My Story

I will begin by introducing myself. My name is Sarah Lyall. I am twenty-three years old and I have suffered from a combination of Fibromyagia and IBS since I was sixteen. Back when I first got introduced to the world of autoimmune disease, IBS was the main concern. I was on a class trip to Disney World when my intestines decided to malfunction and the rest is history. I went through some very trying times in coping with life with IBS. I stopped going on school trips, stopped spending time with friends, and even entertained the idea of not going to prom (yes it was that bad!). Thankfully, with time, my symptoms started to get better on their own (thankfully because the doctors sure couldn't do anything to help me). Fastforward till after undergrad, when I got my first "grown up" job. I was twenty-two years-old, but my seventy-two year-old grandma was more spry than me. I was experiencing pain all over my upper body, my neck and shoulders just ached (sound familiar anyone?). I didn't know what was going on. I couldn't exert myself at all. I use to do tae-bo (a type of kick boxing) when I wanted to lose weight and then, all of a sudden, walking across the floor became taxing for me. I was so tired all the time. I went to several doctors (including a chiropractor who tried to kill me), but I got nowhere. My family doctor finally declared that she couldn't help me and started writing me Vicodin. I was not happy about being given Vicodin, so I went to The University of Virginia medical center looking for answers, it was there that I heard the word Fibromyalgia for the first time. It's an ugly word isn't it? The doctors told me that I had fibromyalgia, there was nothing they could do for me, but that I should go home and start excersing. I made it to the elevator before bawling my eyes out. I went through a few weeks of the "why me?" process before deciding that I wanted to live. When I went back to work my boss gave me a pitiful look and another co-worker came and told me that his wife had Fibromyalgia and that she had taken to her bed and he urged me not to do the same. My coworkers were even supportive when I took a little to much of the vicadin that I had left over and came to work doped out. But, it came down to the fact that I had to choose to live with Fibromyalgia or let Fibromyalgia take over my life. I chose to live.

That is how my story starts, I will update you about where I am currently at next post. Just a quick warning this blog is not for people who are inherently down about themselves, or maybe it is just for them, because it is about living and fighting Fibromyalgia and having hope.