank you for reading this LONG email....I

hope some of you have suggestions for me.