The Thief of Many Lives

Kathleen Houghton, an FMS/CFIDS sufferer, has written an incredible article called "The Thief of Many Lives." It was brought to my attention recently by a newsletter reader. You can find Kathleen's thought-provoking article at http://wwcoco.com/cfids/kathleenthief.html It may seem negative, but she tells it like it is! If you have people in your life who do not understand your illness, this article might be a great help!!

Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are "invisible" illnesses and don't get much sympathy. People are very caring and kind-hearted if they can SEE that something is wrong--like a broken leg. So we have to keep on gently educating the people in our lives--doctors, friends, family members, bosses--so they can understand us a little better. (I must admit that if I didn't have this illness myself, I would find it hard to accept in others too, because from the outside it looks like laziness or malingering or even hypochondria--all of which I have been accused of in years past!) So I find articles like Kathleen's an excellent way of enlightening people about FMS/CFIDS.

After receiving thousands of emails from all over the world and hundreds of phone calls since 1996 when I got on the net, I know that there are many people WORLDWIDE who are afflicted in EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. They come from different lifestyles, cultures, dietary habits, etc., so my personal feeling is that FMS/CFIDS may be some kind of mycoplasma infection--or even form of biological warfare. I am no expert, however. There needs to be MUCH MORE RESEARCH about this illness that is destroying the productivity of so many. It's a world-wide epidemic. You will be turned down for health insurance coverage if you have FMS on your chart, yet many doctors won't even acknowledge that it exists. (Strange, isn't it?!)

The only people who understand FMS/CFIDS are those of us who have it. As a 20+ year veteran of this disorder (my FMS/CFIDS onset was in 1982 when I was a 30 year old legal secretary), I have a website at http://www.fms-help.com The losses in my life were tremendous in every area, so I am grateful to be a fully functioning human being once again after so many years of disability, pain, insomnia, fatigue and depression.

I continue to pray that God will help each of us with FMS/CFIDS to find the right answers to help us deal with our unique health challenges.

Blessings,

Dominie Bush

http://www.fms-help.com