Yes, I was diagnosed in 2001. In 1999, I suffered a back injury at work. Even though I followed my treating physician’s advice, including physical therapy and home exercises, the pain in my back just wouldn’t ease up. Within a year, I had widespread pain that felt like I’d overtaxed my muscles. (To this day, the area of my injury is extremely sensitive…

Fibromyalgia is primarily a neurological brain disorder. It is seven times more likely to strike women than men, and it doesn’t matter what nationality you are. The hypothalamus part of the brain acts as a circuit breaker/fuse box for the rest of the brain and body. It’s like the battery for the entire body. There are several things…

I’ve had it for about 29 years now. In a word—-Pain. Never-ending, constant pain. Your shoulder will suddenly start to hurt, which can last for a few seconds to days. That can happen in any part of your body. When it quits, it will start in some other place, again for only a few seconds to days….

I had fibromyalgia symptoms for 15 years before I was diagnosed. At that time, I took a course of physical therapy where I did the Wharton stretch method, where you put a strap around your ankle, stretch your leg, and then gently use the strap to extend the stretch for a second. This, combined with a slow,…

I’ve tried just about every medication possible over the years, and have just recently ended up with a configuration that works for me. Some of these are atypical, and were prescribed for something else but ended up helping. I am putting my results with each here, because although everyone reacts differently – especially fibro patients – I have found…

First of all, you haven’t changed. You’re the same person with the same condition, except now you have a label. I found that label very liberating because it showed me that I had a real disability and that I wasn’t “just making it up” or “being lazy” or such. Plus, now you can say “I have fibromyalgia” instead of…

Fibromyalgia is a nightmare. I have had it for approximately 25 years. My GP, at a time when it was at its worst, gave me Tramadol. It was a miracle drug for me, but it is very difficult to come off of, so I stopped taking it. I finally went to a doctor for emotional issues and…

On a scale of 1-10, my average daily pain level is a 6 or a 7. All-day. Every single day of my life. It’s always there, and cannot be ignored no matter how engrossed in something I may be. Being in constant pain is exhausting. Fatigue is a huge issue in my life. Unrefreshing sleep is one of…

Taking personal responsibility means we now realize that no doctor, pill, or the best healing plan can do it for us. We must individually take responsibility for our health and well-being. When dealing with Fibromyalgia on a daily basis, it becomes clear that this illness is NOT about taking a pill and simply getting on with our lives. This is a…

Increasingly often, we are seeing a new discovery that could lead to a new treatment for for fibromyalgia. This has led me to elevate the visability of these new discoveries in this website as a way of keeping HOPE alive in all of us who suffer with this syndrome.  Some new discoveries are born out of pure fibromyalgia research,…