Living with Fibromyalgia from a Husband's Perspective - Part 1

Fibromyalgia is a debilitating condition with no known cause or cure. If you know someone that has been diagnosed, then you know how it affects every aspect of their life. If you haven't been enlightened on this ailment, please read this article. You will be amazed.

The first signs of Fibromyalgia

It has been 5 years since my wife starting complaining about muscle soreness and fatigue. We just brushed it off as activity and stress. We had moved a couple of times, and everyone knows how stressful that is. We began do dabble a little in the booming Florida real estate market. Stress was abundant, as was physical activity. These were the first signs of what was to be a long and miserable ride.

Coping with the diagnosis

The first time we went to the doctor, they did the usual battery of tests and ordered blood work to be done. They could find no source for the pain and fatigue. Three visits to the doctor netted the same prognosis-relax and take this prescription. It wasn't until we couldn't stand the pain any longer that we went to the emergency room. The attending physician gave us his diagnosis of Fibromyalgia. We had never even heard of it. Knowing that there was something wrong feels better than not being able to find anything wrong.

It is all in your head

When a person has a physical condition like Fibromyalgia, the last thing that they want to hear is that it can be controlled with the mind. In other words, this ailment is brought on by you, and it is all in your head. Talk about a down turn in one's self confidence. In recovery of any condition, the mind does play an important role. But to tell a person that there is nothing that could have caused it but the mind and that there is nothing that can be done is devastating.

Beginning the healing process

After the initial onset of depressing thoughts, we began to deal with what the doctors had told us. We began to occupy our time with things that didn't dwell on the negatives. We tried to focus on our real estate dealings. EBay also took up a lot of time. Everyday was a struggle for both of us, but we pushed forward. We vowed to seek better doctors and get the right treatment. Just believing that everything happens for a reason kept us going ahead in search of the answer.

Everyday is just another day

Fibromyalgia symptoms don't allow for any good days. Some are better than others, but there aren't any good ones. My wife would feel better for a couple of days, and then they would go bad again for a week. I took whatever time off work that I could to stay and help her with her eBay and whatever else she needed. She never asked me to stay, but I felt compelled to do so. The need was great for her to not be alone. It is very sad. These times were like a roller coaster, except for the fact that this coaster didn't go very high.

Coping with the ups and downs

Living with Fibromyalgia means having up days and down days. Some days are normal, while others are abnormal. No two days are the same. Back and neck pain cause several bad days in a row. When the pain subsides, the good days come back. Good, as in not visibly agonizing in pain and discomfort. The good days bring on more physical activity, and then the bad days come back again. It's a never ending cycle.

This will be continued in Part 2 of this article, to be published later.