Poll: How Long Have You Had Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

I am 26 years, I live in New Jersey and 2 year ago I had an accident that caused me a severe lesion the back, it is the reason that I attend 2 times per week to the Columbus Hospital to make my treatment and my doctor after making a checkup total Vicodin prescribed me to calm the chronic aches that caused me by that accident, I believe that it is an excellent opportunity for pointing out that this hospital offers a tiptop attention and that his doctors have service vocation.

Lilly Abbott
Findrxonline

I was working for a dr.pcp. i was hurting all the time. so I ask her what about arthritis, or lupus. she took a blood test was normal. a few months went by and I’am still hurting .So i ask her about fibromyalgia. she said it could be since i didn’t sleep. I’ve been taking abien cr are for 5 yrs. Before that I was taking over the counter sleep aides.so she started treating me for fibro. she had a pt. who went to camino del rio ca. to see the specialist Dr St Amand. He belives in the quasinafin approch. I went to him he did dignose fme with fibro. I went to see him over a yr he just kept giving me more quasinafin. I was up to 9 pills a day and still hurting. That was a 2 hour drive one way. One time I was so tired I almost went to sleep. I don’t drive very far anymore. Then in Oct. a had surgery on my achilles tendon was of work for 5 mo. So I thought I would have my knee surgery since I was off anyway. then fibromyalgia flared up and I had to quit work. I am always tired still hurt they give me so much medication. I ask the pain manegment dr if me being so tired is caused from medication or fibro she said both. Now I want to go to a rhumatologist. maybe they have more information than md’s and pain management.My physical therpist mentioned that to me.

24 years 5 months. Doctors still do not believe based on my current round of doctor tests needed to get out of jury duty..and no, I do not take government money as I still somehow work from home, somehow, enough to pay the bills and live better than most…I am lucky.

This is a tricky question. I’ve had CFS for at least 10 years, but looking back, I think I had some form of early-stage, lower-level CFS screwing up my life for at least five years earlier.

Full-blown derailed me at about 50, but signs go back to my early 40s, even late 30s.

I’m 48 now, and my symptoms began when I was around 10 years old. I didn’t receive the fibromyalgia diagnosis until I was 35. I spent 25 years going to doctors and being told I was a hypochondriac. Am I bitter? You betcha!

Yes, although I have had full-blown fibro for only about 3 years, in retrospect I can see that I had a developing condition for a good 10 years earlier. But there’s a big difference between the full blown and incipient conditions.

I’m 32 and I’ve had ME for 12 years. I was diagnosed only 3 years ago. I was treated like a hypochondriac until they found my elevated ANA. Then when the novelty of that wore off and I failed to develop Lupus or RA, I was treated again like a hypochondriac until they diagnosed me with CFS, and now I’m treated like a stressed/depressed patient, although I am not depressed. I am a bit stressed because I’m being patronized and ignored.

My ME isn’t being treated at all except by accident. I’ve had no treatments at all until the past year or so. The hydroxychloroquine I finally have for my ANA reduces the inflammatory component of my post-exertional malaise flares, which is nice. The meloxicam I finally have for pain helps some. And my new migraine medicine, topiromate (I’ve had chronic neurological migraine my whole life, but much worse since the ME, and this is the first time I’ve been offered anything except a fairly useless vascular headache medicine which made the neurological symptoms worse), reduces my neurological symptoms although it’s a bit hard to sort out what’s chronic migraine and what’s ME.

I still have no treatments or accommodations for weakness or difficulty breathing, but I have a new doctor and am trying to get a referral to a neurologist who knows my disease by it’s proper name and says she can treat it, so I hope to get some better help soon.

I was diagnosed with FMS 9 1/2 years ago, but I believe I’ve had symptoms for over 20 years, maybe even longer. I was lucky to find a wonderful doctor about 7 years ago who believes in Fibro and is open to trying new therapies. I’m also blessed because my job allows me to work from home 4 days a week. My FMS symptoms have been getting more severe and the flares more often & more intense in the past year or so, so being able to work from home has been a true blessing.

Been ill for 20 years. Not as ill as the first 5, but still have life derailing relapses. Able to work- self employed. Even when Iam in remission, I doubt I will ever trust my body’s health again.

I believe I’ve had CFS for 33 years. I was diagnosed with mono when I was 18 and then I kept feeling poorly so I kept going to Dr. after Dr. who told me I had mono again even though I thought that was impossible. Finally, when I was 27, I was diagnosed with Chronic Epstein Barr virus, then CFS. It has been a living hell. Like others, doctors basically told me I was crazy. I just started going to a clinic call Chronicity. It’s only been a week but, so far so good. They have clinics all over, if you are interested. I can’t believe I’ve gone all this time and never gotten treatment. I didn’t know there WAS treatment, according to doctors. I HATE doctors. Good luck.