I should have probably done this as my first post...
but it required me to write something completely new, while with the first two posts, all I had to do was copy and paste my older blogs from other web sights.
I guess I wanted to have things in chronological order so you (the reader) can understand how I got to where I am now, and understand the evolution of my thoughts...
Well... enough of my wind baggage...
Lets get to it....
I'm a 27 year old New Yorker, born and raised in Manhattan with the genetic mix almost as confusing as animal shelter mutt.....
I was conceived by two medical professionals, raised by one, and spent most of my youth hanging out or helping in the hospital after school. It's because of all the time I spent their talking to patients, staff, asking questions, and watching how hard my mother worked to bring some small bit of peace or comfort to her patients, that helped me developed a heighten, real world understanding of sickness, pain and the world of medicine.
I was also born with some health problems of my own, but what made me real "special" was my uncanny ability to catch almost every childhood sickness or find some unique klutzy way to injure myself.
I did this so often that my uncle was ready to buy me a child's hazmat suit and a football helmet....
Through each one of these different experiences/incidents I learned not only how to handle pain (our family mantra was "walk if off"...lol) but how to understand my own body. I started to be able to tell when I was about to get sick and forestall it. I could even tell when something wasn't right and I needed to see a doctor (because of this I was able to catch two very debilitating diseases early enough to be treated), but unfortunately there was nothing I could do about being a klutz except to walk slower and avoid heals which isn't easy when your a whopping 5 feet even...
My uncle to this day still threatens to buy me a helmet...
Growing up I never feared sickness or pain because I learned how to handle both. In fact I was proud of my ability to handle pain and as I grew more accustomed to my body's signals, doctors visits grew less frequent. Then everything changed.....
I have been living with this sickness for over a year and a half now which is nothing in comparison to the 4 to 5 years the average person has to wait for diagnoses.
Life has changed dramatically for me since the pain started, but not all the changes have been bad. I've learned a lot about myself during these difficult times, and even more about those around me. I share my journey in the hopes that what I'm going through can help someone else who is also struggling.
Let me clearly state that I have Not been officially diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.
All my symptoms match the disorder but the one or two doctors who believe this is what I'm suffering from don't know enough about the disorder to officially diagnose me.
My hope is that if I'm proactive enough with my health care, push for doctors to take me seriously, but allow then to come to there own conclusions, I can find some answers and get diagnosed. That way I can try to enjoy some remaining aspect of my youth.
My next post will be about how it all started, what I've been through, and where I am now....
