Today is National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. Fibromyalgia is an illness that an estimated 10 million Americans suffer from. I am one of those 10 million.

I was diagnosed formally in June of 2008 but have suffered as long as I remember. My symptoms include widespread pain, extreme fatigue, cognitive problems, memory loss, headaches, and more.

Fibromyalgia is not very well understood. No one knows the cause and there is no cure. Though new studies are pointing to a problem with the central nervous system.

Getting diagnosed can be hard. I was lucky to have a doctor that listened to me and believed me. Though my diagnosis still didn’t come fast. I had to be tested for RA, Lupus, and a host of other illnesses. They took five vials of my blood for all the tests, leaving me dizzy and not feeling well the rest of the day.

After all my tests came back fine my doctor did a tender point test and I had all 18 tender points, you only need 11 to get a diagnosis. But unlike most illnesses there wasn’t a pill I could take to make it better. My doctor and I talked about Lyrica and pain meds but with a family history of drug allergies and the fact that I didn’t want to just cover up my symptoms. I choose to use natural medicine to treat my Fibromyalgia.

The good news for Fibromyalgia is that many studies are happening right now to find out what causes the illness and what can be done to treat it. To find out more about Fibromyalgia and what you can do to spread awareness check out the National Fibromyalgia Association.

Check out Lisa’s blog where you will find more tips for living a green lifestyle. The picture is property of Lisa Sharp.