Living Life with Fibromyalgia

The morning air was crisp and the sound of early birds at my bedroom window filled the silence in the house. I don’t remember waking up to my alarm, but I do remember the restless night I had experienced. The sharp pain still lingered in my abdomen identical to how the stench of cigarettes asphyxiates wallpaper. Excruciating pain that kept me from a decent night’s sleep, nevertheless I was excited. It was the first day of my first course in the Veterinary Technician Program. Nothing was going to keep me from attending it, nothing. Although, I couldn’t help but think why was I still in so much pain? There were no complications during my son’s birth back in December, so that can’t be it. The implants that were placed to deter pregnancy were removed after being rejected, but that was well over a month ago. Pushing the thought aside I made the 30 minute journey to school.

Everything started off as expected and I felt as though I had finally found my true calling in life. Then it happened. My doctor’s appointment was scheduled the first week of class, and I was anxious to finally get the much anticipated answers to the source or cause of my pain. But the news I received left me dumbfounded. My body went numb, comparable to being thrown into a sea of ice where I had no time to react. Frozen in time, the doctor’s words drifting in mid-air, my mind would not accept these words so instead I was left watching them as if they were solid masses in front of my eyes. Fibromyalgia—a disease that doctors are still studying and many know little about. How could this happen? How did I get this disease? All these questions raced through my mind. When the doctor had no reply, the questions derailed from their thoughtful track and c...

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... my children will fall victim. Knowing how life truly is, that may not be possible. At least we now know about the predispositions.

It has been 9 months since my diagnosis, and I am still learning coping mechanisms and pain management. Not everything is 100% though. In a perfect world it would be, but also in a perfect world there would be no disease or sickness. I can only hope for the best and continue living life as I have been for the last 28 years. There may be many changes in my life, some are worse than others, and instead of viewing them as disadvantages I will see them as a metamorphosis. At the end of this journey, I will emerge a stronger person who can withstand fire and brimstone, so to speak. For now I will continue to smile and walk through live with my head held high, even though my body is a battlefield filled with constant aches and pains.