“I can be changed by what happens to me, I refuse to be reduced by it.”—Maya Angelou
by Chantal K. Hoey-Sanders
My fibromyalgia / chronic fatigue syndrome journey began long before I ever knew it had started—most likely in my genetics. From a whisper to a hush to a scream, it then snowballed out of control. A horseback riding accident at the age of sixteen was the first fibromyalgia lump that I ever received in my right buttocks region. We always thought that the lump was just a sprained muscle that had resulted from the fall—that later lead in to chronic sciatic pain. Finally at age thirty-two I suffered a head trauma and my body completely “crashed.”
I became bedridden on a futon mattress on our living room floor because I was too fatigued to climb the stairs to get to our bedroom. I spent months there. Unable to care for myself and frustrated beyond belief. I had to take a leave of absence from my job. I couldn’t tolerate any sound or light. Insomnia, pain, fatigue, and brain fog ruled me. Nearly one year later after many doctor’s visits, tons of testing with negative results, and two trips to Mayo Clinic, I was finally officially diagnosed with having fibromyalgia by a local M.D. who specialized in acupuncture.
Suddenly, my life of three decades plus three years made sense to me. My migraines that started when I was six years old, irritable bowel symptoms, the mysterious stomach and leg pains that made me cry and kept me awake all night and out of school most of my third grade year, the throbbing and stabbing pain that I felt in my arms and legs after tennis practice in high school, and the crushing fatigue that seemed to filter through me throughout my entire lifetime making my body feel every fiber had been dredged through the mud.
Now, almost ten years later, I can honestly say, “Thank you” to my fibromyalgia journey, the lessons that it has taught me, and the insight that I have gained over the years from being completely “flattened by it to self-empowered.”
It’s so important to always remember that you may have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, but it DOESN’T have you! It will never ever define who you are.
Of course, it took losing my career, many of my friends, self-worth, and spending months going “inward” for me to realize this. It didn’t come naturally. I had to mourn and grieve what I had lost, get angry, forgive and let go, so I could open up a space inside my soul for the person I was meant to be.
Doing this meant stepping out of my fibromyalgia story and taking risks; changing my old thought patterns and beliefs about myself. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.
The first thing that I did was change my negative thoughts and emotions. Every time I would think something negative about myself, I would envision a STOP sign in my mind and immediately change the thought into one that was constructive and uplifting.
Next, I completely altered my diet and got rid of all precessed foods, sugar, starchy foods, and caffeine. (This reduced many of my overlapping FMS/CFS symptoms.)
I also began the guaifenesin protocol, www.chantalhoeysanders.com, for more info. and decided that I would no longer be bedridden and unable to care for myself. Once I made the decision to become well, my game was on!
Incredibly, I was teaching myself “baby steps” to become “unstuck” in my negative belief system and previous role as the victim and I knew that I was on my way to truly heal and reverse this beast called fibromyalgia. After all, I may have fibromyalgia, but it doesn’t have me!
Chantal is the author of I Have Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but it Doesn’t Have Me! She lives in Michigan with her family and is dedicated to helping others become FMS survivors rather than sufferers. You can find Chantal’s positive affirmations and original artwork on Facebook by the same name: I Have Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but it Doesn’t Have Me!
Every week we are going to feature a story from one of YOU! We want stories about overcoming adversity. If you would like to submit your story please email Jen at fibrotvproductions@gmail.com
