I cant exactly answer your question. But I can feel your dispair. You can make through this and live a wonderfull life! Never Give Up and FIGHT!

Non-progressive: it is or it isn't. It presents itself with symptoms, and symptoms may flare or be in remission, but your fibro is your fibro and will likely not progress into something worse. Not everyone agrees FM is not progressive.

FM can be a misdiagnosis for other illnesses. I know exactly what it's like to get that flu feeling followed by pain/fatigue, but 8 months, non-stop, after never having had a flare before? I would look very, very hard for an underlying cause, such as a virus, infection, auto-immune diseases, or thyroid condition (especially Hashimoto's). Have you had these tests done?

What doctors mean by its not progressive is that it is not terminal you will not progress and die. But it does progress and can get worse. It just supposedly doesn't do any damage.
Tam

I did have my first flare a few weeks ago. the flare was all of my symptoms combined x's 10. Since that flare Ive had major nasea,headaches, and the above mentioned pain. I have had not other tests done. Perhaps I should request some?

After a lot of thought, reading and research, this is what I've concluded:

Fibro is basically neurological in that our neurotransmitters are out of wack leading to a whole host of strange, bizarre and downright odd symptoms that make us look like fools. Since neurotransmitters aren't exactly easy to measure, short of an autopsy, they just throw meds at us hoping something will help.

As the years go by, the neurotransmitter problems cause other systems to sputter and fail, leading to more strange symptoms. Most of these still aren't serious enough to show up on tests so again we look like fools. Among the systems that begin failing are our adrenal glands [adrenal fatigue], our thyroid [subclinical hypothyroidism] and our GI tract leading to IBS.

We don't get enough O2 to our brain or muscles leading to myofascial trigger points that cause untold undiagnosable pain. The pain travels so most of us hurt from the top of our head to the bottom of our feet. Or at least I did.

We develop food allergies that are often subtle and aren't seen for what they are until we're ready to explode or have other strange symptoms. Again, the neurotransmitter inbalances in our brain make us more susceptible to food intolerances and the like.

That being said, I've had fibro for 25 years and I can honestly say that I'm feeling better than I have in years since approaching it from an orthomolecular point of view. What that does is focus on repairing the body systems enabling them to function normally, or as normally as they can after 25 years. This is done through the use of amino acids, enzymes, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that the body needs to function properly.

Probably the best book on treating fibro I've ever come across is Dr. Rodger Murphree's Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
http://www.drmurphreestore.com/newsletters_letters/healthnews3_21_07.html

I wish I would have read this years ago.

I think for those who are just now getting sick, if they were to apply these techniques, there's a good chance they won't end up as sick as so many others.

Absolutely have tests done, lots of them: thyroid hormone stimulator, free T4 and free T3 levels, ANA titer, mono test, lupus test, white blood cell count, and anything else your doctor will throw in there. FM is a diagnosis of exclusion: once everything else has been ruled out, you know you have it.

After my first flare I researched a ton of illnesses that might have been what I was experiencing, and there are A LOT out there. FM cannot be cured, it can only be managed. If you do have a treatable disease you may be the lucky one if it is treatable. Good luck!

When the med cocktail works, I feel great. When it doesn't, I feel like it's getting progressively worse. I think it's all about whether or not you are controlling it.
Now if you excuse me, it's time for me to take that cocktail, lol

I had fibro for and 15 years and then the doc's told me they didn't think I EVER had fibro that it was Neuropathy..I don't even think doc's know what the H**l there talking about.

But that is just my opinion and I feel like crap right now so everyone in the medical field is an idiot at this point lol..sorry I am in so much pain I want to SCREAM..."Does anyone understand what is happening to me" but then they would look at normal me and say what are you talking about you look great...B.S.
V

Well mine got progressively worse. It first started with flu like symptoms then dizziness and then pain; muscle and joint pain and finally Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency. Mine was definately progressive. Mine even has a cause it's biotoxin disease from mold.

Years ago I said something to my doctor that the disease was reported not to be progressive. His reply, "Who told you that nonsense?" It is progressive in that I think the exhaustion does get somewhat worse, and the pain certainly can progress. It is not fatal is the only reason I can come up with that anyone would say it is not progressive. However, I do not think anyone has ever considered the laundry list of symptoms that may cause suicide (depression), ulcers from acid reflux and irritable bowel disease (these can be fatal if not treated), but somehow, I think the causes are always ascribed to the related symptom rather than the primary disease of Fibro. That is probably why everyone says the disease is not progressive. Only my opinion. Prayers and hugs.

I beleive it is progressive, because when I started feeling crappy, it wasn't this bad, over the years, it has gotten MUCH worse so to me, that means it IS progressive, now I don't even want to leave the house, EVER. THat is totally unlike me (the pre-fibro me)so hang in there, we know how we feel, they don't, so I come to my own conclusions because the dr's just say, hmm, that's too bad, rest, take these pills.
YOU do what YOU feel helps, and decide yourself if it is progressive. I did.

I'm going to agree with the post that says that fibro gets the "unprogressive" title, because we are actually getting other diseases. I believe that the fibro caused my body to be susceptible to secondary diseases, such as my CTD. I was not nearly as bad before as I am now. So on the WHOLE, I would say, YES it is progressive in the fact that I am generally worse off than before I was sick with fibro. Just my 2 cents.

Im pretty sure my fibro was caused by chemo..The symptoms didnt start until after my 3rd treatment. That may be why they never tested me for other things. The chemo damaged me in many ways..How ironic..

I have to agree with fibrobev on everything she said.I have had this over twenty years along with cfs and it does progress thoughit often changes and more weird things happen out of the blue.I believe that I have got the myofascial thing now. marilyn

Why is it that if we wear decent clothes and brush our hair, that we must feel fine?
Sometimes I debate about whether this is progressive or not. Could it be possible that the pain is the same but meds don't work as well due to tolerance or that due to having pain for so many years I am less tolerant and able to "handle" without meds? hummmm