Fibromyalgia Poll

Physical. However, can be caused by psychological and physical things. It can be inherited (this is my case) or it can be induced by other things.

Suffered 4 years. 1 year since diagnoses.

Fibro is a physical condition. Chronic pain day in and day out is bound to affect us psychologically it would anyone with a long term illness! No it is not all in our heads! My rheumy told me 10 years ago he has seen far too many cases for it to be even considered a psychological illness.
23 years with fms.

It is difficult to deal with the skepticism that most ppl with fms experience. My BF still isn't very sure it isn't "all in my head." To tell the truth, I felt the same way until I met my birth father, and found that he, his mom, and 4 siblings suffer from it. Mine is obviously genetic. I began having symptoms 10 months ago (not long after my daughter was born) and was diagnosed 9/12/07.

My FMS is genetic and I am the 4th generation to have it.I have been suffering since I was a baby but started to get a lot worse when I got pregant in 1997.I was finally dx in 2000 but I also have MS,autoimmune hepatitis,cardiomyopathy,and about 75 other documented dx to go along w/my FMS.

It is absolutely physical! And let me say for myself, a host of depression, anxiety, etc. has accompanied the pain and will make it worse. So will lack of sleep. I only get about 2-5 hours per night max, no matter what I try.

I was DX with Myofacial Pain at 19, in 1992. Back then, no one believed fibro was real and/or that widespread. At 24, in 1997, I finally got a fibro DX. The doctors didn't know what to do to treat it, so they over-drugged me with vicodin and muscle relaxers and anti-depressants. Needless to say, my twenties were not fun. I had to detox in a hospital from the vicodin at 25-26 and have seen more psychiatrists than I'd like to mention.

I finally found a doc to set me on Darvocet and Soma for maintenance, and am now trying the Lyrica in tandem. The Lyrica has only been 2 weeks, but the swelling and weight gain I'm not sure are worth it. Plus, I can't drive most of the time when I've taken it (50 mg 3Xday).

I have two children under school age and I need to be able to function, and the Lyrica seems to hinder that. We'll see if the side effects diminish. So far, I'd rather just be on my regular Darvocet/Soma regimen because it works and I don't get loopy or sleepy.

MMODES: My friends are sort of pitifully sympathetic. They don't understand at all. I look normal and act normal most of the time. My mom, sister, and grandmother all have the same DX of fibro, but not nearly as severe, and THEY don't even get it. I come from a "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" family. Also, b/c of the vicodin problem, they don't want me taking ANY meds b/c I'm now considered a drug addict by my mother, who by the way has the same doc I have and takes Vicodin and Skelaxin. Get that. I have no real support except for my husband who sees on a daily basis how bad it really is.

One question: I'm only 35, but I'm considering disability. I can't seem to hold down a steady job because I have so many bad days. I hate to live off of the "system," but I have paid into it all my life. Any advice?

Definitely physical. I've had it for several years, but was diagnosed a little over a year ago. Keeping stress down and getting plenty of rest helps, though... sometimes.

Physical problem.

Can have psychological component, though.

I have these symptoms that came with the Fibro, but didn't have before:
Depression, Anxiety / Panic, Obsessive / Compulsive, and Procrastination.

Caused by Serotonin not working correctly.

Taking an SSRI med, at night, for over 7 years keeps that completely straight.

Many Fibros, but not all, have this cluster of symptoms.

it is def physical i have a very positive mental attitude and i believe what doesnt kill us makes us stronger but that is sometimes hard to keep up when you are in constant pain.
you are right no-one gets in and for years i didnt bother with the doctor for fear of being called a hypo-condriac,now im sick of suffering in silence and now i tell everyone!
i have given up my job to and am relying on my boyfriend because i dont wont to be taking from the state either i am made to feel like a fraud most days and cant bare anymore critisism so i just dont bother.
the pain is very real and most days all i wont to do is pull the covers over my head and hide!