Can fibromyalgia really start all at once?

[chrislo]

I'll start with some background..  I've had bad headaches/migraines for years.  Most of the time they're gone within a day or two but a few times it's lasted a couple months.  Most of the time laying down will help ease them, but occasionally even my head touching a pillow will cause the contacted area to throb intensely.  I have not found anyone that has been able to explain why this is happening (the reason multiple doctors have gone with is its most likely caused from concussions when I was younger.  But this is just background, honestly not looking for an answer to this but if there is one nobody has thought of that would be great.

About a year ago I was driving home from work and started feeling a sharp pain in my left arm.  This spread to the left side of my torso and the left side of my face(all within a period of 30 minutes).  I went to the doctor being nervous of a heart attack or stroke but was having neither.  Over the course of a few weeks, this pain began spreading to different parts of my body. After a month or so of mri’s/ct scans/emg tests I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and began taking lyrica.  It helped with the sharp stabbing pains but I still have constant pain all the time (I’d say a level of 3-5 out of 10).  This worked most of the time and I would take tramadol to help dull the pain when it got bad.  

About a month ago I started to get a sharp pain between my shoulder blades, along with a bad migraine and pains in the back of my neck.  A few rounds of Sumatriptan (for migraines) and Baclofen (muscle relaxer) helped ease the neck pain, but the pain between the shoulder blades is still there and I am getting sharp pains again in my hands/shoulders/lower back/lower legs and feet.  I am getting numbness in my hands (mainly pinky/ring fingers) and in my feet.  For the past week or so I have been feeling muscle spasms and occasionally get intense twitching in my hands.  The neurology department at the hospital I’ve been going to (after waiting 3 weeks to get in) has basically said they’re not going to look at anything until I go through 4 weeks of physical therapy.  

Does this really sound like fibromyalgia?  Everything I've seen says fibro takes a while to develop and comes on slowly.. are my doctors using this as an easy way out?

[breezerbri]

My pain started when I reached over the couch and felt a pop and suddenly my entire body was engulfed in pain. That was 12 years ago and nothing has changed. It’s nice to have people that experience the same thing that can help.

[Jadelynn831]

Fibromyalgia does start all at once. Actually you can be born with it and it hibernates until something happens to bring it out. It does sound like you have it. If I were you, I would try a pain management clinic that is familiar with fibromyalgia.