"LISTEN TO YOUR BODY"

I've been out of touch lately due to continuous health challenges.  I had a partial mastectomy on May 27th, and on June 7th, was admitted to the hospital for chest tightness and shortness of breath.  As it turns out I have fluid around my heart that has been putting pressure on my heart.  I was in the hospital for three days, and will now be taking blood pressure pills and will possibly have the fluid drained within a couple weeks.

I think Fibromyalgia should be taken a lot more seriously than it has been.  It really does not stop with simple aches and pains.  In fact, at first the doctors thought my chest pain was Fibro pain.  They told me that Fibromyalgia can cause the tight chest feeling and shortness of breath also.  In order to get a correct diagnosis, I had to have an entire agenda of tests from chest x-rays, chest scan, stress tests and blood tests.  I appreciate the effort that St Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield, WI took to ensure that there was no stone unturned.  And the way they did it made me feel like a VIP or celebrity rather than a hospital patient.

My blood pressure has been high almost every time I went to the doctor in the last year.  I was told over and over that when I am in pain, my blood pressure is high, so again it was contributed to Fibromyalgia.  When you have Fibromyalgia, almost everything you have can be attributed to your illness, and most of the time, it actually is because of Fibromyalgia.  But, you will not know if you do not get it checked out. 

So make sure you get a good medical team that take you serious and believes in you.  Make sure you know your own body and when something is different, stand by your hunch.  You have to speak up and be your own advocate because no one else knows what you are feeling.  If you don't speak up, you could end up being told, "It's just Fibromyalgia" and then have a heart attack or worse.  Don't be afraid to go to the doctor or emergency room as many times as it takes until your problem is taken care of.  You might get tired of going to the doctor over and over, but YOU are the only one who can do it. 

I might mention that on the day I was admitted, I was going to ignore my discomfort and lay down, but a friend came over.  I wanted to tell her to go home and let me rest, but she insisted that I call the doctor.  She threatened to call 911 if I didn't call the doctor.  When I called, the nurse on the phone told me it sounded like I might have pneumonia from my recent surgery.  So I went in, and then they discovered it was my heart.  As I go over the details of that day in my mind, I wonder what would have happened if my friend hadn't come over.  Sometimes we have to let others see what we can't or won't. 

I thank God for my friends who care enough to ignore my pushing them away sometimes, and push back.  I thank God for getting into the right hands who took me seriously and found the real problem. 

I've got a lot of catching up to do after three days in the hospital.  I know I can't do it all in one day.  Fibromyalgia has taught me patience and priorities and let everything else go.  But one thing we should never let go of is our relationships with our family and friends.  Take care of yourself, and listen to  your body!

“There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.”...   Charles Dickens