Cheryl
is 55 years old and lives in Stillwater, Oklahoma
where she works as an administrative assistant for Oklahoma State
University
I have
3 daughters and I've been married to my second husband for over 7 years.
I suffered from back pain since I was about 10 or 11 years old. I was in
and out of the doctor's office with phantom pain and persistent vomiting. There
were days when I just felt sluggish and hurt all over. No matter what pain
medication I took, it didn't help. I walked with a limp because the pain in my
back was constant and intense. Doctors couldn't figure out what caused my pain
and they didn't know how to treat it.
When I
went to college, I had a really bad episode and was nearly bedridden because of
the persistent pain. I went through another round of doctor visits. This time,
it included blood tests, an MRI, and a visit to the neurologist. They still
couldn't find anything. Depressed and still in pain, I returned once again to
my clinic, but this time, I saw a different doctor. She asked me several unique
questions and also performed a pressure point test and asthma test. When she
was finished, she handed me a prescription and said that she believed I had
Fibromyalgia. She requested I try the medication for two weeks and then return
for an update. The medication was not easy to adapt to because it was an
antidepressant that caused drowsiness (luckily, I only took it at night). But
after two weeks, I was able to move with only minor pains and my whole body
felt renewed. It took two years to fully adapt to the medicine, but the
difference between being in pain 24/7 and being a little sleepy was well worth
the sacrifice. I have taken tricyclic antidepressants at low doses for over 16
years and my life has been better ever since.
Fibromyalgia
has affected my body in various ways including tendon and nerve problems. But
in my 30s, I began working to discover and eliminate allergies from my life (an
abnormal amount of allergies is common with Fibromyalgia sufferers). The
results have been very successful. Each time I eliminate an allergy or
intolerance, my well-being improves and it becomes easier to control my
Fibromyalgia flare-ups. I also use probiotics to help maintain a strong immune
system.
Within
the past year, my 12-year old daughter was has also diagnosed with
Fibromyalgia. Together we are working to make her life better, so she does not
have to suffer as much as I did. Perhaps the greatest struggle for people with
Fibromyalgia is understanding how it affects the whole body. Controlling stress
levels and eating better can reduce flare-ups and the overall daily pain. I
believe that both my daughter and I are on the right path to a healthy life.check out for success stories
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