CAN YOU TAME FIBROMYALGIA?

LYRICA APPROVED FOR FIBROMYALGIA

For fibromyalgia patient Adrienne Groza, what hurt almost as much as the broken neck and excruciating pain she experienced after two car accidents was her frustration and hopelessness when she tried to convince doctors she was suffering with a real illness.

“My doctor told me he couldn't find anything wrong and said I should seek psychiatric care,” says the 42-year-old former San Diego police officer, who was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1998, six years after her symptoms began.

When she realized that her symptoms – severe body aches, sleep disturbances and extreme sensitivity to touch, taste and smell – could mean she had the controversial disorder, doctors scoffed at the notion.

“Doctors called fibromyalgia a 'trash can disease,' and said it wasn't real,” says the Santee resident who was prescribed several narcotic pain medications that offered little relief. “I didn't look sick to them. They thought I was probably depressed and just being neurotic.”

Although fibromyalgia sufferer Mary Zeigler hasn't had to endure doctors' skepticism, it's been difficult to convince friends and family of her painful condition.

“Fibromyalgia can be very hard on relationships. People think I'm making excuses if I have to cancel (appointments or social engagements). They say I look fabulous so how could I have anything wrong with me,” says the 56-year-old woman who was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about 10 years ago. [...]