Today is International Women’s Day, celebrated in different ways throughout the world. I am a woman with fibromyalgia, and treat many women (young and old) with fibromyalgia. Today I would like to show my appreciation to all of the women with fibromyalgia who have come before me. Even though many of us with fibromyalgia battle the symptoms of the illness, there is much more known about fibromyalgia and its treatment today than 20 years ago. When I ask my new patients about a possible family history of fibromyalgia, I often hear about a mother who could not achieve her dreams due to constant pain, or a grandmother with such bad “rheumatism” that she was bedridden. Sometimes I hear about extreme fatigue, and yes, sometimes I hear about the symptoms of male relatives too! These relatives had very few treatment options and often had to suffer in silence.
So to all the women with fibromyalgia who have come before me–thank you for doing the best you could. I know your greatest hope is my greatest hope–that your daughters and granddaughters will not have to suffer as you did. Today there is help for those of us with fibromyalgia, and I believe there will be even more help in the years to come.