Diagnosed With Fibromyalgia When I Was 39
By: Robbie Mosinger
I Was diagnosed with fibromyalgia when I was 39 years old. About 20 years ago I was in the grocery store, leaning on the basket, when I realized I could barely move my legs a wheelchair was in my future. That was a pivotal moment in my life. I resolved not to go down without a fight. When I got home I got on the computer and searched The Internet for information. A chat room gave me the information that people on Atkins were feeling better and they speculated that it was the lack of sugar.
I immediately decided to go off sugar and white carbs as I didn’t see how it could hurt anything. What I didn’t realize was how hard it would be. I also determined to do the best I could to walk every day, on the theory that somethings better than nothing. The first time I got on my treadmill I walked for five minutes at 2 mph and collapsed. Every day I did a little more. I didn’t push, because I did not want to hurt myself, but slowly and steadily I did better. Today I get my steps, walking about 4 miles per day at a pace of about 3.2 mph.
Over the years I have managed to have a very good life. My husband and I like to hike and I can go quite a few miles, even though I sometimes need to take breaks to recuperate a little bit. We have raised children and traveled to many wonderful places throughout the world and the United States and thoroughly enjoyed life.
The silver lining is that without fibromyalgia and its challenges I would probably have been much more sedentary and not been in nearly as good physical shape as I am now. I actually feel I am healthier now than I was when I was 40. In August we are driving our twin granddaughters, who are five years old, across the country to their new home in California. It should be a wonderful adventure, those somewhat challenging and maybe even a little bit crazy. I can hardly wait!
