Wondering what age everyone was when they first noticed the symptoms, and what age you were actually diagnosed? Just curiosity !
I should post, i'am 34, and just diagnosed, however, when i look back and connect the dots "per say" i would say i noticed symptoms around age 16-17, starting with arthritis... Anyone get heart palpitations, or valve leaks ?
19, woke up with a burning sensation in the top of my leg, went to get up and leg went from under me, then lost all feeling in the skin at top of that leg, feeling never came back. Over the next few years gradually got worse with aches, pains feeling tired etc. was diagnosed at 28, I'm now 55.
Thank you, interesting we were both on the younger side of the diagnosis scale... Do you suffer from tinnitus at all ? I guess I'm trying to put all my symptoms together and see if it all correlates together... Being not well informed, my brain is full of questions ! Don't feel obligated to answer anything you aren't comfortable with, by any means ! Hope your doing well.
Hi Emily
I was 23 when I first had pains in my right hand and thought I had knocked my hand against something as the pain was awful. Only diagnosed Aug 2014. I turned 45 April 2015.
I started with symptoms at the end of 2007. I was diagnosed in 2009. I'm 43.
I was in my early 40s. Over a long period I went to the doctor with many pieces of the Fibro jigsaw. I didn't think for a moment that all the various symptoms were connected (pains that varied in intensity and location, insomnia, costochondritis, poor memory, pins and needles, cold hands and feet. I was finally diagnosed last year at age 55. I have changed my doctor!!
I was pretty crook for about 8 years..then I got diagnosed ...I've had Fibro and SjorensSyndrime for 23 yrs now...diagnosed..:-) be blessed :-) xxx
great to hear all your results Emily..
Definite symptoms late 80s query over earlier ones in early 70s when a teenager. Not diagnosed until 2 months ago - isn't the NHS wonderful!
I don't have tinnitus, but I do get head rush type of dizzy spells. I still have no feeling in the top of my leg and it still goes from underneath me. Happened in Feb this year as I was going down a step, broke my ankle and foot, still on crutches now.
Hi I've just recently been diagnosed this month still don't know that much about it yet but I noticed the pain getting bad when I was 19 I'm now 27 x
Hi Kerrymaize
It's all fairly new to many of us but dealing with a day at a time is a good start. Some days you will experience more pain than the day before or vice sa versa. Staying calm and postive and being stress-free is the key that we all need to do. I know it's easier said than done, but thats where we all support each other on this forum.
Hope you have a good day and take care x
I have noticed on days when i have headaches or migraines, my body pain is better. And when i DONT have a headache or migraine, my body hurts more... So strange ! I'm on day 2 of a migraine, was hoping to have the body pain instead this morning, to me , that's much easier to deal with. Hope everyone has a blessed day
Im 57 and was going through a great deal of stress about 20 years ago, I used to be woken up in the night with pain going through my body like a scanner. I had to wait till it passed, from head to toe. Then one day I felt a terrible cold sensation come over me and pins and needles. It was terrifying. This went on for years, until I had so many different symptoms I knew it could'nt be normal. Sensitivity to light, odours, itchy skin, swelling, I could go on. I went to the doctors and they sent me for tests to rule out arthritus and other conditions. Finally diagnosed with fibro and it all fell into place. Im now happily married with everything i could want in life, but past trauma comes back to haunt me and the pains i am in daily are driving me insane. I haven't had a decent nights sleep since 1985. I am serious. I get between 4 or 5 hours sleep a night. Its hell and getting worse. I have noticed in the last two years im in more pain than ever, and have so many other symptoms. No one can see it, so I dont know how to convince my family how I feel. So to answer emilys question now ive got all that out, is I first noticed my symptoms at 37.
Hello Emily,
Strange symptoms started when I was 56, raft of tests following two years, now I am 59. Doesn't seem to be a pattern regarding age here, Fibro has no shame- will attack young and old alike!
Take care, Anne
I think the hardest part of this diagnosis for me accepting it. I have had 15 years of all the symptoms, but after seeing so many dr's they had me convinced it was stress and anxiety related, and then i see a new dr, go over my history , lots of previous tests didn't show anything, then out of no where, i started getting heart palpitations, and dizzy spells, turns out i have a heart valve leak, but never did before... Now that IM getting more educated, i no know these can all be related to fm. Its tuff to be 34, wake up one day and realize this won't ever go away... Trying to stay positive, and appreciate what i do have
Hi i am new to this forum but have found this site very helpful.
I first noticed my symptoms at 21, around 5 months ago in the week before christmas I went into work and was getting pins and needles in my hands that got worse until my hands were pretty much numb, then I started to get really bad pains in my hands/fingers/wrists that got so bad I could no longer use a mouse or hold a pen and this is most of my job.
I went to my dr but his advice was to prescribe naproxen and wait and see if it would get better on its own. My pains got worse and spread all over my body and I ended up having nearly 8 weeks off work on statutory sick pay but lost so much money i simply couldnt afford to stay off any longer, so not feeling any better (in fact progressively worse) I went back to work on reduced hours.
I tried naproxen, all strengths of co-codmol, co-dydramol and varying doses of amitriptyline, none of which i have found very helpful. I was continually asking for something stronger while I was off so that I could go back to work but my dr refused to prescribe anything stronger without a diagnosis. So after all my pestering, my dr referred me to a rheumatologist who I saw about 2 weeks ago after a 2 month wait and he diagnosed fibromyalgia, he was very kind and understanding.
Now I can hardly afford to live with my reduction in hours but if anything I feel I still cant manage work and am feeling quite lost at the prospect of living with this condition for the rest of my life.
Looking back I can see i have been suffering with some of the associated symptoms for a very long time such as headaches for many years, quite severe depression since I was 14 and IBS for the last couple years.
Reading about other people on this site staying strong and positive has been really helpful and I hope I can follow their example.