By: Keena Carter
I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in July 2019, but I have had symptoms since 2018. I couldn’t sleep because the bed felt like it was vibrating. I had low energy and strength that I could explain because it was drastic. I could easily pick up a 15-pound weight and less than a year later 5-pound weight was so heavy!
I also lost my sex drive. I thought it was my birth control causing all of this. I stopped using birth control and everything got worse. I woke up one June morning and I felt like I had a full body workout two days before even though I had not. I also was so tired but couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t do anything that day. On that Monday I switched doctors and insisted on every blood test to find out my issue.
Then after three visit she tells me it’s fibromyalgia!
I was 43 years old, and from the past year, I felt like I had aged so quickly. I’m not a healthy person, and I do drink, but I knew that wasn’t the reason. At that moment I knew my life had to change. I take Ambien to help me sleep and “recover”. I am also on a birth control patch to keep my hormones even. I skip my periods. These two things help me function until lunch time, then the fatigue and pain kick in.
I learned that stress makes my symptoms worse. I also learned high sugar food and drinks make it worse. I’m currently trying to change my diet and lifestyle in an effort to get a longer functioning day. I’ve struggled with this lifestyle change because of depression. I’m now seeing a counselor who is helping me deal with things better. Still learning….
