What helps you move forward on difficult days? Take a Read, Comment on the Blog to show your Support and Share if you can Relate.
I am a Civil Engineer, wife, and mother of 3. In 2014, I fell hard in a parking lot. This accident began my journey with Fibromyalgia. My denial was so strong that I visited six different Rheumatologists and they all reached the same diagnosis. I have tried everything out there and spent thousands of dollars searching for a treatment to stay functional. A few weeks ago, my therapist said, “It’s time for radical acceptance of your Fibro-life.”
In July 2016, I moved to New Jersey in pursuit of a new professional challenge. I got the job after my interview, fell in love with the state, and ultimately believed that this change would be good for my family.
However, in November 2016, temperatures plunged. With this drastic temperature change, I experienced a terrible flare of my Fibromyalgia symptoms. I was subject to constant and intense pain and could not sleep, eat, work, or drive. At night, the pain was like needles all over my body and I could not walk because my feet burned in pain. I truly thought I was going to die. I was taking Percocet twice a day, Norflex, Tramadol, Ativan, Flexeril, among others, just to get through the day. I visited the ER 3 times because the pain was out of control.
For almost 6 weeks I tried to cope but to no avail.
I went to Puerto Rico, lost the job I loved, fell into a terrible depressive state, and was in a psychiatric hospital for seven days. Since then, I have been falling apart, emotionally, physically, and financially. I was also diagnosed with sleep apnea, so I sleep using a CPAP machine.
In September 2017, Hurricane Maria hammered Puerto Rico, bringing devastation to the entire island. There was no power, no running water, hospitals were shut down, and doctors were not available for patient visits. This situation elevated my stress level and with that another flare. Because my worst trigger point is my elbows, there are days that I must roll over to get out of bed without having to use or touch my elbows at all.
Thanks to God, things are starting to come together and recovery has started for Puerto Rico.
I remind myself everyday of the fact that I did not choose this condition for me. I have done my best to fight back and know that there are days that I need to simply allow myself to stay down and wait for the next good day. Friends? Gone with only a few exceptions. Family? Present but also absent at the same time. They do not believe the condition is as severe as it is, and do not understand the amount of pain I have every day. At 40 years old, I was not ready to end my career. However, once one stops being as efficient as one used to be, the road begins to get very rocky and career dreams start to slip away.
Despite all my trials, I wake up every day with the hope of having a pain-free day.
I believe that I will be healed soon and that I will be empowered to help others by sharing my experiences.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my story and remember to just keep swimming and wait for a pain-free day!
Read more about my story here!
