I have to admit, I had a hard time believing I had a condition known as fibromyalgia. I wasn’t even sure what it meant let alone how to spell it. The first doctor who diagnosed me in 2002 was pretty skeptical and strongly hinted that my pain was all in my head. And, he came out and blatantly said I’d feel a lot better if I’d lose some weight. After giving me four prescriptions ranging from a muscle relaxer to stronger Motrin, I was sent on my way.
Over the next year or so, my pain got progressively worse and I was growing more frustrated. My extensive research and the way I felt confirmed that the pain was not in my head. It was very real. I could barely get out of bed each morning because I was so stiff and achy. The muscle relaxers left me with a hung over feeling. No amount of coffee would help me wake up. And little did I know the caffeine was making my symptoms worse. I had no energy, fell asleep every time I sat for long and just felt horrible. I finally went back to my original doctor and begged for a referral to a rheumatologist.
I was uneasy about meeting a new doctor, but I was at my wits-end. As it turned out, my appointment with her was awesome. She specializes in fibromyalgia and didn’t once discount the way I felt. She cut back on the dosage of muscle relaxers, took me off of a couple of the medications and set me up another appointment for three months. I finally started feeling like someone believed me and that I wasn't crazy. The pain in my body was real.
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