EPISODE 2: Fibro-What?
I was first diagnosed with Fibromyalgia back in 2009. How this happened was a mystery to me. I walked into my P.A.'s office with elbow pain. She, for some reason, palpated my shoulders; I said "ugh"; she shrugged, and I walked out of her office with no answers.
Fast forward a year or so later when I had another appointment with a different doctor for a sinus infection; he said, "So, you have Fibromyalgia. How are you coping with your symptoms?". I looked at him like he had three heads and denied the diagnosis. He pointed to the word "Fibromyalgia" in the chart on his desktop screen and we looked at each other. I was dumbfounded. He was waiting for a reply.
I didn't even know what Fibromyalgia was and I certainly didn't recognize any of the symptoms as something I had been experiencing on a continuous basis. I was there for a sinus infection, not this "Fibro-what-ever-you-call-it"! Except, yes, I had a sinus infection AND although I didn't recognize it then, I most certainly had a whole host of the symptoms, if not ALL of the symptoms associated with "Fibro-what-ever-you-call-it" on a recurring basis. I was treated for my sinus infection and we didn't talk about fibromyalgia after that nor did we talk about my diagnosis in the next 3 years while he was my doctor.
I spent a whole lot of time going to doctor's appointments in the following years. The struggles I had seemed so trivial and basic but, my goodness, my head hurt with unexplained throbbing. Or, my ankles were really bothersome; it felt like they were swollen and on fire - except their was no inflammation . Prior to my hysterectomy (that's a-whole-nother story) my menstrual cramps - dysmenorrhea - were unbearable.
I oftentimes had a really hard time getting out of bed and sometimes had to forego work. I also had extreme fatigue, muscle aches and pains, unexplained pain in my shoulders, elbows, hands, hips, knees and feet. I had brain-fog, I misplaced things often and got confused about simple things. But there's no connection, right? It would just come and go and I would chock it up to just being hyper-aware of every ache and pain in my body because I was perceptive like that.
Or, was it that I was having these symptoms frequently, sometimes concurrently and I thought, "it was all in my head?" After all, every time I complained about these issues , family and friends would snap: "G*D! You are such a hypochondriac!"and in my teens, I once had a doctor ask me if I had heard of hypochondria, and then proceed to explain that it was an unwarranted fear of bad health (thank you Dr. Bevis). I learned to ignore it.
Before I go any further, here are the most common symptoms of Fibromyalgia according to the CDC, The Cleveland Clinic, and the Mayo Clinic, and a myriad of other Fibromyalgia experts:
Muscle spasms
Fatigue.
Face and jaw pain (temporomandibular joint disorders or TMJ).
Headaches and migraines.
Digestive problems, including diarrhea and constipation.
Bladder control issues and interstitial cystitis.
Tingling or numbness in hands and feet
Muscle Spasms
Unsteady body temperature
Postural tachycardia syndrome
Environmental Sensitivities (light, sound, smell)
Memory problems (sometimes called “fibro fog” or “brain fog”).
Anxiety.
Depression.
Insomnia and other sleep disorders.
Dizziness
I have a special relationship with all but one of these symptoms (tingling or numbness).
I have had these symptoms on and off, frequently and concurrently as early as 10 years old, or actually, since the onset of menstruation. This is when I first became acutely aware of everything happening to my body. Indeed, I say "to" because most of my life, my body seemed like its own entity - as if it had its own mind and I was just along for the ride.
I will discuss all of this in later posts.
Friends, these symptoms are real. Fibromyalgia is real. I had ignored the symptoms and masked them and kept on moving. I would march on through the pain (no pain, no gain - right?), ignore the fatigue, only to fall apart from sheer exhaustion. It didn't have to be this way. And, now that I am aware, it won't ever be this way again.
If you think you have fibromyalgia, I encourage you to talk to your doctor, physician's assistant, or nurse practitioner and ask them about your symptoms. Currently, there are no tests specifically to diagnose fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is diagnosed by widespread pain in the upper and lower regions of the body for at least 3 months and negative blood tests for the following but not limited to: blood counts, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, rheumatoid factor, thyroid function, vitamin D, B6 & B12 deficiencies, as well as physical examination, x-rays, and your medical history. Please take your symptoms seriously. It is not "all in your head", you are not a hypochondriac. You may have fibromyalgia. There is help and there is HOPE.
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Karen Palmen, EdD is a veteran educator in Saint Paul, Mn. She teaches Dance and English at Saint Paul Central High School. She has an active TikTok page that features humorous, political, and educational content (kickin it with karen). And a a dormant YOUTUBE channel , with the same name, featuring fermented foods and other cooking oddities.
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