I’ve been dealing with insomnia and problems with my sleeping pattern for about as long as I can remember. As a matter of fact, I had just allowed my mind to adjust to the fact that I was never going to be able to get a good night’s sleep. Sometimes, I would toss and turn at night and be unable to fall asleep at all and then the next night, I would fall asleep immediately, but wake up before too long with the weight of the world on my shoulders. I have dealt with this for so long that I was surprised whenever something happened which changed all of that in me.

The day my hands refused to work properly I sensed my “superwoman” days had ended! My body hurt all over, and I was so exhausted that it felt as though water, not blood, was running through my veins. Physically unable to carry on as senior teacher in a special school, I returned home believing that I’d be fine after a few days’ rest. I wasn’t to know that I’d already taught my last lesson and that a diagnosis of the pain and fatigue condition fibromyalgia would mean that my life would never be exactly the same again.

It all began with an incredible eye ache. I suffered for about a week. Then I went to an evening engagement where I drank several glasses of wine. I recall that detail due to the fact that my head stopped pounding. I felt cured, until the next morning. Then I assumed that I was experiencing a hangover but the following day, the ache was still there. I called my doctor, who then referred me to an eye doctor. I went that day. After a “light” exam, I was asked if I new what MS was.

My sister Debi started feeling sick in early February. She had a fever for a few weeks and felt dizzy and weak. The doctors really didn’t do too much to help her at this time. She had to keep going back to the doctors because she knew something was wrong. Finally, they admitted her. They had found that she had lost a lot of blood internally. They ran a whole lot of tests on her.

My daughter (who is now a happy healthy 19 yr old) was in a car accident when she was 9. She was knocked unconscious for about 20 min and had a concussion, which led to severe headaches for over two years. She was put on Amitriptyline for about 6 months or so (hard to remember exactly how long after this time!). It helped, but it did not completely get rid of the headaches.