But I am glad I found it!

Some background: I first took sick in late 2005/early 2006.  My first symptom was a migraine that came out of nowhere and didn't go away...for a year.  Since I was a 25 year old male at the time, nobody ever thought "fibromyalgia" and so I bounced from doctor to doctor trying to find help.  I went from "normal" to "completely incapacitated" overnight, and had to stop working and move back with my parents.  Finally, after having all kinds of nerve blocks and trying dozens of meds, I found a doctor who realized what was wrong and diagnosed me with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and chronic migraine in 2006.

I've had a tough time since then.  I went back to work part-time, but never really felt very well.  I even went to beauty school, but it took me over 2 years to finish a 10-month program because I was out sick so much.  I don't think I will ever be able to work as a hairstylist because of my condition, but I am still proud of finishing it.  I finally broke down and applied for Social Security Disability, and after two denials I finally won my case a couple of months ago.  Right now I am just trying to rest up and get better, though I still have to work SOME in order to supplement my Disability income.

I think the most frustrating part of being sick is the (not always) well-meaning things other people say to you.  I'm sure you've all heard the whole "oh, everyone gets tired, you're just being lazy" thing, or "Well, I read in Cosmo that fibromyalgia was fake, so I don't believe you!"  I also hate being told "you just need to tough it out, you can't let it ruin your life!" or when friends get annoyed or don't understand when you can't do the same things you used to do, as though you LIKED being sick and missing out on life.

Sorry, just had to let off some steam :)