Is There a Cure?

Fibromyalgia:  You Can Get Better

Fibromyalgia feels like a cascading waterfall of never ending symptoms that tumbles you into a hopeless abyss.  Pain and chronic fatigue become a daily reality.

I know the exact moment my encounter with fibromyalgia started.  On December 21, 2009 I had a severe allergic reaction to shrimp.  I went into anaphylactic shock, had difficulty breathing, was taken to the ER and given three doses of epinephrine before my lung function returned to normal.  A week later I had a typical winter virus.  After I got over the virus, I felt extremely fatigued.  Then I developed all over muscle pain.  At first I thought my body was just taking its own sweet time to recover from the double whammy of the anaphylactic reaction and the virus.  But the symptoms persisted and grew worse each day.

I had been working part time for four to six hours a day four days a week. I began to cut back on my hours until I was working only two or three hours a day.  By the time spring faded into summer, I no longer had the energy for even that and had to quit my job. Prior to the onset of this mysterious cluster of symptoms I was an energetic, outgoing, generally cheerful person who thrived on being involved in six things at one time. But now it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to complete the basic tasks of everyday living. My doctor did labwork and evaluation and then told me I had Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).  He tried me on several different drugs to help control the pain but I had side effects with each of them.  It looked like my only choice was to somehow find a way to live with the symptoms.

For the next year I spent most of my time resting with periodic forays to the grocery store and stabs at keeping up with the laundry.  Everything I heard was discouraging:

"There is no cure." 

 "This can last for the rest of your life." 

 "Get used to feeling horrible every day."  

On the first year anniversary of my cascading tumble into the Fibro/CFS void, I made a decision.  There had to be something I could do to feel better.  I started reading everything I could find on Fibro/CFS.  I made some remarkable discoveries.  I am amazed that my symptoms have almost completely disappeared.  In this blog I want to share my journey with you, get your feedback on things that have helped you, and get the word out to the world that no matter what you have heard, or what you are currently dealing with, Fibro/CFS is not a lifelong sentence.  You can get better.  I am living proof that this is true.

 Was there any precipitating factor for your Fibro/CFS?

How long have you been sick?Pinterest