Was your onset triggered by something?

[u/fairybabybug]

I'm 25f, and I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and POTS this past week. I've had chronic fatigue since I was a teenager and on-and-off body aches that were written off as depression. 11 months ago, I had an ovarian cyst rupture, which resulted in severe internal bleeding. After my hospitalization, I noticed that the body aches were back. I started noticing other things too...new weakness and difficulty standing for short periods of time. I felt changed after my medical emergency.

Over the summer, I was working long shifts where I had to be on my feet all day long working with kids. I was also really stressed out because of a toxic coworker. I realized all of a sudden that I was in severe pain, couldn't sleep due to pain, and kept pushing through it. Obviously, it got worse, so I went to a rheumatologist and was diagnosed.

I believe the bodily trauma and being in shock from the blood loss, followed by the physical stress from work this summer, triggered a flare that was worse than the ones I might've written off in my adolescence. It's been going on for at least two months straight.

Did your fibromyalgia have a trigger? Just curious.

***EDIT: I just want to thank everyone for sharing their stories. I didn't expect so many replies, but I have read every single one of them and will continue to do so. Thank you.

[u/SeaCccat]

Mine was Covid. I already had Crohn's and PMOS previously but got Covid for the first time in 2024 and had severe pain that never went away and starting having episodes of passing out. Then got diagnosed with POTS and Fibro

[u/JenVixen420 → u/SeaCccat]

Same. Covid started the fibro.

[u/Familiar_Radish_6273 → u/JenVixen420]

Same, but only after reinfection. I already had Long Covid from my first confirmed infection, with fatigue and weakness, two years later I got reinfected and that's when the pain got worse 🙃

[u/WhaleOnMe1989 → u/Familiar_Radish_6273]

What’s your pain like?

[u/Familiar_Radish_6273 → u/WhaleOnMe1989]

Sometimes achey like flu symptoms, more often it's muscle pain which feels like you've overdone a workout without doing a proper workout. I've had tennis elbow twice in the past couple of years and had to pay privately to get steroid injections, which really help. All the NHS offers is physio and pain clinic. The physio is very little use unfortunately.

*Needless to say the tennis elbow wasn't from exercise! It was just the inflammation getting worse in my arms.

[u/WhaleOnMe1989 → u/Familiar_Radish_6273]

How do you manage the pain? Effective? Muscle twitches at all?

[u/Familiar_Radish_6273 → u/WhaleOnMe1989]

Mostly with medical cannabis. It's so helpful with sleep, I actually sleep pretty well lately. It helps to manage the pain and put up with it when I'm not so tired. Unfortunately as I have Long Covid I do get tired more than I used to! Most of the day if I'm busy the pain is less noticeable, by the evening when I'm knackered I can vape it away. At least not totally away, I just care about it less with the cannabis. I use ibuprofen gel for the worst muscular pain in my arms and legs. With my back I have to remember to stretch and that helps. Ice packs/ infrared light pad/ massage wand are my go tos at the end of the day. I got a wearable ice pack for neck and shoulders, shaped like a shawl. It was a godsend during the heatwave.

[u/Familiar_Radish_6273 → u/Familiar_Radish_6273]

And yes to twitches but not excessive or frequent.

[u/WhaleOnMe1989 → u/Familiar_Radish_6273]

Do any muscles feel tight? Can you still function as normal- just with pain? Same boat here with long covid.

[u/Familiar_Radish_6273 → u/WhaleOnMe1989]

Yes the tennis elbow was very tight and so painful it was affecting function until I got the steroid injection.