I am a mother and I am a daughter. I am a father and I am a son. I was busy living my life, and one day I got sick. I went to the doctor and they ran test after test after test and could not figure out what was wrong with me.
I am a student and I am a teacher, I am a grandchild and I am a grandparent. Finally they gave me a diagnosis of exclusion, something called Fibromyalgia, because their diagnostics are not sophisticated enough yet to source the true cause of the problem. They told me it is not terminal, but there are limited ways to treat the burning fire inside my muscles that debilitate me.
I am a sister and I am a brother, I am an aunt and I am an uncle. I experience extreme sleep disturbances, constant and pervasive pain and cognitive impairment. It makes living life very difficult, for both me and those around me. The medications I have been given treat the symptoms, not the source, and have many side-effects.
I am a cousin and I am a friend. I am a niece and I am a nephew. My dreams and goals and ambitions are very much alive and well, but my body will not cooperate! I am limited and dependent and very very frustrated.
I am a survivor and I am a fighter. I am NOT a hypochondriac, faker, dramatic, lazy, crazy, wimpy, a junkie, scamming the system or making this up. I am in pain and would give ANYTHING to have my life back the way it was before I got sick. But until medicine and science can figure out the cause and cure, I am working very hard to manage my life around this illness. Every day that I get up is a fight, a fight for myself, my family, my quality of life.
I am a person. I am a person who was walking around minding their own business and one day got sick. I am a person who still has plenty of life to live, love to give and memories to make. I am a person not unlike you. I am a Fibromyalgia patient.
Thanks for joining,
Leah
Very well stated. It was awesome and so very right on!
ReplyDeleteSo beautifully said Leah!! I LOVE it!!! It's going up on my fridge....along with all my other "words of wisdom" that I like my guests to see!!
ReplyDeleteI love you Leah! You always and I truly mean with every entry, express what I having going on inside this fibro fogged mind of mine. And you express it exactly as I want to verbalize it as well.
ReplyDeleteI am blessed for being part of FFH and knowing you sister.
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ReplyDeletethis has been exactly how i have felt for almost a year now.i was "diagonsed" last febuary.i am 26 years old.i have been married for almost 10 years and mother of 4.this has been a very tough road to go down but God is giving me the strength to push myself each day,thank you for putting my feelings into words.
ReplyDeleteLeah, this is a wonderful post. It describes everything I have felt over the past 16 years of dealing with fibro. You are an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteLeah...Thank you so much for stating how I was feeling today. I try not to get "down" but today was one of those days where many of the things you stated so well were floating around my head making me feel sad. It goes with the time of year for me, I used to be so active at the holidays. But your blog reminded me that not only am I not alone but a person who has "plenty of life to live, love to give and memories to make" :) Thank you dear Fibro Warrior and host of the FFH!! xo Joy
ReplyDeleteLeah, it s so wonderful to read this article. It validates everything I feel, everything I go through... And, many times people, don't understand, how can one day my energy level is 8 or 9, next day is 2...
ReplyDeleteI had a great day on Monday, then crushed on Tuesday. Only people can understand this is someone with fibro... And I am so luck that I have a husband that understands me, and a loving, caring mom, my mother in law, who was a great nurse. But, other then that, no one, not even my children...
Love you all, thanks for being here...
Once again a well written piece that has so much meaning for those of us with FMS. Happy Holidays, my friend. Keep up the good work. You really are inspirational as I know you must have those days when getting out of bed is like climbing K2. xxxx
ReplyDeleteWhat they said. 30+ years here.
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