My Story
Hi there! Thanks for visiting my blog. My name is Jessica and I am a 25 year old female who was recently diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I have the usual symptoms, which began in 2011, my senior year of college. Like many young women, I went to my doctor to figure out what was happening to me. Instead of receiving an answer, I got a curious stare, and immediate judgment. This wasn’t a single occurrence. In fact, this seems to happen at each doctor’s visit, whether it’s a specialist or not. This is mainly because I have the symptoms of an 80 year old with the body and blood results of a 25 year old. Every doctor’s visit seems to deem more tests and less answers. The only consistency I’ve been given is that I am likely in the beginning stages of an autoimmune disorder, and I definitely have Fibromyalgia.
The only problem is fibromyalgia only explains the pain I experience. It doesn’t even begin to explain why my face and eyes swell for no reason and stays that way for 2-3 days sometimes. My rheumatologist and other specialists have ran numerous blood tests and even done a lip biopsy that hasn’t yielded an ounce of utilization. Doctors have suggested that I may be developing Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sjogren’s Syndrome, Lupus, or that I’m depressed, all because I don’t fit the “textbook description.” I’ve even had a doctor access Google to “better acquaint” himself with my symptoms in the middle of a visit.
This journey to figure out what is wrong with me has taught me a lot about myself… The most important lesson has been perseverance. Being told you are “depressed”, “crazy”, or “too young for that” when you know there is a root to all of your problems is enough to cause you to simply breakdown; and, that’s just what I did… several times. Through this journey, I’ve never let my problems stop me from reaching my solution/goal. It may take some time, but I’ve got a lot of gas in my tank.
As I began to look deeper into my life and think about my connections, I began to realize that autoimmune disorders have affected me for some time. All of my connections to autoimmune disorders came through other women, mainly young women who haven’t even reached 30. This is what drove me to create this blog. I know how hard it was for me to accept the things that I am going through on a daily basis. Even though the doctors are treating me as if I am the first person in the world who has ever experienced these symptoms, I am certain there are others with a story quite similar to mine. So, for them, for me, I stand to break the silence, and break the shame. We are women, young and old, these experiences are real, and we will get our justice.
The only problem is fibromyalgia only explains the pain I experience. It doesn’t even begin to explain why my face and eyes swell for no reason and stays that way for 2-3 days sometimes. My rheumatologist and other specialists have ran numerous blood tests and even done a lip biopsy that hasn’t yielded an ounce of utilization. Doctors have suggested that I may be developing Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sjogren’s Syndrome, Lupus, or that I’m depressed, all because I don’t fit the “textbook description.” I’ve even had a doctor access Google to “better acquaint” himself with my symptoms in the middle of a visit.
This journey to figure out what is wrong with me has taught me a lot about myself… The most important lesson has been perseverance. Being told you are “depressed”, “crazy”, or “too young for that” when you know there is a root to all of your problems is enough to cause you to simply breakdown; and, that’s just what I did… several times. Through this journey, I’ve never let my problems stop me from reaching my solution/goal. It may take some time, but I’ve got a lot of gas in my tank.
As I began to look deeper into my life and think about my connections, I began to realize that autoimmune disorders have affected me for some time. All of my connections to autoimmune disorders came through other women, mainly young women who haven’t even reached 30. This is what drove me to create this blog. I know how hard it was for me to accept the things that I am going through on a daily basis. Even though the doctors are treating me as if I am the first person in the world who has ever experienced these symptoms, I am certain there are others with a story quite similar to mine. So, for them, for me, I stand to break the silence, and break the shame. We are women, young and old, these experiences are real, and we will get our justice.