Today I woke up feeling like shit. My back hurt, my left shoulder, my hands. I can barely make a fist in the morning. Just your usual "getting old so deal with it" pain.

The only problem is, it's pain I've been feeling since I was a teenager. I finally went to the doctor about seven years ago and was diagnosed with fibromayalgia.

Like most skeptics I thought, "That's just a title somebody made up for people like me who really have nothing they can diagnose and they are tired of trying to figure it out!"

The treatment for Fibromyalgia is simple. Anti-depression medication that is supposed to "alleviate pain" as well as .. and  of course...treat depression.

The only thing is, I'm not depressed. Well, at least not mostly. And when I am it's only on the first of the month when my hubby gets paid and I figure out that we don't have enough for the bills.

But even then.. it's only a temporary depression. Just long enough for me to figure out what we can pay, what we can hold out on a little bit longer, etc.

Anyways, recently we switched insurances. Not because we wanted to but because nobody in town was taking the service provider our previous insurance was using because they weren't paying the bills. We went from Health Net to Blue Shield. My previous doctor didn't take Blue Shield.

Anyways, I ended up with a different doctor, in a different town and I decided.. you know what? I am gonna try something. I'm gonna tell my new doctor all my symptoms and see where that gets me. Sorta like a "second opinion" but with a Twinkie twist.

So he sends me to do a series of tests based on where I told him my pain is and based on my other symptoms. He ruled pretty much everything out. No fatty liver. (pain in my lower back) No gull-stones, no kidney stones, no .... oh well.... too many things to rule out. But I have none of it. Including arthritis. Or cancer.

Last call? A neurologist.

The neurologist says he thinks one of the things wrong with me is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome because my arms fall asleep ALL THE TIME for no apparent reason. He does the test...

NOPE. Well, he sees that my right arm falls under the category based on the test. BUT that doesn't explain why my pain is primarily on my LEFT side. So he decides it's something else.. I can't think of the "name" for it right now but whatever it is he decides it's something that physical therapy can take care of. Nobody has mentioned fybromayalgia yet. Hmmm.

Anyways.. I just finished a month of physical therapy and my pain symptoms are still there. BUT my arms aren't falling asleep anymore.

Of course my NEW symptom is that my right pinkie is going numb for a bit in the morning at first wake up. Anyways...

I'll keep you posted!

But for now... today.. TODAY I woke up feeling like shit. But there's always tomorrow though, right?