Hello! And thank you for joining me on this introductory article concerning Fibromyalgia. First, let me say that I am a Fibromyalgia survivor and the former head of a local Support Group, so I do know the pain and frustration of this debilitating challenge. In fact, my passion is to help others in some small way. I know the suffering and the unusual, very difficult to describe pain. What is so amazing to me is that many times individuals look so well on the outside, exhibiting few outward signs of this syndrome and so making a diagnosis difficult. It took me almost 2 years to be diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and those two years were horrendous. Let me explain.
My husband and I took a trip to Mexico and during that time, I ate some very bad food. I came down with a 105 degree temperature and had to call in a Mexican Doctor, who promptly gave me antibiodics. He was able to get the fever down and so I went back home. The following year it seemed as if all my body's systems were failing.
I woke up one morning to find a patch of my hair on the pillow. There was tingling in my lips and numbness in my fingers and toes. Nightsweats, hot flashes. I had difficulty sleeping at night and then the pain began. It was relentless and reduced me to spending days in bed. My life was beginning to change and I did not like where it was going.
My Primary Care Physician was a wonderful person who took many tests but nothing significant was found. This went on for months and I was beginning to give up hope of ever finding an answer. And then one morning I noticed that my baby finger was all swollen at the joint and so I called my Doctor. He suggested I take the Arthritis Battery of tests and after several days, I received the phone call. They had found something. Finally!
He asked me to make an appointment with a Rheumatologist and so I did. My husband took me and we were thrilled to find someone who knew what was wrong. He identified my problem as Fibromyalgia and suggested that I learn as much as I can. That began my journey through the theories and practical helps that have returned my life to normalcy. And so I am happy to share with others that hope - the hope that something said may benefit someone in some small way. I'd like to tell you next how this 4 year journey has been remarkable and rewarding.
Most Sincerely,
Jan Martin
