What is your fibromyalgia story? Let's share!

Hello everyone, 

How are you feeling today? 

I thought I would open this discussion so we can all get to know one another better!

So, what is your fibromyalgia story? How and when were you diagnosed? Did it take a while to come to a diagnosis, or were you even misdiagnosed? What symptoms were you having prior to your diagnosis? How are you doing today? 
@Simonr3585‍ @Rhianon‍ @Nutmeg‍ @Anniebod‍ @Rachel0224‍ @Jonolco‍ @Karenp12‍ @Jojostarkey‍ @AmiraJustine‍ @Deadlego‍ @tiggyb‍ @LaurieLee‍ @QueenTak‍ @Crissy202‍ @ZoanneSmith‍ @Bebbabe53‍ @mazp43‍ @NickyS‍ @sunny86‍

Feel free to introduce yourself and share your story here! 

Take care,
Courtney

@Courtney_J It took AGES for me to be diagnosed. Several years ago I started having lower back pain which I thought was caused by long hours in a bad desk chair. My GP told me to take ibuprofen and take up yoga, which didn't work, clearly. Within the next year or so I started having pain in other areas like my knees, ankles and shoulders. I could barely move the computer mouse at work. The pain really started getting to me and I could barely do the household chores, let alone get to the office. My GP finally referred me to a pain specialist who finally diagnosed  fibro. I had to take a few months of illness leave from work until the medicines kicked in a bit and to figure out how to reorganise my life. It was a frustrating period, but now I'm doing a bit better. I hope I chat with more of you on here, it will be nice to talk to others who know what it's like to have fibro! xx

@MariaB It also took a long time for me to get a diagnosis. I couldn't get my GP to really listen to me, so I went through a few years of NSAIDS, and then I was misdiagnoses with chronic fatigue and rheumatoid arthritis. I managed to get in to see a specialist like you who was able to identify fibro pretty quickly. It's funny how our stories are similar!

I am 70 years old and was diagnosed in 2018. Prior  to diagnosis I had been in pain for well over a year. I live in Glastonbury and was having to go to Sussex regularly as my beloved father  was dying. It took a year for him to do so, and a year for me to flare. I'm an ex dancer, middle distance runner and now an ex swimmer. I started to get widespread pain when I got back from Sussex one time and went down with the virus from hell!  From then on it got worse and worse. I was still swimming well, but was finding tge walk to the  bus at 7am very difficult  as i became so stiff. Eventually  things came to a head when i came out if a coffee shop after swimming and there seemed a large bang in my body and a pain in my leg, so bad i thought id been shot. I got on a bus and went straight to the doctors. They saw me straight  away and after a very long time was told he thought it was fibromyalgia. I had no idea what that was.  Everything was then set in motion. I had to wait  for the consultant to come to our cottage hospital.  I saw two in the end after a 4 month wait. 

I was given the diagnosis in full in August 2018. Both consultants were lovely but were a bit put out because I refused to take the drug cocktail. The interesting aspect was that when she went over my past histopathology it seemed I had been diagnosed with fibrositis back in 1966. Being I was at school and running dancing etc things just hurt. Later also as a ballet dancer, middle distance runner and swimmer they all hurt. But when I look back she was right, it just never raised its ugly head much until Dad was dying. I asked if I would go in remission. She said no, not at my age or after a whole year of flaring. However I now manage it the best I can. I live with my partner of over 40 years. He finds it difficult as he knew me before all this and he's getting old too,