Day 357 – I Study My Options and Make My Choice

I have learned that I have a lot to learn about fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue and the many treatment options available to me. I have read everything I could get my hands on, talked to people who are also suffering with these conditions and have always asked lots of questions when I visited my doctors. There are certainly different approaches to treating these conditions and I believe it is my responsibility to stay on top of things so I can make good choices about my care. I used to get really confused because I felt like I was being thrown one drug after the next with no real plan. Everything seemed to revolve around treating my symptoms and not about getting me healthy. I know we had to start somewhere, but where we started never got me anywhere.

When I began treatment at the Fibro and Fatigue Center, I read as much as I could about what they did and why they used the treatments they did with their patients. Friends and family were concerned about their “credibility” which I actually thought was a bit funny because most of the other doctors I had been seeing caused me to suffer side effects from the drugs they prescribed and they never bothered to test me for any contributing conditions like low thyroid or hormonal imbalance. I was getting sicker and sicker and they couldn't explain why. The more I learned about my treatment at the fibro center, the more encouraged I became that I was going to start to get healthier. After all, I don't just want to feel better – I want to BE better.

There's a clothing chain that says an educated consumer is their best customer. They appreciate that the people who come into their store know what they want and they appreciate that when they come to shop they know what they are looking for and that they appreciate the quality of the clothing the store carries. Well, it is true for those of us who are being challenged with fibro, fatigue or any other challenge. We need to learn about the pain we are carrying in our bodies, our hearts and our souls. Then we need to study our options and make a conscious choice about the plan we will follow toward recovery. The more we know, the more empowered we become in mastering our challenge. Some of us get over what we're fighting and some of us have to learn to continue to deal with what ails us. We can become a helpless victim of our ailments or we can become stronger and better able to deal with what life sends our way by learning what we need to know to make solid choices that strengthen us in our battle.