After years with­out a severe flare, I had for­got­ten how bad things could get. Now, I remem­ber and I am ready for a change…

The first few years after I was diag­nosed with fibromyal­gia were rough. But after set­tling into a rou­tine and help­ing teach­ers and friends under­stand how to help me suc­ceed with FMS I even­tu­ally began to step out of the con­stant fibro flare. By the time I went to col­lege I had my FMS under con­trol. Occa­sion­ally a late night or mis­er­able weather would throw me off but, after some solid rest and wise deci­sion mak­ing, I would feel better.

At the begin­ning of the month I had an assign­ment due and I did what it took to get it done. Since then my body has done all in it’s power to remind me I can­not afford to put work, or much else, before my health. I haven’t been to work for a nor­mal day in over two weeks. I work from home as much as I can but my brain can’t seem to think in num­bers. The fibro fog tries to make its way into my life but I’m fighting.

I tried to make an appoint­ment with my spe­cial­ist but his sec­re­tary told me I’d have to get his approval and give up my already sched­uled annual Decem­ber appoint­ment in order to meet with him on such short notice (we’re talk­ing two weeks out). I think this low-information diet Tim­o­thy Fer­riss sug­gested has back­fired**… I must have missed a memo. Did the United States already switch to a uni­ver­sal health care sys­tem? Are health­care appoint­ments now rationed?

In an effort to get help asap I have decided to turn to my fam­ily doc­tor for help. I called for an appoint­ment but he was com­pletely booked so I made an appoint­ment 10 days out and started schem­ing up ways to sur­vive until then.

**In all real­ity I rec­om­mend Tim­o­thy Fer­riss’ low-information diet. Try it for a week. It has helped with my fibro fog and decreased my stress. I am more pro­duc­tive and less over­whelmed. The diet I cre­ated for myself is not as strict as the one he dis­cusses in The 4-hour Work­week but I’ve enjoyed it.