When I began to read your page on FM and the symptoms and experiences you have dealt with personally, I honestly started to cry. Ever since I
can remember, I suffered from FM, but it became severe about 3 years ago. It cost me my job, my apartment, and put me in horrible debt, so I
had to move back home with my parents.. which I was 25 at the time.. so it was really hard to do. I had moved 2 hours away to Canton, OH. and
was working full time as a nursing assistant, getting ready to start nursing school I had already made a non-refundable deposit on.

I wasn't officially diagnosed with FM until mid 2006, which the doctor attempted to treat me with Ultram, which I found to be pointless. I sought a second opinion, which this doctor did a billion different tests on me, like bone density, blood tests, MRI, cat scans, X-rays.. well you know how that goes.The doctor put me on Zanaflex (muscle relaxant) and Darvocent for the pain. At first it worked pretty well, but I have a habit of growing immune to medications, so I told my doctor that the Darvocet wasn't alleviating the pain and he hesitantly prescribed me Viccodin. The Viccodin worked for about 3 months, then I found I was immune to that as well.

I had to quit my job of 2 years in January because I had missed so much work because of FM, that I was being treated unethically, so I found a new job, luckily with better medical benefits. Unfortunately, with most jobs, there's a 90 day probation period before medical benefits are in effect. So I have to wait until the end of April to find a new doctor, since the last 2 could tell me nothing.

Anyways, getting on with the point of my email... I was shocked when reading some of the symptoms of FM that my doctors overlooked, such as
the sleep disorder, the legs buckling (this happens when the pain is very severe.. I fell once at work and had to cover it up so there was no
workman's comp), the itchy skin, the "fog" (which I thought was from lack of sleep), and so on....

Thanks to your page, I have more information that I will be able to use when under the care of a new doctor, who can use these tools to treat my
condition.

When I sought my first doctor, whom was a Rheumatologist; she asked me if I wanted to file for disability.. at age 25!! I don't want to be a
statistic and I don't want to give up on living. Thanks again for giving me some new hope on FM and my future...

Thank you again!!! "

Steven Stoltz

Used with Permission
He has promised to expand on this letter, at a later date