I am 35 and have had fibro since I was 15. Back then (early 90s), they didn't know what to call it. Finally, a rheumatologist at a children's hospial diagnosed me. This was on top of mono and very very bad undiagnosed hypothyroidism (which probably started when I was about 10, judging by my school pics). I graduated high school near the top of my class and was active in varsity sports, but other than that all I did was sleep and feel miserable. I would come home from school and sleep and when I couldn't sleep at night I would do my homework. There were months at a time I could barely walk and was in incredible joint pain (hips mostly), but I still managed to do everything (now, looking back, I have no idea how! NO IDEA)
It took about 10 years to start to go away. Went through college and grad school, although it was tough at times. (Had to balance school with fibro AND a social life! hehe! = even more erratic sleep patterns! :)) Actually, I started feeling better when I stopped taking all the medications. I still feel it here and there -- especially when I get run down, I just HURT. My symptoms are mostly gone, but I can "feel" that I still have it when I get all those aches and pains when I'm run down.
My ANA and dsDNA titers are also totally off the chart - and I am one criteria short of a lupus diagnosis. Rheumatologist after rheumatologist was confused by that. I will always wonder if the titers are just so high becuase of the thyroid disease, if I'm just one of the small percentage of people with high titers for no reason, or if someday they'll tell me I have lupus instead of fibro. So far everything's fine, but who knows. It could also be some kind of reactive arthritis, in reaction to severe undiagnosed hypothyroidism or mono, but it is unlikely that my symptoms would still persist 20 years later if that were the case. Will always have lupus in the back of my head...ugh.
The one major thing that cured my insomnia was a baby! Ha!
Anyway, I wish everyone well with this - I wish they're figure out what it really is and come up with a reliable medication regimen. I think the most important thing is to try not to let it get you down - although that's tough at times.