Fibromyalgia
(and it's good-for-nothing relatives)

They say you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family. There's always going to be a few relatives that the rest of the clan could just do without. Unlike your family, however, if a friend turns out to be 'not so friendly' you can always find a new one. Family, on the other hand, well, there's a few that aren't too bad and a few more you don't mind putting up with, a couple with whom you seem to have a lot in common and one or two that aren't around that often so you don't seem to notice them as much. Of course, there's ALWAYS a few bad apples and usually a black sheep or two, but what's really ironic? I'm not talking about a family at all. I'm talking about Fibromyalgia.

Personally Speaking....

I have Fibromyalgia (FMS). I am looking for someone who has &/or had  a rare congenital disorder called Chiari (ACM). I had it and an operation for it in '86 and was fine until I was involved in a car accident in '94. It was only after the accident that I noticed changes in my overall health. First, my eyes that had been 20/20 were giving me a hard time reading and watching TV. Doctors said 'You're just getting older' and at 39 years old I believed them. To make a long story short, I was officially diagnosed in '98 with Fibromyalgia "and a few of it's good-for-nothing relatives" such as Hypothyroidism and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). I now attribute the failing eyesight to the Fibromyalgia, although the doctors won't confirm my theory. They also refuse to agree that the FMS of today is linked to the Chiari I had in '86. It is my belief that the accident 'jarred' whatever the doctors worked on during the operation nine years prior. If you have any information about a possible connection between FMS/CFS and Arnold Chiari Malformation please contact me at the following email address: SBernheart@(NO_SPAM)HotPOP.com, but please remove (NO_SPAM) before you send your message. Also, let me know where you found my page. I have several sites and would like to know which one you were on. Thanks. Even the smallest piece of information could very well be the piece I am missing to 'prove my case', if you will, to convince the doctors to repair the damage caused by the accident and allow me to return to a normal life. If you know ANYTHING about these illnesses you also know what a fight it is to get the doctors to understand anything's wrong with you in the first place! I've finally found a doctor willing to work with me -- we just need some answers!