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Faith came singing into my room, and other guests took flight. Grief, anxiety, fear and gloom, sped out into the night. I wondered that such peace could be, but faith said gently ‘Don’t you see that they can never live with me?’ – Elizabeth Cheney
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You have the diagnosis, now what? Getting the diagnosis (well, all of them) is great, but what then? Then you have to learn how to move forward and live a full life with FM. There is no cure, but there are methods that have helped me and other Fibromyalgians to live a full and blessed life even with FM.
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Once I had a diagnosis of FM, I began to research the condition and I also called a friend who had mentioned to me that she had Fibromyalgia. Reaching out to her was one of the best things I could have done. Talking to someone who understood, who could finish my sentence about the pain or other symptoms I was feeling was such a relief. I wasn’t alone and I wasn’t crazy. Someone else got it.
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After talking to my friend, I remember researching Fibromyalgia and looking at the list of symptoms. I was amazed. I read the list of symptoms and it was like a checklist I could have written to take to the doctor about what I was experiencing:
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Chronic muscle pain, muscle spasms or tightness – check
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Insomnia – check
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Tension or migraine headaches – check
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Abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and constipation
alternating with diarrhea or other digestive problems – check
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Jaw and facial tenderness – check
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Sensitivity to one or more of the following: odors,
noise, bright lights, cold – check, check , check and check
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Numbness or tingling in the face, arms, hands, legs or
feet – check
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->· A feeling of swelling (without actual swelling) in the hands and feet – check
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I could go on but you get the idea. It was amazing to me! I was so excited to finally have a name to go with what I had been experiencing –I wasn’t crazy and it wasn’t all in my head. I had validation.
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Once the excitement over FINALLY having a diagnosis passed, it dawned on me that it wasn’t going away, there is no cure; I had to figure out how to move forward from here. I could choose self-pity, anger and bitterness or I could choose to find a way forward. And I didn’t just want a way forward, I wanted to live fully not just exist.
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