“What age were you when fibromyalgia developed and how long did it take for you to get diagnosed?

This month we asked are group members “What age were you when fibromyalgia developed and how long did it take for you to get diagnosed? ” some of the comments made are listed after the survey.

Age Fibromyalgia Developed

How long for Diagnosis

Developed age 40-49

266 votes

Diagnosis less than 1 year

119 votes

Developed age 30-39

232 votes

Diagnosis 1-2 years

96 votes

Developed age 20-29

127 votes

Diagnosis 3-4 years

77 votes

Developed age 50-59

66 votes

Diagnosis over 10 years

69 votes

Developed age 10-19

62 votes

Diagnosis over 20 years

43 votes

Developed age 0-10

16 votes

Diagnosis 5-6 years

35 votes

Developed age 60-69

10 votes

Diagnosis 7-8 years

26 votes

Developed age 70 or over

1 votes

Diagnosis 9-10 years

15 votes

Nearly 70% of members who answered developed fibromyalgia between 30-49, 24% were diagnosed within a year but 23% took over 10 years.

These are some comments by our members, names are removed to protect confidentiality:

MW says "I was diagnosed with CFS in 1988, i was also diagnosed with Endometriosis and a fair few of the symptoms overlapped it wasnt until i had completed my treatment options for it the Fibromyalgia was looked at again and diagnosed in 2010 ”
KH says “Don't see an option for the for doctors disagreeing. Or humming and arrring.”

JG says “I don’t know when I developed fibromyalgia, I was 50 last year, so certainly between 40 and 49. But I was diagnosed quite quickly after I decided I’d had enough of unexplained aches, pains and fatigue. I’d already tried HRT putting it down to the menopause, only realised it was likely to be more when that hadn’t made any difference after taking it 7 months. I had to do a lot of research myself though and made the suggestion to the GP that I thought it could be fibro. Confirmed by the rheumatologist 4 months later.”

NG says “Symptoms started in my 20s. Pain was ignored due to previous car accidents. Drs started investigating symptoms when I hit 40, diagnosed age 47.”

BF says “I think I had fibromyalgia way before I had all the obvious symptoms from about age 12. I always had various ‘viruses’ in my joints one point had a virus in both hips and couldn’t walk for a few weeks then they just continued. In 2012 I had my son and was in constant pain and suffered fatigue and thought it was down to being a mum of a newborn, few months later I had a mild heart attack then a few months after that my nan passed and it gave me determination to take control of my life and find out why I’d been constantly unwell and got diagnosed in 2013. I’m 42 but feel 92 xx”

LB says “I was born with it”

CT says “I had very traumatic childhood i had mild pain symptoms headaches tummy pains bk then but it was when i had a disease called Hyperparathyroidism and was having treatment to get rid of the multiple kidney stones i had aged 41 i started to have severe pain all over my body, my periods also started to become excruciatingly painful. I was diagnosed fibromyalgia 2 yrs ago ( 45)”

CP says “I have had ever increasing symptoms since my teens or before but only diagnosed last year. I'm 53 now and have been palmed off by Dr's for years”

DA says “Developed 1976 and I was 16 yo and finally diagnosed in 2013. I was 37 I am now 60!!”

TW says “Well I put I was diagnosed with it in my 30-40’s. but my gp thinks all my previous doctors had missed it when it was in the earlier stages, so there for making me in my 20’s, but she got me diagnosed within a year of complaining of some of my symptoms.”

JL says “I was not diagnosed till 34 after hysterectomy but had symptoms before my GP had mentioned it in my early 20s but did not want the diagnosis on my file incase of symptoms were ignored.”

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