happyfibrofamily

Rheumatoid Arthritis… Pernicious Anemia… Bone Cancer… Lupus… Lyme disease…

     There I sat waiting, waiting, waiting - as thoughts of my possible diagnosis coursed through my brain.  Prior to coming into the office I had spent countless hours researching my symptoms online.  Finally I decided to see a recommended rheumatologist. 

     My eyes turn to the magazine shelf seeking some form of entertainment, but I am too tired to even reach out and hold a magazine for a few minutes.  I sigh.  A nurse calls my name and I daringly hope as I step into the small exam room.

     I hold out my wrist and begin to explain my pain when suddenly the doctor starts poking me HARD on my forearm.  OUCH!   I try to explain that it’s my joints that hurt, not my arms, but my earlier exclamation confirms the doctor’s initial impression.  She begins to interview me and continues to poke in 18 different spots. She looks over my blood work and announces, “You have fibromyalgia.” 

     I stare blankly at her.  I’m thinking - you‘ve got to be kidding me?  Am I really paying for this??? To my limited knowledge, fibromyalgia is a “fake” disease but my pain is very real.  It must be something else, I argue.  She informs me that those pokes were partial diagnosis, the rest was confirmed on my bloodwork.   If I felt pain with pressure in 11 of the 18 spots, they call it fibromyalgia.  I had pain in 14 spots.

   What a pain in the spot!  How am I going to explain this to my husband and eight (yes, eight) children?!

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