About two years ago I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. It was not a diagnosis that I wanted, but one that I had suspected for a while. I was happy to have answers and even though there is not a cure there were treatments- medications like Lyrica, anti-depressants, muscle relaxers and narcotics. I wasn’t happy with most of these options, but I decided to try the Lyrica. It worked for a couple of weeks, but then they needed to increase my dose, not something I wanted because I didn’t want to feel drugged all the time, so I stopped taking all medicine to treat it.
For about a year, I was miserable. I was unmotivated and about the only exercise I would get was when we would go to the pool with the kids or to the Mall to walk around. My body hurt, I would sleep maybe 4 hours a night, eat sugary foods a lot, and would down 4 cans of Dr. Pepper a day, at least. I never drank water. I was MISERABLE!
I had heard all the hype about eating healthy and exercising to help control the pain, but I didn’t believe it. I had been told how drinking soda could make you feel worse, but I didn’t care because it couldn’t be true- how was I going to survive without it? I just couldn’t do it, until I couldn’t keep doing it.
Since I have given up soda and changed the way that I eat, my body feels so much better. No, I am not 100% pain free every day, but I am always at least 75% pain free and to be honest, the pain on those days is because I have had a bad night of sleep due to outside stressors. I have been amazed at how my body feels and how much my life has changed since then. I have been able to go outside and play with my kids. Hugs, massages and bumps don’t cause the pain that they used too and life is mine again.
I was determined that fibro wasn’t going to get the best of me because I want my family to have the best that I am. I refuse to let it win- to beat me down and leave me crying in pain. I will continue to win this fight and the battle that comes with fibro. I thank God for giving me the wisdom to have control over this and the wisdom to do what I need to so that I can take care of me.
For me, having fibromyalgia doesn't mean that I stop living, it means that I continue to live and be the wife that I want to be and the mother that my children needs me to be.
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