Dropping the F-Bomb

It has been brought to my attention recently, that I left my faithful readers hanging as to the state of my health. Rest assured, I'm still alive. I have no life-threatening conditions, and I'm not in any imminent danger of contracting some weird flesh eating virus.

To describe the process that lead me to this point would take more time than I want to spend reliving it. But, the Reader's Digest abridged version is I have had some times of chronic, non-specific pain, insomnia, migraines, fatigue and several other symptoms. I have seen a sleep specialist (and have the CPAP machine to prove it), 4 general practitioners, and a couple of specialists with no real diagnosis or relief from the symptoms. I finally got one.

The word of the moment is fibromyalgia.

I've learned a lot about it over the past month and a half, and it's been an interesting read, to say the least. After several appointments with my internist (who is quite nice), I was referred to a rheumatologist. After being poked, prodded and bent in several positions that would make a master yogi proud, I was pronounced as having fibro. I then received some of the most condescending advice I have ever received from a physician. I was told, in a nutshell, to lose weight, get some exercise, see a counselor and come back in two months.

I don't know about you, but I don't need to pay someone to tell me I'm a fat-assed, out of shape hypochondriac. Frankly, that was a lot of what I have been thinking about myself for the past couple of years, given the number of doctors, appointments and medications I have taken. To say I was insulted is putting it mildly. Actually, at first, I was totally shocked at what I was hearing. Then, I was very upset at the fact that I now had a 'word', but no real assistance, medical or otherwise, was being offered. Then, I got really angry and began to educate myself about what fibromyalgia is and isn't. It *is* real, and it's *not* in my head.

I go back to the rheumo in about two weeks, and I'll be loaded with a ream of information.

To quote a famous Savannahian, "Don't mess with The Doll, sugar."