I cured myself...this is my Fibromyalgia Story - Pain free!

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In writing this I will share what I experienced during my time living with with the chronic aches and pains of Fibromyalgia, what my treatment and lifestyle choices were and how all that impacted my life.

I will share my fibromyalgia story and take you on my journey to wellness.

Hopefully, my fibromyalgia story will give you hope and help you to begin to look at your Fibromyalgia experience in a little different way. I am sure, that if you are living with this life altering condition called Fibromyalgia, you will understand and relate to everything I am saying in this fibromyalgia story. I am certain that you, also, have your own fibromyalgia story to tell. But, I am hoping that by sharing what I learned on my path to wellness that I can help you, and others, to find the way to a life that is pain free.

If you are reading my fibromyalgia story and you are not the one diagnosed, then, hopefully, it will help you understand better what it means to live your daily life with a debilitating syndrome, such as Fibromyalgia.

You may know someone who lives with Fibromyalgia. You may be married to or partnered with someone who daily suffers from this syndrome. You may have a friend who you have seen change from a highly productive, energetic individual to someone who struggles to make it through the day, because of the chronic aches and pains associated with Fibromyalgia. Maybe, just maybe, this will help you to better hear and understand that the pain is real, the depression is valid, and the sense of hopeless is all pervasive.

But wherever you are coming from as a reader, I hope that by sharing my fibromyalgia story that it will give you a better understanding of the process of healing, from what I consider to be one of the most elusive and potentially debilitating syndromes of our time.

But more than that, I hope that from reading my fibromyalgia story you will feel that there is hope and that you, too, can restore your life to one of wellness, forever free of your muscle aches and pains, lumpy muscles, sleep disorders, depression and memory loss...to become Fibromyalgia Free!

So, let’s get started.

Let’s begin with understanding just how bad my health and my symptoms got, during those 10 years that I lived daily with the endless aches and pains of Fibromyalgia.

My Fibromyalgia Story - At it’s worst…

I want to start by giving you a little perspective of what my life was like during those horrible days when I was living with with this debilitating condition called Fibromyalgia.

At the height of living with the Fibromyalgia syndrome and relative symptoms, I needed to take a 6 month medical leave of absence from my work.

When the Fibromyalgia was at it's worst, I could barely walk across the living room without having to lay down and rest. I could not put covers over my body at night, because the resulting pain was unbearable.

The pain in my feet, from the Fibromyalgia, that could only be described as excruciating, could not be relieved by different shoes or cushion inserts. The only way to stop the pain was not to stand on them, not to walk. When I slept I had to hang them over the side of the bed.

The HUGE weight gain was difficult for me to deal with. I had gone up over 7 dress sizes in less than a year. My self image was at an all time low. I wasn’t eating any differently, but the pounds kept packing on! I was horrified.

Writing was incredibly difficult, as the pain in my fingers and hands did not allow me to grasp a pencil. If I tried to write, some of the muscles in my hands or forearms would spasm. My writing had become almost impossible to read. Opening doors and cupboards was equally difficult. Everything that I took for granted before, required much more time and conscious effort.

Sleep was elusive. Insomnia was a nighttime event. I couldn’t lay on my sides, because my hips and shoulders were so sore. If I did finally fall asleep and then tried to rollover during the night, I would have to awaken to turn and the resultant pain would not allow me to fall back to sleep again.

And I was tired. Oh, so very tired.

My mind wasn’t working like it used to. I used to be sharp as a tack, clear as a bell. But now my memory wasn’t able to pull up ideas or past events very easily. I was mixing up words when I spoke. It was like I was living in a fog, a brain fog

I had become depressed beyond measure. My life had changed. My future dreams were forced to change and my image of myself, and my self-esteem had changed as well.

I felt as though I had no control over what was happening. It just kept getting worse. I looked everywhere for answers, for help, for guidance, for a solution. No one seemed to know what to do.

I was so tired of hearing… “You don’t look like you are in pain. You look fine.”

I was so tired of hearing… “You are just depressed.”

The worst was … “It’s all in your imagination.”

I was so afraid that I would always have to live like this.

I was so very afraid.

I could go on and on about the symptoms I experienced on a daily basis and how it impacted my life, but as I continue writing my story, it will be revealed.

My Fibromyalgia Story - Life before the diagnosis…

In order to see where I came from in terms of my life and, ultimately, where I ended up after restoring my health, I want to start by telling you of my life, before diagnosis.

I was a tiny little thing, full of energy, enthusiasm and a zest for life. I was trim, able to get myself into a size 6, sometimes a size 4 depending on the cut of the clothes. I was generally healthy, active and could boast of a number of very good friends. A long term friendship had turned into a romantic relationship that continued to blossom.

My career was solidly in place. I had been promoted to a management position in a large corporation and was overseeing 12 people. After work, a couple of days a week, I would facilitate corporate training classes for employees and managers.

Owner of a home, I worked in my yard, planted a garden, did home improvement and decorating projects, creating a lovely environment to call my own.

On the weekends, I enjoyed going for long walks on the beach with my dog. Friends were a big part of my life. I had a solid social life. Running errands, going to garage sales with friends, hiking, camping, visiting local festivals were all things I loved to do. Local travel on weekends, with an occasional longer trip, created a sense of adventure in my life.

I had moved to the Northwest, from where I grew up in the Midwest, a number of years earlier and as a result, my life, my day in - day out friends and my career changed.

I used to work as an artist in a small advertising agency. There was a lot of creativity in my job, ranging from layout and design, paste-up, to photo retouching and transparency stripping. I loved the work. But I was driven to succeed in life, to grow, to improve, to the best I could be. So, I had left that type of work and moved on to something different.

Because creativity was not as much a part of my job, after leaving advertising, I put my creativity into decorating my house and pursuing different arts and crafts projects.

Basically, I lived life. I live it fully and joyfully.

And, overall, looking back …life was pretty good.

I was happy.

My Fibromyalgia Story - And, then something changed…

One day, I noticed that I had soreness in the joint in my right thumb. It hurt when I bent it. I tried to remember if there was anything that I had done that might have caused injury to my thumb, maybe working in the yard or on one of my projects. There was no redness, no swelling, just a soreness when I would move the joint. I couldn’t think of anything that would have caused it.

A little time passed, a few days, a week, and I noticed that the pain didn’t go away. My thumb was sore, most of the time.

I was in my mid-30s at the time, so I couldn’t imagine that I was developing arthritis. I knew my dad had enlarged knuckles on his hands, so I thought, well maybe I was following in my father’s footsteps. Maybe I was going to get arthritis.

After a few weeks, the pain was still there and I decided it was time to go to the doctor to have it looked at. I had taken some aspirin off and on, but it didn’t seem to do much to help, in fact, nothing at all. I thought maybe the doctor could figure out what was going on and would have a way to fix this.

To this day, I clearly remember the first appointment that I had. I remember the look on the doctor’s face when a 30-something year old arrives to say her thumb is sore. He looked at me, at my thumbs and said, “They look fine. It will go away. Give it time.”

I remember feeling discounted, ignored, somewhat insulted. What was clear was that my complaint was put aside, ignored. “Take an aspirin if it hurts.”

I left thinking - well, if the doctor said it was nothing, then it must be so.

I went home. I continued on with life. And, I continued to have a sore thumb.

I went back to the doctor a couple of weeks later.

“Still hurts. But, now it’s both thumbs.”

“Hmmm.”

“I didn’t hurt it. I didn’t do anything, like an injury. It just started and it won’t go away.”

“Are you taking aspirin?”

“Yes. It doesn’t do anything.”

“Hmmm.“ “Well, let’s give it more time. Keep taking the aspirin and come back in a few weeks if it doesn’t get better.”

By the time I arrived back at the doctor’s office, a few weeks later, the thumb joints on both my hands were sore and achey.

“They both hurt now.”

“Hmmm.”

“So, it didn’t get better?”

“No.”

“Taking the aspirin?”

“Yes”

“OK, well, then let’s do a couple of tests.”

Finally! Now, we’re rolling, I think. Now, we are going to find out what is going on.

But when I return to see the doctor, after the blood and urine test results come back, I am told…

“Everything looks OK. I don’t see anything that is way out of range in your results.”

You have go to be kidding, I thought. That’s not possible. I have this pain.

“I don’t know what else I can do for you.”

I leave the office bewildered. How can the tests not show anything?

My Fibromyalgia Story - A few months pass…

I am waking up in the morning now and starting to notice that my hands and fingers feel like sausages. They are a little hard to move, to “get started” in the morning. My thumbs still feel sore and I need to open and close my hands, several times, before they feel loose… before they feel normal.

That’s so strange.

A few more months pass and my whole body feels that way upon waking. I get out of bed and I need to stretch a little more than I used to. And when I do stretch, I feel a very slight soreness in the muscles. I put if off to the increased yard work. It is Spring, of course.

But it continues, even after the initial Spring yard clearing and cleaning chores are over.

I begin to notice that I seem more tired than usual. My usual energy has dropped dramatically. Where is my energy going?

Something is not right.

Over the next few weeks, my hands become increasingly stiff and achey. The soreness in the joints of my thumbs has changed. When I move them, it is now less of an ache, and more of a pain.

Now, what!? I think to myself. This is nuts. There is no reason I should be feeling like this.

My Fibromyalgia Story - Finally, a diagnosis…

This visit to the doctor, things were different. I was not ready to, again, be discounted or not believed. I wanted answers. And if he was unable to give me those answers, then I would find someone who would.

I said, “I think it is time to refer me to a specialist who might be able to figure out what is going on with my body. I know my body. And this is not normal. Aspirin is not working.”

And, with that, I was referred to a Rheumatologist. The tests continued to show nothing out of the normal range, so two of the specialists repeated what I had heard previously.

“We can’t find anything. Take some aspirin. It may help.”

One said, “You are just depressed.”

I did have to go from one to another, to another, before I finally found one who could help…or was at least willing to learn more.

He did the same tests, saying the same thing…within the normal range. But then he added -

“There is something called Fibrositis that has some of these symptoms. I really don’t know much about it, but I am willing to learn.”

I was shocked!

I was shocked that there was a name to what I was experiencing.

I was shocked that a doctor admitted not knowing much about it.

And even more, I was shocked that he said he was willing to learn more and see what he could do to help me.

I said - “Yes, please, I would appreciate that.”

And so began my healing from Fibromyalgia.

I had been heard, acknowledged, believed.

I had found a doctor who was willing to work with me on finding a way to manage my symptoms that by now were beginning to affect my daily life.

It had taken me over a year to get a diagnosis based on my symptoms, but it was well worth it.

So, was this the cure? Was this doctor was able to give me a pill or a solution to get rid of the aches and pains and cure this thing that I now called Fibrositis?

The answer is no, and this is not the end of of my efforts to restore my health. There was so much more yet to do. This was just the beginning of healing. But at that moment, when I recieved the diagnosis, that was enough.

Later, that diagnosis was changed from Fibrositis to Fibromyalgia. And, this journey toward wellness, my fibromyalgia story, took me down many a road on my path to curing Fibromyalgia and becoming Fibromyalgia Free!

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As I continue to add pages to My Fibromyalgia Story, I will share with you what I did and how life changed as a result and, hopefully, you will feel hope from reading it.

My Fibromyalgia Story will cover treatments that worked for me .

My Fibromyalgia Story will talk about lifestyle choices I made and changes that I made .

My Fibromyalgia Story will share diet decisions that made a difference and nutrition.

My Fibromyalgia Story, a story of return to wellness, will hopefully, open your mind to new approaches, new ways of looking at treatment and personal empowerment that will lead you to say,-

"I cured myself! Let me tell how I cured Fibromyalgia!"

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Please remember to RETURN to the BOTTOM of THIS page, occasionally, to see if NEW LINKS have been added, that will link you to the continuation of my fibromyalgia story, a story of retoring my life to wellness, balance and joy.

FUTURE LINK for continuation My Fibromyalgia Story

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My Fibromyalgia Story!

I am Fibromyalgia Free!

You can do it TOO!

BELIEVE that YOU can have a success story!

BELIEVE that YOU can be Fibromyalgia Free!

CREATE your own Fibromyalgia Story!

CREATE a Fibromyalgia Story where

you yell from the highest mountain

I AM Fibromyalgia FREE!

LISTEN to MY Fibromyalgia Story!