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Anon,

Welcome to EmpowHER, and thank you so much for your question. I'm sorry that you're dealing with fibromyalgia. As you know, it can be debilitating. But you are not alone -- more than 10 million Americans have it.

Here's some information from our Fibromyalgia page:

Causes
The exact cause is unknown.

The following conditions are commonly associated with fibromyalgia:
◦Depression and anxiety
◦Muscle pain
◦Chronic headache, such as tension headaches (frequently beginning with neck discomfort)
◦Numbness and tingling
◦Sensation of swollen hands and edema (swelling usually in the feet, ankles, and legs)
◦Nocturnal myoclonus (moving legs involuntarily during sleep)
◦Irritable bowel syndrome
◦Complex regional pain syndrome
◦Substance abuse
◦Premenstrual syndrome
◦Female urethral syndrome (irritable bladder)
◦Raynaud's disease

Risk Factors
A risk factor is something that increases your chance of getting fibromyalgia. Risk factors include:

◦Sex: female
◦Age: 20-60 years old
◦Physical or mental stress
◦Physical trauma (eg, accident, injury, or severe illness)

Symptoms
Common symptoms include:

◦Generalized fatigue or tiredness
◦Reduced physical endurance
◦Generalized aches and pains of muscles, tendons, and ligaments
◦Muscle tightening or spasms
◦Pain in specific areas of the body, especially:
■Neck
■Shoulders
■Chest
■Back (upper and lower)
■Hips and thighs
◦Insomnia or poor sleep
◦Sensations of numbness or swelling (although swelling is not actually present)
◦Chronic headaches, including migraines
◦Morning stiffness, worst on first arising

Factors that may trigger or worsen symptoms include:
◦Weather changes, especially cold, damp weather
◦Stress or anxiety
◦Overexertion
◦Medical illness
◦Surgery

Diagnosis
The doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history, and perform a thorough physical exam. There are no specific tests for this condition.

The doctor will look for the following signs:
◦Widespread pain lasting three months or longer
◦Tenderness (on physical exam) in at least 11 of 18 specific areas of the body

Treatment
The goal of treatment is to relieve or control the symptoms. Treatments include:
Physical and Behavioral Therapies
◦Physical therapy (gradual aerobic exercise and stretching regimen)
◦Application of heat to painful areas
◦Massage, acupuncture, relaxation training may be helpful
◦Trigger point therapy
◦Biofeedback
◦Cognitive behavioral therapy
Lifestyle Changes
◦Eating a healthful diet
◦Learning to cope with physical and mental stress
◦Regular, moderate, low-impact exercise with your doctor's approval
*Try gentle exercise that does not strain painful areas, such as:
•Walking
•Biking
•Swimming, preferably in warmer water
◦Regular stretching exercises
◦Maintaining a regular sleep schedule

A team of experts studied fibromyalgia and recommended the following:

◦Approach that focuses on medication and other treatments
◦Heated pool treatments with or without exercise
◦Individual exercise programs
◦Cognitive behavioral therapy and other forms of counseling
◦Other therapies (eg, massage, relaxation, physical therapy)
◦Tramadol, paracetamol, or other weak opioids
◦Antidepressants (eg, amitriptyline, fluoxetine, duloxetine, milnacipran, moclobemide, pirlindole)
◦Medications for pain relief (eg, tropisetron, pramipexole, pregabalin)

Does this information help you, Anon?

Here's the page itself, which also has a diagram of the trigger points and some links on the bottom that lead you to other fibromyalgia resources:

https://www.empowher.com/media/reference/fibromyalgia#definition

Have you been able to see any doctor other than your regular doctor for this?

Here's a great site by the National Fibromyalgia Association. It can help with understanding the condition, learning about treatment and reading other patient''s stories:

http://www.fmaware.org/site/PageServer?pagename=members_QuestionsAnswersExperts

And this page is for the newly diagnosed patient:

http://www.fmaware.org/site/PageServer?pagename=fibromyalgia_overview

And here's the top 10 things they want you to know (it's a PDF, so it takes a minute to build):

http://www.fmaware.org/site/DocServer/top10_12x9.pdf?docID=2261

And one more, even though I know this is a lot of information for you. This is a list in Arthritis Today of articles that may help you:

http://www.arthritistoday.org/community/expert-q--a/fibromyalgia/index.php

And these pages are about Finding A Doctor for fibromyalgia:

http://chronicfatigue.about.com/od/findingadoctor/a/find_fms_doctor.htm
http://www.managing-my-fibromyalgia.com/fibromyalgia-doctors.html

Please let us know if we can find you anything more specific.