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Tamara

In the summer of 1995, I was twenty-three years old working for a nonprofit organization in Washington, DC and exploring the city with my friends. That summer I was also fighting an upper respiratory infection that demanded rest and antibiotics. The antibiotics worked but my cough and tiredness lingered. Then, in August of 1995, I awakened with extreme pain throughout my body. I couldn't walk, I couldn't work, I couldn't think. Immediately, I went to the emergency room. After a few tests, the doctors told me I was suffering from muscular pain, suggested I take Tylenol and schedule an appointment with my internist. Muscular pain? I didn't believe the diagnosis. In my opinion, muscular pain occurs when a person doesn't stretch before exercising. It is not the type of pain that takes hold of the entire body, burns, throbs, grips and twists every fiber in your body into knots. Immediately, my mother flew to DC and helped me return to my parents' home in Michigan to seek medical treatment.

In Michigan, I saw a rheumatologist, who diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. Then, I saw Dr. Martin Tamler, a specialist in physical medicine, who confirmed the diagnosis. I started taking medication and returned to my job in October. Still in extreme pain, I searched for a doctor in DC. I was disappointed with my search until I met Dr. Joseph Heaton, an osteopath practicing in Arlington, Virginia. Unlike my other experiences, Dr. Heaton treated my fibromyalgia positively by prescribing nutrition consult and physical therapy. Tricia Ashton, my former physical therapist practicing in Alexandria, Virginia, thoroughly understood fibromyalgia and knew exactly how to treat me.

After months of treatment, my fibromyalgia was manageable and I felt comfortable relocating to Chicago, Illinois to start law school. Over the next three years, I did not practice good posture or other techniques that were crucial to managing fibromyalgia. Consequently, my physical condition took a downward turn. In 1997, I began taking pain medication regularly. In 1998, I was not only experiencing increased pain and fatigue but also migraine headaches, urinary retention, tingling in my hands and feet, weakness in my legs, involuntary shaking, poor balance and concentration, vertigo, and a host of other symptoms. In response to these symptoms I tried to separate my mind from my body by focusing on law school instead of seeking medical treatment. With the support from my family and friends, I was "succeeding."

In the winter of 1999, I realized that I was not addressing my health appropriately and sought medical treatment. I saw a doctor who speculated that I had multiple sclerosis ("MS"), however, my MRI did not show evidence of MS. In October 1999, I visited the Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch ("CINN"). At CINN, I met with Dr. Dan Heffez, an outstanding neurosurgeon and compassionate human being. Dr. Heffez ruled out MS, diagnosed me with congenital cervical spinal stenosis and recommended a cervical laminectomy with fusion. Based on his experiences, he said that many patients who were diagnosed with fibromyalgia and cervical spinal stenosis saw improvement or complete resolution of symptoms after surgery. Dr. Heffez, however, clarified that he was not treating my fibromyalgia but my neurological problems. After much thought, research, and talking to others who had the surgery, I decided to have a cervical laminectomy on November 8, 1999.

It has been almost three months since my surgery and the results are outstanding. I no longer experience migraine headaches, fatigue, urinary retention, poor balance, tingling in my feet and hands, involuntary shaking, and vertigo. My overall pain associated with my fibromyalgia has decreased substantially. I remain positive that I will continue to experience such results once I return to work and a normal schedule.

Tamara

National Fibromyalgia Research Association
PO Box 500, Salem, OR 97308