That's what I was eluding to - the way women in bygone eras were labelled with situational depression when they had chronic widespread pain. You totally understood.

I think that a lot of us suffer in silence for several years before we are diagnosed. Often times our symptoms aren't acknowledged as being part of a legitimate chronic pain disorder. I wonder if male doctors don't take fibromyalgia seriously as it is mostly women who are afflicted with fibro. If it weren't for my mother, I would have been undiagnosed for years. But she took me seriously, was assertive and forged ahead until she had answers. I asked this question because I want to know how many women #1) Aren't taken seriously by medical professionals #2) by their families or #3) dismiss what their bodies are telling them and swallow the pain.

I got it after my c section when my baby was three months old. My doctor said it had to do with trauma over load and post traumatic stress. From my child hood being abused and molested . And apparently a lot of people with fibro also have I.b.s , endometerosis , gallbladder issues. I have all of these also.
Apparently my doctor thinks it also has to do with being over weight but I went from 250 to 190 and I still have the same amount of pain so that's false I got it three years ago at age thirty. He did a pressure test on my body with his fingers and that's how he determined I have it.

Do you think I ought to ask my doctor to refer me to a rheumatologist? I haven't really had a proper diagnosis yet?

I was diagnosed about 30 yrs ago. First by my PC who then sent me to a rheumatologist who was oing research on Fibro, That whole process took about a year. There was no info out there for Fibros. My rheumatologist n his NP were very informative. Them finally I found these books, The Fibromyalgia Advocate and Fibro and Chronic Myofascial Pain, A Survivors Guide by Devin Starlanyl and found them to become my "Bibles" on the subjects. They were published back in 1999 and there is a tremendous amount if new info since then but I found them very helpful. I don't know what newer books are out there but maybe a stroll through Barnes And Nolbe or a stroll through an online source may be helpul.