I am a 38 year old, married, mother of three. I have been sick for a very long time and anyone who has been, knows it’s a hard and frustrating life! For the last 10 years I’ve known SOMETHING was wrong with me, but how do you make doctors and hospitals believe you when all their tests come back “NORMAL?” Such a strange word…normal,as if everyone has the exact same feelings .
Anyway, I was spending my life in bed everyday. I was so exhausted, sleeping all night did not bring me rest. I was always feeling like I had the flu, body aches (which my body actually did hurt), and had no immune system. I saw doctor after doctor and had test after test performed, always getting no answers. My family thought it was all in my head! I have three children and a husband that I adore and love. It was emotionally draining me to know I couldn’t be the mom and wife I knew I was supposed to be! How do you explain to your children why you spend months in the bed sick, unable to attend their activities, cook, clean, etc? I would tell my husband I thought I had chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, or Lupus. Yet doctors couldn’t tell me anything, except to put me on medicines for the pain, along with my medication for diabetes, hypothyroidism, occipital neuralgia, a fatty liver, and of course depression. Who wouldn’t be depressed having no life outside of illness!
One day, two years ago my hips were hurting so bad, the Orthopedist ran some test and gave me injections in my sacroiliac joints. That test just happened to have an ANA Titer test and it came back POSITIVE! On my next appointment he told me what it meant. I was astonished, vindicated (it wasn’t all in my head), and scared! At least I had some kind of answer. I met with my family practitioner and discussed who was a good Rheumatologist for me to see.
I met that doctor a year and a half ago and love him! After running more test and also diagnosing me with fibromyalgia (listen to your instincts), he started me on Plaquenil and changed my pain medication (so not to keep damaging my liver as it’s already fatty and I have diabetes). I have felt better in the last eight months than I have in the last 10 years! I’m not cured, as currently Lupus has no cure, and I keep managing the pain, but I’m LIVING life again…I’m fighting like a girl!
All this has been possible with my husband (Charlie), kids (Hayden, Hayley, & Holden), and my BFF who I consider a sister by choice if not by blood (Michelle).
Tammy
Louisiana
Submitted 08/19/2013
The informational content of this article is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.
This story is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.
Hi! For fibro and CFS, please check d-ribose (any brand; it is a totally safe nutritional supplement) and it really works for these conditions. As I found it so great and as these diseases do not have really effective treatments in traditional medicine, I am letting other women know about it.