Anyone diagnosed with fibromyalgia???

I am a 23 year survivor of fibromyalgia and other health issues that come along with it,Including chronic fatigue,anxiety and panic attacks,migraines,(tmj)a jaw disorder,depression,24/7 severe full body pain,restless leg syndrome,hyposomnia,anemia,short term memory loss,vision and hearing complications,(ibs)irritable bowel syndrome,chest pains,ashma and degenerative disc disease spine,just to mention a few! I am 44,and have suffered from this since i was 21.It took ten years or longer and about 20 doctors b/4 being diagnosed.Fibromyalgia is known as the invisble disease which makes it very difficult to diagnose.There is mild to severe widespread pain and 18 trigger points which i happen to have all of. Everyone is affected differently,yet very similar symptoms.I would love to hear from others out there that suffer and have been diagnosed with this debilitating disease!

my mom has fibromyalgia. she has her good days and her bad days. she called her bad days "FM days." She'll be in a lot of pain and it's hard for her to do much of anything. She's currently 48 and has had it for anumber of years. There are still drs out there that don't believe the disease exists. my mom is usually affected anytime the weather changes alot (which is pretty much every other day where I live). She thinks it's something to do with the air pressure for her. it's defiantly not fun to deal with. she used to play guitar and sing but she can't do that anymore on most days. She is learning how to function and has just accepted that ti's part of her life. I hope that you can find a way to cope. Like you said, it's an invisible disease but it's definatly real.

idk but you sound like you should be on Oprah

i have been diagnosed with this illness/syndrome for only about a month now. so i know how you feel, as i felt bad for a long time and didn`t know why. don`t hesitate to contact me.
take care.

Yep. I'm 45 and was diagnosed 10 years ago. I am so sensitive that sometimes exposure to chemicals causes pain in my trigger points. I cannot stand the smell of rubber tires, old grease, some pesticides (duh!), waterproofing spray, and Febreeze. Some foods trigger the pain too; I cannot tolerate artificial sweeteners, some types of whole-wheat grains, margarine, and some brands of coffee! Some people think I'm nuts, but you need to learn what makes you hurt and avoid those things. I eat healthy and force myself to exercise (you CAN walk through the pain of fibromyalgia sometimes; exercise is crucial!). Ten years after my diagnosis, I work 35 hours a week, walk on my treadmill, dig in my yard, and volunteer at a pregnancy center and a recycling center. You have to keep moving.

Hi There r so many of us that know exactly how u feel. Its so hard 4 others that dont have this unseen chronic illness to really understand what we're going thru no matter how much they love us nor what they say. Try as we may its a matter of being able to get to a point of being able to "cope". Its collecting a little of this, a little of that, one piece of advice from him, one from her, one from a friend, alot of a doctor and so on as we build our own little arsenal of what works. I recently joined a group that meets at Pascack Valley Hospital (NJ) 2nd Sun, once a month. As the saying goes, if I knew then what I know now! Unfortunately, I had a migraine last month and couldnt make it. Boy did I miss those people! All walks of life, male and female alike. And was it fantastic to be able to speak with people who knew EXACTLY what I was feeling. I also have rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's Syndrome along with those fabulous migraines that returned with the Fibromyalgia. I found out at the CFIDS-FM (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-Fibromyalgia) group meeting that they often overlap. So much for us to learn ... its been 5 yrs for me. I've been studying everything I can get my hands on and knowledge really helps immensely along with counseling to help with the chronic pain (I'm sitting here trying to think of the word! fibrofog setting in again!). Cognitive counseling! something like that ... feel free to email back any time ...

I've had Fibro for about 40 years, diagnosed about 20 years ago. My doctor was ahead of his time.

I'm co-owner of Yahoo's largest Fibromyalgia support group. We have over 2,000 members giving support and understanding to others like us. If you would like to check us out here is a link:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Fib...

Hi Syndi, I also suffer from Fibro. I have been diagnosed 1 1/2 years but believe I have had it at least 4 years before anyone was ever able to even give me a clue to what all my pain was. I started having arm, hand, back, shoulder pain in the 90's and figured it was just part of repative motion as a keyboard processor. after the birth of my third child everything has gone from bad to worse. I had all the typical tests with no answer until I went to a rheumatoligst and though I still don't understand Fibromyalgia I at least got a diagnosis instead of muscular skeletal pain. I often have sleepless nights, headaches, fatigue, endless spine stiffness, pain, weakness , moodiness, tenderness, restless leg, etc, etc... So I literally feel your pain! I wish I could do anything to make it better for anyone that suffers this illness as I wish the same for myself. I hope for ALL OF US that suffer that someday will provide real answers and real solutions!!! In the meantime I hope WE find ways to cope!!! God Bless....

Hi, I am 31 years old and I was diagnosed with Fibro yesterday after lots and lots of testing to find the reason for my pain and symptoms. I have all of the symptoms you listed except for the memory & hearing loss. I have been suffering from migrains the majority of my life due to scoliosis. I have TMJ, IBS chronic fatigue, ashtma, DDD, insomnia, RLS.. I was hospitilized with depression about a year ago because no one was listening when I said that my entire body hurt and everyone (including my family) thought it was in my head or i was a hypochondriac - I felt so all alone and I felt like I was just being lazy and everyone was right - it WAS just in my head. I started working in a Dr;s office 6 mos ago and that changed my life. FINALLY my Dr was able to see how debilitated I was when I had a lot of stress at work.. and he suggested testing. Thank God for him and his wisdom!
I have been taking Trazadone (tranquilizer) for a year and a half for the insomnia and Effexor (300 mg) since my hospitalization for the depression. They both are still working well. I started Lyrica & Flexeril 3 weeks ago after I met with a Rheumotologist ... so far I cannot tell any significant difference. I take Lortab for pain (when I am able to rest, I can't take this at work - it gives me the hung-over drugged feeling). Right now my family is trying to adjust to my lack of energy. I have went from a full time working single soccer mom to a (sometimes) completely debilitated person. I still fight the hopelessness of just feeling so lazy and worthless, but thanks to the love of my family and friends I am dealing.. everything is so new to all of us. Good to know that you have been able to deal with it for an extended time... that gives me hope. R