Hello Fibro Community

[SanibelCaptiva]

I would like to take a minute and introduce myself to the Fibro forum. I have suffered with Fibro for twenty six years and did not know it. I spent years trying to find a diagnosis which made me appear as a hypochondriac. Last December I went to Pennsylvania Hosp where a Neurologist diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia Syndrome and when I returned to my primary doctor in the sticks of Pennsylvania he denied that is what it is and that was the end of it. So, I continued on the endless trek of unanswerable symptoms and questions and realized that the medical community in this small town has all but ignored every medical issue I have right down to the dental problems I am having. You see Fibromyalgia does not exist where I live. To be quite honest, until my daughter and I started researching Fibro I also did not think it existed. This elephant in the room called Fibromyalgia has such a stigma in the medical community and the general population. I will apologize for being ignorant to this devastating malady. At 29 when this started I was finally diagnosed with severe hypothyroidism. At the same time Fibro hit like a brick wall. The disease seemed to improve after two years of misery. But the fatigue continued and falling asleep at the wheel of my car was not a great thing. On July 15th I will be returning to Pennsylvania Hospital to see the neuro and will discuss what she wrote on my medical forms to this primary care doctor up in no man's land. The struggle and the lack of answers has been devastating. The strange looks are embarrassing and not being believed is very difficult to live with. I think just having an answer after so long will allow me fight this demon. I was always a go getter but every time a flare hit I was down. What a mysterious disease. I suppose my next quest will be the Fibro Center at Pennsylvania Hospital. Oh joy, another doctor. I

I hope everyone here has found a way to deal with this disease and to at least be moderately productive. I am here to read and listen to your plight with Fibro and your successes. I believe now that after so long, I am on the road to a diagnosis. What do you do when people and doctors have told you this is not real for 26 years? My career is destroyed, my daughter had to deal with me which is my biggest regret? How do you deal with the guilt that comes with your illness and how do you deal with the people who think it is all in your head? This is an angry disease for those of us who suffer with it. Either I have spent a lifetime with doctors who misdiagnosed every test or this is Fibro as the Neuro stated. And yet, I was still denied the proper treatment and medication to deal with this. I am not happy about this.
Wishing you all good health and happiness. Dolores

 

[1sweed]

Hello and glad to see another Pa gal. I got my diagnosis in Florida, but have heard there are few doctors here in the sticks that know anything about fibro, and often claim it is all in our heads. Sometimes it is a good thing as insurance companies don't care to hear about fibro, but when your searching for a answer and get turned away at every step, I know how bad that can be. So I wish you the best of luck.

Be sure to read through the different sections and topic's in hopes of finding answers to your questions and learning lots of new coping skills. Ask us questions and offer your advice to others. I hope you will jump in and start posting more.

 

[nascarmike]

Hi there and welcome aboard. It's just fine and dandy for a person whether an MD or anyone else who does not have fibro to say it does not exist but we here all know better. People on here are wonderful and caring and we take time to read the post even if we can't respond to them all. Hang in there and good luck.