How Fibromyalgia Changed My Life

How Fibromyalgia Changed My Life

Fibromyalgia (FM) not only took over my life, but it nearly cost me my family and everything I’ve ever lived for.

Growing up I was “your average kid.” I played outside with friends, participated in extracurricular activities throughout school, played pranks on random people that I didn’t know, and of course, had a crush on my high school teacher. Oh, Ok! Maybe I wasn’t “your average kid,” but I was close enough.

Throughout my adolescent years I had a sense of humor, and a “girl’s rock” attitude. I married when I was 24 years old and had my first child when I was 26.

My husband is a King at playing games, and lo and behold when he married me we became “The Perfect Players.”

There was nothing my husband could do that I couldn’t. We always competed against each other whether it was who can stay at a job the longest, or who can run from a poopy diaper the fastest.

I’m not going to say I had the best life in the world, or that I never experienced any struggles along the way, but I will say this, before FM decided to choose me, I was content and happy with how my life was going.

One day I noticed that my eyes had started developing sensitivity to light. I remember riding on the highway, and had to reach for my sunglasses because my eyes was so sensitive to the light that it made me feel light headed. It wasn’t just sunlight, but it was anything or any place that had bright lighting.

I remember going to the grocery store, and the lighting seemed so bright that I couldn’t really shop for the things I needed.

I literally had to go back to the car and grab my sunglasses in order to grocery shop. At the time, I thought a migraine was creeping up on me, or maybe I was getting ready to come down with a virus or something, so I shook it off.

During my sunlight dilemma, I started having trouble memorizing simple stuff. I would literally have to sit and think about what I was going to do and when I was going to do it. It was almost like my brain had gone into confuse mode.

I’ve never been the “tote a journal type person,” however; I was on my way to becoming one. I had no choice, but to jot down the things I needed to do for the day in order to execute my to-do list.

As time passed by, I started feeling these burning sensations across my back during the night and especially when I would wake up in the mornings.

Sometimes I couldn’t get a good night’s rest and would surf the internet until I dosed off to sleep.

Also, I was experiencing pain in my legs, irritable bowel movements, sleepless nights, and fatigue.

The pain in my legs felt as if I had been exercising for week’s non-stop, and as far as my bowels, I would make a bowel movement probably once a week if that, and when I did, it felt like I was constipated and often unable to finish what I started.

Additionally, I remember feeling so tired at times; I wanted to sleep every chance I got.

This was alarming enough to make a trip to the doctor.  My doctor ordered blood work to make sure I wasn’t suffering from any life threatening illnesses.

How Fibromyalgia Changed My Life

After a blood work-up, the only thing the doctor could find that was wrong with me was elevated blood pressure, and anemia which he assured wasn’t too alarming.

The doctor prescribed a mild blood pressure medication and ordered me to take 2 iron pills per day for the next three months.

I thought life would get better, but it only got worse. I started being allergic to foods that I’ve always eaten like broccoli, bell peppers, and crabs.

I also became allergic to dogs. I then became this Over the Counter (OTC) and prescription junkie trying to find a cure to my problem.

My immune system started deteriorating leaving me open to many viruses. A year later I ended up losing my smell senses.

I was sent to a neurologist to correct the problem, but then the unthinkable happened. After a couple visits my insurance cancelled due to me losing my job.

The playful person that I’ve always been all of a sudden turned into a “research-aholic,” if that’s even a word.

During my family and free time I was too busy researching illnesses and their symptoms just so that I can help cure myself. This caused a very big strain on my parenting skills as well as my marriage.

Being the loving and playful husband that I have, he was willing to join my fight and compete against me in finding a diagnosis.

One day he was surfing the internet and stumbled upon FM. After carefully analyzing the signs and symptoms, he was almost 100 percent positive that this is the illness I was suffering from.

I was able to invest in a prepaid health insurance plan and made a visit to see my doctor. I told him about FM and that I believe I was suffering from the disorder.

After many lab tests, and the ruling out of other possible illnesses, he was also certain that FM is the monster that hijacked my life. I was prescribed Opioids which was the beginning of my walk back to a normal life.

Although the misery road down FM lane didn’t end right away, it is on the count of my husband that I am now traveling down a road back to life.

Since meeting him, my husband and I have always competed against each other whole heartedly which made us who we are today.

We now compete with each other on how to eat healthier in life, how to effectively use time management, how to get proper sleep, how to meditate and relax on a daily basis, and how to choose the correct medications.

FM may be a part of my life, but I am here to say that it can no longer control my life.

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