How to Live with Fibromyalgia
What is Fibromyalgia people ask? Well it’s a complex disease that they know little about. What Fibromyalgia does is cause an over firing of nerves in the brain, causing muscle pain and fatigue. My story about life with Fibromyalgia.
In July of 2013 I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia after spending months of scans of my brain, back and legs to make sure there is nothing else wrong with me. My symptoms were the same as multiple sclerosis.
It all began in January of this year when I started having leg and muscle pain. Over the months all of my muscle groups began to ache and my legs became so weak that I thought I had MS. I would go to my doctor monthly and she would give me muscle relaxers and send me home. I knew something was wrong. I decided to go to another doctor and took all my scans with me. Within 30 minutes of talking to me he told me I had Fibromyalgia.
I was not happy with this diagnosis because I was always told that doctors give you this diagnosis when they have nothing else to diagnose you with. I did not want to believe that all these terrible things I was feeling was Fibromyalgia.
He gave me some new medication called Savella, a muscle relaxer and some tramadol for the pain. I started feeling better about a month in of taking the new medication, however my job was still killing me. I work on an orthopedic floor at the hospital and am constantly lifting, pulling and pushing on patients. It got to the point that this was not going to be my forever job.
I started feeling sorry for myself, like a failure, waiting to sit down and just call it quits but I am only 50 and I can’t do that to myself.
So how was I going to live with my disease and actually be able to live. First of all I had to admit that this is what was happening to my body because I did not believe Fibromyalgia existed. Secondly I talked to my director about my condition and she referred me to employee health. I took my papers she gave me to my doctor along with my job description and he said “absolutely not can you continue doing this job”. He told me no more lifting more then 10lbs and pulling more then 30 pounds, which gave me only one thing left to do was some type of desk job.
So how do you live with Fibromyalgia you ask?
1. Admit that you have it.
2. Know that you have to take many breaks throughout the day because of the fatigue.
3, Talk to your doctor about your medications because there are new ones on the market just for Fibromyalgia.
4. Do not skip any medications.
5. Just know that life is going to be different now and you will have to adjust your lifestyle to your disease.
6. There are going to be very good days, good days and very bad days.
7. You can’t stop moving because it hurts. Moving is good for your disease.
8. Hopefully there will be a cure for us one day.
Live in peace knowing that there are others like you and that you are not alone with this terrible disease. One day you may have pain in your hands, the next day you may have pain in your feet and legs. Do not try to diagnose yourself and make sure the doctor you go to believes in this horrible disease. I was not willing to believe in what I had until there was nothing else to diagnose me with or just think I was crazy. You are not crazy and yes this disease is real.
Just know there is a rainbow at the end of your journey.
