I have been on this roller coaster for a long time and my life went from surfing, working out, having a relationship and employment to... none of the above. I am a man, so I feel I have been looked at differently. I have to be medicated to even get out of bed and do everyday chores. My mother had it beginning in the 1980's and every Dr thought she was Manic depressive because of her mood swings. Debbie they didn't know that she had highs because she was in less pain and lows because she was in pain. They have come a "long" way since then, but people will think you are crazy and it is all in your head. If I were you I would not tell anyone other than your closest friends and family and on this sight. I try to keep positive and my faith has kept me from really losing my mind. lol I call it the "F" word because of how Dr use it as a waste basket disease, so make sure you have a good Dr that truly knows how to treat it. Herbal.... marijuana... is the best for the treatment, otherwise I have to take 5 meds to function. It has been over 15 years with this crap and I have tried everything...diets, no gluten, no carbs, all kinds of vitamins and pills and a doobie is the best. Seriously!!! I am over the pain and what people think of me and I will do anything for the pain to stop. I wouldn't be typing this if it weren't for my faith. You can do this and if you ever need to talk i am on this site. No one will listen anymore and you will need a Fibro sufferer to cry your heart out sometimes. Don't hold it in... it makes things more painful.

I want to thank everyone for their replies. I have a question does anyone itch with fibromyalgia? Also have flare ups for more than two days? I am so tired of all the tests. I've had MRI of my back, spinal tap to rule out MS. Blood work to rule out lyme, thyroid diabetes. Then they ruled out a pulmonary embolism, optical neuritis in my eyes. How do they test for fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a diagnosis of exclusion. In other words, the medics run every test under the sun. When they come negative and a pressure point test is done, FMS is the final conclusion. Here is a link showing the pressure point chart:

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20345635,00.html

Even if a pressure point test is not done, a history of widespread chronic pain, sleep issues and other symptoms will point to FMS.

Flares can last a day, two days, a week, a month or even longer. There is no rhyme or reason to how they will run/conclude. Again, it is important to pace yourself and hold stress down as much as possible. It is much easier to manage this condition if you find a middle ground activity wise and try to stick with it.

I don't itch but itching and rashes can be an issue with FMS. You might want to see an allergist to rule out another cause. Not everything is FMS related.

We are all sick of seeing doctors and being science experiments. It is disheartening, expensive and exhausting. I understand your frustration.

This is a pretty active group You may have noticed that we have a morning check in hosted by Leo. Some people check in, others lurk and/or do once in a while. It helps to share so none of us feel so isolated. Feel free to join us. Take care.

Getting diagnosed is just half the battle, the next few years will be trial and error on different meds. Everyone is different in what works for them. I can tell you that they have had me on all the "standard" meds listed above and they caused me more problems and weight gain, terrible side effects.

My doctor will not prescribe muscle relaxers and it's hard to find doctors that will prescribe straight pain medication. Luckily I did find one and I take pain medication for my pain and an anxiety med to sleep.

I do not itch, and the itching you are describing doesn't sound right at least not for Fibro so have the doc take a second look at that to find the right cause.

My favorite book was written probably 20 yrs ago but is still relevant and has the best info I've found in all the Fibro books I've read. Sadly the author, who suffers from this condition is now too ill to continue writing. Its called "The Fibromyalgia Advocate".

Hi Debbie. Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. We here all understand what a rollercoaster ride it can be. There are numerous symptoms associated with this condition and we each seem to experience the most common ones like wide-spread pain and fatigue to varying degrees at various times.

As for flares, there doesn't seem to be a time limit as to how long they will last. So don't be discouraged by that. It is fairly common to have a flare when you overdo it physically, but flares can and do happen for no reason that you can explain. Just listen to your body and take it easy when it happens.

As for medicines, I see others mentioned Cymbalta, Lyrica and Gabapentin. Other meds to consider are Tegretol if Gabapentin doesn't work. Also Plaquenil helps some people who have a lot of inflammation. Finally, you might be prescribed Amitriptyline to help you sleep. The key is to work with your doctor on what is the best combination for you.

I personally do experience a lot of itching, but I can't attest to the fact that it is FM related. Unfortunately, having FM does not mean we will not get sick in other ways too. So if you ever experience something that seems 'non-standard' with respect to FM, see your doctor.

Take care of yourself and know that you are not alone.
Hugs,
Kimber