by DerekJ » Sun Jun 21, 2009 7:38 pm
Hi,
I've had this disease all my life but it got really nasty about 10 years ago when its creeping and insidious progress seemed to accelerate and turned me from a fit athlete into someone who needed a wheelchair at times to cope. I have never seen a list of symptoms, however long, where I cannot tick practically all of them.
Nowadays, it's even more painful and much harder to cope with. That's the bad news. The good news is that it is possible to live a fulfilling and happy life, although anyone stricken with this dreadful disease may have difficulty believing that in their early years of suffering.
Like many others, I was forced to make major changes to my life. I cannot (and now would not want to) hold down a full-time job, so I work part-time from home when and how often I choose. I can no longer do the sports I loved, so I added new interests and made many new friends in the process. I was very concerned about the changes to my memory and although I can still stare into the fridge and wonder what I'm there for, this has not prevented me from acquiring fluency in three foreign languages throughout the last six years.
I'm very lucky to have an extremely supportive wife. Sadly, another asset I have is that my brother also has the disease, but to a lesser degree, so we can grumble to each other when it's difficult for others to understand what we're talking about.
I guess what I really want to say is that life can be enjoyed, even with fibromyalgia; but adjustments will have to be made, both mental and physical.
My best wishes to your husband.