Hello and welcome. Sorry to hear about the health problems that bring you here.

What has your doctor done in terms of diagnosis and/or treatment? If you haven't discussed it with your doctor yet, I would strongly urge it, since self-diagnosis can be dangerous. Fibromyalgia means chronic pain, but chronic pain can be a thousand things other than fibromyalgia. So getting a proper diagnosis is imperative if you're planning to manage symptoms.

Fibromyalgia is classified as a neuro-muscular disease, and cannot be diagnosed by a PCP. If you present your symptoms to a doctor, they will likely want blood-work and scans. Then any doctor worth their salt will refer you to a specialist if those tests do not yield answers. If fibro is suspected, given the neuro-muscular nature, a referral to a rheumatologist AND a neurologist are best. Fibromyalgia symptoms mimic that of many other diseases, and the rheumy and neuro can rule out many other disorders that would leave you with fibro-like symptoms.

This is again an imperative step, because there is no simple, definitive test that can be done to confirm fibro. So instead you have to rule out every single other malady that can manifest your symptoms.

In short, since you said "I think I have fibromyalgia," I assume you haven't yet seen a doctor. If your quality of life has been as affected as you say, you should start on the steps of medical assistance. With a diagnosis you can try to find treatments that help you. And it would be an eternal waste if you turn out to have something far more treatable than fibromyalgia, leaving you in needless pain now. You deserve the best possible quality of life.

And you're of course welcome here to vent about the pain, and for support as you go through the often-frustrating process of pursuing a diagnosis. Good luck, and I hope you're having a low-pain day!

Sorry you are having so much pain. You said you think you have fibro.....so I'm guessing you have not been diagnosed. Have you had any testing done to rule out other things? I hope you can get some help soon.

Welcome and yes having pain sucks. I agree with sonyacon and ida. The first step is to get an actual diagnosis. This may take a little time and a lot of tests but it will be worth it. Once you know for sure what you are dealing with it will be easier to treat. There is no cure for fibro but there are meds for pain and many other things you can do to help both with pain and to keep attacks from happening or being so severe when they do happen. I hope you will follow through and let us know what you find out.

It's nice knowing that I'm not making up my symptoms it's not ... "all in my head " other people feel this to !! I'm afraid to go to the Dr office and being told that there is nothing wrong with me again! I spent 7 years with pretty bad back pain went to tons of different Dr. And tons of x ray I was told to work out It turns out that I had 5 herniated discs . When 2 ruptured my sciatica nerve was almost severed THEN I finally got an MRI and much needed surgery I don't know how to get people to believe me

It can be hard to find a doctor who listens. I am sorry that you have had such a hard time. It's not in your head and you have to keep trying. What other choice do you have. I went to 7 doctors over a 6 month period because I was in so much pain I couldn't walk. They refused to help me saying it was in my head. Then I flew to Portland and within two weeks I was in emergency surgery trying to save my ability to walk at all. I had cut into the sciatic nerve. But I also had a neck that was crumbling. Had I not kept trying to make them listen I would be paralyzed. I know it is painful to have doctor after doctor tell you it is in your head. I prayed to die many times. But I never gave up. I am here if you need to talk. We will all support you as best we can.

Almost in tears, my friend suggested I look up my symptoms .now I have some answers and I found all of you who know that just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not there thank so much ..I guess I'm not that crazy after all

Wow our experiences are so similar I have permanent nerve damage because it took so long to get MRI Doctors treated me like I just wanted pills when a specialist looked at results he left his office, met me at the hospital and I had emergency surgery an hour later.

Thinkican, you are most certainly not crazy. I can definitely understand your mistrust in the medical machine, with such things happening to you before. I do agree with AutumnSong that it is unfortunately the only way to hopefully get answers and better ways of managing the pain.

I kept going back to the doctor because of ever-increasing pain in my hips. Blood tests showed nothing. Scans showed nothing. So I was waved off with a shrug every time. If I wasn't sick according to blood work or scans, I simply COULD NOT be sick according to them. Especially since I was 17 years old and very physically fit and active. I pushed through the pain for several years. In that time, my pain spiralled out of control, and I've never been able to get back to pain levels of before it spiralled. Cutting through that pain cycle early is important.

In the end, I got my diagnosis at 22 because an acquaintance was convinced I had EDS. I looked up how EDS is tested for, and marched into my GPs office to just demand he write the referrals I needed. He sheepishly did so, saying he'd never heard of EDS (seriously...? Already showing why he was so utterly useless to me). I was a few points short on the EDS diagnosis, and when this good news was delivered to me, I started crying because I just wanted answers at that point.

This emotion seemed to make the genealogist understand that my life was really being affected, and I got a referral to rheumatologist from her. Again scans and blood work. I got the good news from the rheumy that, apart from scoliosis, I didn't have any rheumatological condition. Again, I was horrified and upset at great news. At that point the rheumy did some more physical tests, including the pressure point test, and Dx'd me with FMS.

I'll be going for an exhaustive second opinion this year, since part of me wonders if she in the end threw the Dx at me in order to get me enrolled in a hospital program for chronic pain patients. She believed I was in pain and needed help, but I sometimes wonder if she was trying to give me a diagnosis just so I could start learning non-narcotic coping tools for chronic pain through the hospital program.

I've read of some people that will do some research into local doctors. Some specialise in FMS now, or at least in pain disorders or rheumatological disorders. Sometimes it's nicer to know in advanced a clinic's stance on FMS and pain management, rather than put yourself out there only to be met with an ignoramus that's behind on the medical facts of FMS.

Getting a diagnosis is an absolute pain if one doesn't have something obvious and easily tested for. This place can be great for support and understanding when going through that malarkey.

Oh, also: whenever possible, only present your symptoms to the doctor. Things will likely be even harder for you if you approach them saying you're looking for confirmation that it's fibro. There is no way for them to really confirm it, and FMS right now has a big stigma about being a "drug seekers" disease. Patients that push for an FMS diagnosis can be seen as people hoping to get a steady supply of pain meds. Angering, yes, but as they say: a small few ruin things for the rest of us...

Since there are a lot of things that mimic FMS in terms of symptoms, going after an answer for your personal symptoms will rule out more things than if you're chasing a FMS diagnosis.

Good luck with everything!

God bless you i have R.A. i will pray for you