The Five Ws of an Athlete with Fibromyalgia

Who

I’m a lifelong athlete, and a former college soccer and softball player. I’m a current participant in as many activities as fibromyalgia will allow. My favorites are running, biking, swimming, and going to the gym, although I’d love to be able to play soccer again one day.

What

Fibromyalgia has forever changed my life. As my rheumatologist said, “fibromyalgia won’t kill you, but it’ll make you wish you were dead.” Yep. I’m not sure if there will ever be a proven link between fibromyalgia and susceptibility to injury, but I know this: fibromyalgia can turn even the minutest injury into an agonizing ordeal.

When

I first started having symptoms at age 25 but wasn’t diagnosed until age 33. I suffered through years of fatigue, sleeplessness, injuries, and rashes. Each time I was hurt or sick, doctors treated the individual problem rather than the whole picture—until I met a life-saving rheumatologist.

Why

My rheumatologist thinks a combination of extreme stress and a badly timed foot injury may have brought on my fibromyalgia, or perhaps the pain from my three herniated cervical discs ushered in fibromyalgia. None of us may ever know why we have it, but it’s here, and it sucks.

Where

I live in the south, which is a good thing, because fibromyalgia makes me super sensitive to the cold. Some of my fingers go numb and turn paper-white even with our mild southern winters.