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Where better to share what you’ve learned the hard way, or to ask questions or share what you’re thinking and feeling, than in a group of other people with Fibromyalgia? If you’re just starting to look for this kind of support, a good first step is to use the Web.

One starting place online is the linked national directory of local support group Web pages at www.friendswithfibro.org/support.html (It is maintained by Friends With Fibro, a support group with members in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.) Many of the hundreds of linked sites listed here will showcase support groups exclusively for Fibromyalgia patients. But many others encompass multiple painful conditions, such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myofascial Pain Syndrome.

A state-by-state listing allows you to click on any of more than 30 states. This will take you to links at the county and local levels. Clicking on “California” and on “Sacramento County,” for example, turns up detailed information about four area support groups, which collectively run local meetings in a score of communities, as well as links to several e-mail support groups.

Details include times and locations, phone and e-mail contacts, comments about available resources such as conference videos, speaker information hotlines, and much more. There are also links to regional e-mail support groups.

If this directory doesn’t turn up any information about a group close to you, call your local hospital for information, or ask your healthcare or therapy provider. At a minimum you might post a notice saying you’re interested in forming a support group, and see what turns up.