Hereditary : I would just like to ask... - Fibromyalgia Acti...

Fibromyalgia Action UK

59,343 members66,393 posts

Hereditary

Janet28 profile image
20 Replies

I would just like to ask for opinions on this really & like to see who, if anybody has immediate family with Fibromyalgia.

I have had Fibro for about 30 yrs now & a lot of the ailments I have had over the year all my 3 daughters now suffer from.

My eldest girls suffers terribly with her back, she has had to have physio & at times has to take strong pain relief. She has also suffered with her eyes, again having to go to the hospital, where they told her it was Scleritis.

My middle daughter has a hunch back slightly and also has a lot of back & neck ache, also very painful knees, quite clumsy and recently broke her toe. Now has frozen shoulder and golfers elbow & been revered to ruematology department for pos.injection.

My youngest daughter has so much problem with her back its so painful for her, she takes constant strong pain relief. Is always pulling muscles in her back were she can't move on occasion. She has fell over & badly sprained both ankles, her toes hurt too. She also gets eye problems where they water & just generally irritate her & finds it difficult to wear make up.

She has probs with stomachs, bloating, reflux and heartburn. She gets a swallowing thing aswel where she feels like the muscle in her throat goes into a kind of cramp. It could happen just taking a sip of drink.

Basically all three of them have so many things wrong that is the same.

I have been tested for RA a few times but although it shows inflammation & sometimes deficiency or to much of certain things like potassium or calcium there has never been R.A show up.

I am just interested in what other people think about the hereditary or gene factor where Fybromyalgia is concerned.

Hope you guys n gals are all feeling good today & not in to much pain.

Peace, luv n light

Jan xx

Written by
Janet28 profile image
Janet28
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
20 Replies

Hi Jan,

My Aunt has it, I have it and it looks like my daughter has it. Each of us to varying degrees. My husband and my cousin both have Chronic fatigue Syndrome (my Aunts daughter) and my Aunt said she thought there was some link to that, but I don't know. My daughter now thinks she is more toward Chronic fatigue than Fibro but time will tell :)

Telynores profile image
Telynores

I do think that there may be a genetic factor although no-one in my family has fibro. Two of my three children have Reynaud's, one of them is a triathlete, when I took them swimming as babies she used to have blue lips, diving in Thailand she'd be shivering after half an hour in the warm water. These two also have occasional niggles but, at 32,31&30 the three haven't shown any other signs, I'd hate myself if they did develop fibro.

Wales :-)

Janet28 profile image
Janet28 in reply to Telynores

Thanks for replying. I had to look up Raynauds cos didn't have a clue what it was. Not nice. I'm sorry you have to worry about them. It must be upsetting. I know when my little grandson got diagnosed with Torettes it took us a while to get our heads around it. Let's hope and pray they don't get it.

Luv Jan ☺x

desquinn profile image
desquinnPartnerVolunteerFMAUK Trustee

the general fit all comment is that Fibro is thought to have a genetic element but requires some sort of environmental factor to risk it such as car crash or child birth etc.

timtam profile image
timtam

There is a genetic element to it, I think my family has a genetic abnormality. I have fibro, my aunt has rheumatoid arthritis, my great aunt has polymyalgia and her daughter has CFS/me. So I looked it up and all 4 can be caused by the same defective gene.

Janet28 profile image
Janet28 in reply to timtam

Wow that's interesting and definitely makes sense. Thanks for that.

2 of my daughters have mentioned that their mum has Fibro & their symptoms are similar to mine & they just completely fob them off, don't acknowledge them at all. It's really rude and its like doctors need to be listening to their patients & start to realise that we know our bodies & know if something is wrong.

Instead, for an unknown reason, they really don't like you telling them what you think could possibly be wrong with you. I mean what's all that about lol you think it would make their life easier but no, that is a definite No no lol.

Luv Jan x

TheAuthor profile image
TheAuthor

I am so genuinely sorry to read that and I sincerely hope that you can all find some resolution and relief to your pain issues. There is nobody else in my family with Fibro I am please to say.

I want to gneuinely and sincerely wish you and your family all the best of luck.

All my hopes and dreams for you

Ken x

Janet28 profile image
Janet28 in reply to TheAuthor

Thanks Ken ☺x

Janet28 profile image
Janet28

Wow thats very high statistics isnt it ? How can they say its not hereditary ? Thats definitely not a coincidence. Thank you for replying.

Luv Jan ☺x

Scouser58 profile image
Scouser58

Hello Janet28,,,,,in my family there is hereditary in deafness from my maternal g.mother,,,OA from my aunt,,,who had both OA & RA,,,,both had poor eyesight,,,,

Well my mother has gout,,and now hearing loss,,,and glasses,,,,

I now have quite a lot,,,OA,,,glasses,,,,and now hearing aids,,,as well as the other things wrong with me,,,,both my sister and I have underactive thyroid,,,,glasses,,,,my brother has glasses,,,,and hearing aids,,which he reckons is from the royal navy guns firing,,,,,

But as yet,,,,still able to get about.

I have read all the terrible conditions you and your daughters are trying to live with and I found it very hard to understand how they are coping,,,but you have some strong daughters who keep going with their lives,,,,,,I hope they get some help with their conditions,,,ttfn from Karen.

Janet28 profile image
Janet28 in reply to Scouser58

Thanx Karen, I would like to know if Fibromyalgia is hereditary or brought on by trauma, like accidents or childbirth. You would think by now that there would have been more research into the genetic side of it.

Yes my nan always had a lot of pain in her back, feet, hands etc. & she used to have injections in her back so I know she was in a lot of pain. I remember she always used to say her feet & ankle would be burning & swollen & painful.

I know she had arthriti, I'm not sure what type but wondering now if she also had Fybro aswel.

I'm sure that if you have family member that has OA or RA that you are at higher risk of having it also.

I'm sure as your brother says iit would have been the gun fire that damaged his hearing. My dad is same, he worked in a factory with heavy & very noisy machinery & shouts at everyone because he's so deaf & as it goes he is having a hearing aid fitted this week. not before time lol

It would come under health & safety these days & they would be given ear protection to wear but back then there was none of t hat, was there.

Luv Jan

Scouser58 profile image
Scouser58 in reply to Janet28

Hello again,,,,,from some reading that I did,,,,fibro is in the group with OA, RA and other conditions that are muscular skeletal conditions,,,,, so as you have said,,,,the fibro may be 'missed' due to the similar symptoms and doctors not looking into the whole picture,,,,,and if they think it is one then they may well go with it,,,,,

I have some sites addresses that might help you,,,,

Fibromyalgia Action UK;;fmauk.org 08448872444

UK Fibromyalgia;;ukfibromyalgia.com

Action On Pain;; action-on-pain.co.uk 08456031593,,,

In the magazine Healthy from Holland & Barrett, february 2016 pages 78/79 they have a feature on fibro and it is interesting,,it might give you some helpful information,,,,ttfn from Karen.

gracesgrandma profile image
gracesgrandma

Hi my fibro presented before my mother but she was diagnosed before me. My son who is 25 next week was having severe "growing pains" at age 4 and definitely showing many of the signs now. Take care

Janet28 profile image
Janet28 in reply to gracesgrandma

Hi Gracesgrandma, hmm that's interesting. I'm sure mine started when I was quite young because I got really bad pains & cramps especially in my legs, being so bad that I would call out for my mum because I couldn't move. I had very bad & painful monthly lurgies & always had very bad cattarh, which my mum was always concocting remedies for. Don't know if anyone else gets this problem.

I also suffered with asthma & was always getting bronchitis, at one time having pleuracy, although I had sort of grown out of that by the time i was about 30. Used inhalers for 1st time for years when I got cold & chest infection but that was rare. I do also have a bit of eczema at times to, i think this is all connected.

My dad has Pagers in his hip which I know is hereditary but more likely in men. So hoping I don't get that ☺he also has big lumps on all his knuckles looks like arthritic fingers, although says there not painful.

But neither of my parents have been really unwel although my mum was diagnosed last year with Alzheimer's and she has a problem with choking very badly but puts it down to a hiatus hernia & takes lots of gaviscon but she is 86 bless her.

So yeah I always get carried away & feel like I'm writing a chapter in a book lolll sorry I'll shut up now haha,

Luv Jan x

Midori profile image
Midori

My son has many of the same symptoms as I do, so I wouldn't be a bit surprised if there isn't a hereditary factor there.

Janet28 profile image
Janet28 in reply to Midori

Hi Midori, thanks for that. It looks very much that way, going by other people's response is, doesn't it.?

I think it's very interesting in trying to understanding fibromyalgia & would really put a spanner in the works and would put some doctors to shame, the way they treat patients with Fibro.

Luv Jan x

maggi999 profile image
maggi999

My mother had an operation when she was 58 to have three vertebrae fused. She suffered mobility problems and pain from then on that got progressively worse, which was always blamed by doctors on the spinal operation. She died after 30 years of pain but was never diagnosed with fibro.

It's only since I was diagnosed las year with fibro that I recognise she was suffering from fibro for all those years, without treatment or therapy. So yes, I believe it is hereditary.

Janet28 profile image
Janet28

Hi Maggi, wow wow how shocking is that, how aweful for her to suffer so and how aweful for you to have to watch that happen to your poor mum. I really can't believe how the medical professionals treat people in such pain, its inhumane.

I know of course that there are good doctors but you hear so many horror stories, it just makes you lose all Faith in the NHS doesn't it ?.

Yes I do believe also like you that it is hereditary. Maybe if we get enought

members to give there reasons to believing why they think it is hereditary we can do our own little survey & get it published !. Maybe that would get some recognition for Fibro sufferers.

Luv Jan xx

caninecrazy profile image
caninecrazy

I do believe their is a link as I have SLE (lupus), FM, CFS, Raynaud's (and other things) my twin had SLE(lupus), my younger brother has ME and his twin has SLE (lupus) mum had 2 sets of twins. all these are autoimmune conditions. my mum has always been poorly but she has never been diagnosed with any of these.

interesting question x

Janet28 profile image
Janet28

Thanks for that ☺ yes it is interesting. I didn't really know what Raynauds was I had to Google it. Yes there definitely is a correlation with all the things you mention and there seems to be a few people popping up with Lupus & fibromyalgia, be interesting to know how many People have both because it seems to posbily be linked. I actually wonder if Lupus causes FM in some people.

If your mum was always unwell, it highly probable that she had 1 of these conditions.

Thanks

Luv Jan x

You may also like...

Does anyone know if a 16yr old girl may have fibromyalgia?

wondering as my daughter suffered from dermatomyositis - currently in remission. She gets muscle...

Can you tell me how you really feel?

as my daughter suffered horrendously ,it is now thought she may all these years later that she may...

I havent gone yet so I thought i WOULD DROP A LINE to you all -- MORNING well

daughter suffering with CFS cannot walk her. Some days she cannot do anything! I gave her the...

My first blog post!!!

this my Partner has been registered partially Blind and Deaf recently. She also suffers with...

Getting everything into prospective.

I knew her well and walked her dogs. In February this year she gained a doctorate and with her 2...