I’m Not Fibro!

First Fibro Blog Post

Well, here goes folks! My first entry into the blog world: My attempt to share my thoughts, rants, inspirations and more about my Fibromyalgia journey.

Let me preface this and all further posts by saying that I acknowledge that I am not an expert (or remotely close to one) when it comes to Fibromyalgia.  I’m just one of so many who are literally warriors fighting this invisible battle every day and night. I would also like to say that I acknowledge and applaud those of you who have fought this illness for far more years than myself and those whose situation is far worse than mine at this time.  I honor each of you and by no means intend to discredit or minimize what you’ve been through. My goal is to present real snapshots of life with Fibromyalgia; the good, the bad and yes, the ugly parts as well.

With all of that said, I should introduce myself.  I’m Pam and I have Fibromyalgia. I will more often than not refer to Fibromyalgia as FM. It’s just what I do. I’m a Christian daughter, wife, mother, GiGi to one grandson currently, retired teacher, friend, IG and FB inspiration, book addict and fibro warrior. Living with FM is just one thing in my life.  I’M NOT FIBRO! It may control how I move through my days, but it does not define my life. You will get a dose of FM reality, mixed with scripture, inspiration and yes, maybe a little cussing with some of my rants on rough days. As my father-in-love says, “Tie your bonnet on tight because it could get rough some days.”

Backstory:

I was diagnosed November 2016, after years of chasing relief for one issue after another.  I did, however, lead an active life filled with traveling, working out, raising two children, while maintaining a home and full time career as a classroom teacher for 35 years.

The catalyst that prompted my FM diagnosis was the 2016 Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk.  I don’t place any blame on that event. It was just the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back” for me. I had trained for a year to complete the 2015 sixty mile walk weekend the previous year.  I was exhausted but in a normal way.  It took me about a week to fully recover and get back to my normal workout routine  Training for the 2016 Walk felt different from the beginning.  I couldn’t sustain my training routine from the year before. I’m a planner, so I had a regimented training schedule. No matter how hard I tried to push myself, I could not stay on track  Fifteen mile walk days turned into eight mile days of frustration, with me sitting on the couch with ice packs.  My competitive nature pushed me to keep training and to complete the sixty mile event in November.  The entire weekend I knew I wasn’t myself.  I had to push hard and even had to be driven to a couple of check points when I just could not go another step.  Feeling like a banged up warrior, I did complete the whole sixty mile journey. However, in my heart, I knew I had overdone it. The following few days made that thought very apparent.  Instead of improving with rest and pampering, I was getting progressively worse. By the third day post event, I was basically crawling from the bed to the bathroom. It was time for some answers.

My doctor is also the parent of a former student, so we know each other fairly well. After asking me what my self-diagnosis was, he listened to my litany of symptoms and pronounced his initial thought on my situation.  He told me I fit the classic case for Fibromyalgia. Instantly I scrolled my mental contact list for anyone who I knew with FM. I taught with one teacher/friend who had it, but otherwise, I knew no one else to compare my symptoms or call on for advice. I didn’t really even understand the illness. I now know that my teacher/friend was an amazing warrior who showed up every day with a smile for her students, no matter her circumstance.  She is still my hero and my mentor.

Meanwhile, back to my initial doctor visit for FM. He explained to me, in layman’s terms, that FM feels like all your body’s systems have short-circuited and are now over sensitive. He explained that he would need to rule out some other possibilities, but for now, he was 98% certain it was FM. After months of testing, the experts ruled out MS, seizures, and several other smaller possibilities. Bottom line: I had FM and my world was about to change…