|
“I feel like I have my life back.”
This week I had a startling reminder of "how it used to be"...I woke up
Sunday morning with intense pain in the right side of my body—in my chest,
between my shoulder blades, in my right arm—ending with tingling in my right
hand. I felt so weak and drained of energy. Saturday evening, I had
unknowingly blocked the guai. (After a little "detective work" I discovered
the culprit---clove oil in a topical treatment!)
The next morning, I felt good again! What a relief! I was so glad it was
March 2002, not August 2000...In August 2000, my orthopedic doctor had just
diagnosed me with fibromyalgia—not something I really wanted to hear! She
said to continue with my exercise and stretching program at my health club.
This program helped somewhat, but by October 2000 I felt worse after working
out instead of better. I would take a shower, take my stuff out of the
locker, get ready and I would feel exhausted. I wondered why I was even
there! I continued "working out", except that my work-out now was only
stretching and the Jacuzzi. I could no longer do aerobic exercise, due to
pain and fatigue.
On January 9, 2001, I officially started my guaifenesin treatment, after my
appointment with Dr. Penniston. After two days I started cycling--with
extreme fatigue and a lot of pain. It was a monumental effort just to get up
off the couch and walk into the next room. But, ironically, I was
encouraged! I knew I was cycling, and the fact that I was feeling
dramatically worse meant I was getting better!
After nine days I felt great! My eldest daughter said, "I’m not used to you
like this!" with a big smile on her face. My other daughter said "I'm used
to you feeling only good at best, not GREAT—Don't overdo it now!"
I have continued to feel really good, most of the time. I feel like I have
my life back!
Sincerely,
Janice Deardorff
Age 44
Back
|
