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Fibromyalgia and Me

I created this page so that people can learn about fibromyalgia and the other disorders that I have. Even though Fibromyalgia is more talked about today, you would be shocked at just how many people don't know what it is. It is very frustrating when people do not know anything about it. Ignorance is Ignorant. I often have people tell me "I have pain too but I don't just sit at home and not work!" or "Get a job and it'll go away." Unfortunately, once fibro enters your life, it has a tendency to steal that life away from you. I developed fibromyalgia after a car accident in March 1997. I originally had some herniated discs, but he pain continued to worsen and it just never went away. Today the discs hardly bother me at all. It is kinda like if your finger hurts and you hit your foot with a hammer, suddenly you don't feel your finger any more. There are hundreds of symptoms that go along with fibromyalgia. Every person experiences different symptoms and different severities of them. Some of the symptoms that I continually deal with are : chronic pain, muscle tightness and stiffness, memory and concentration difficulty(fibro fog), depression, sleeping problems(both not being able to sleep and when i do sleep I can hardly get awake),trouble standing, sitting or walking for any length of time, the list goes on. I have tried almost every known therapy known to man, to help my fibro. I have tried, swim therapy, physical therapy, massage therapy, neuropyshiology, counseling, and others. Some of the therapies did help some, but not enough that substantiated their costs. When I was in the accident I was a fulltime college student. I had just left my husband of 9 years and was living with my mom and my two daughters. I did manage to graduate, but my educational plans were shattered. I had been scheduled to start attending classes at Penn State University that fall, but I could not manage the drive. So I got a job. I masked my pain as much as possible with narcotics, muscle relaxers and just plain blocking them out. But after six months and only one week of actually being able to work 40 hours, I went on medical leave. February 1998, was the last time I worked. who knows when I will return? I have just finished my training to become a cardiovascular technician. hopefully I will be able to do this job. I am looking to try to get a part-time job in the fall when the girls return to school. UPDATE: July 2000 so many things have changed in my life. I was in yet another accident in Dec. 98. since then my fibro and other problems have gotten considerabley worse. I am now on SSI disability. I had gone back to college in september 98 to retrain in another field, thinking i was getting better and knowing that money was getting scarce. I did manage to graduate, but was never able to return to the working world. through moneys i received from a settlement and my mom's estate the three of us have survived and we were able to buy my mom's house. I could not live anywhere for what i pay to live here. Through all of this I have reached out to God, and through him He has helped us to survive. the girls are closer than ever, and boy are they growing. Brooke will be 11 in september and Raine will be 8 this coming January. I plan to update these pages in the next couple of weeks with new information and new pictures. so be sure to bookmark theis page and revisit us.

Great Books to Learn more about Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain Syndrome

My Favorite Web Sites

The Wall- Fibro Patient Support. Great place to be, if you have fibro
Links and Information on Fibro, CFS, and MPS
Articles On Fibro

Email: rnmaker93@aol.com