Chapter 1 - Section B - My Story

My name is Angie and I have Fibromyalgia.

Growing up I had several odd complaints about aches, pains, and headaches. I had a limited list of things I could eat that seemed fairly normal for a young child (no onions, nothing spicy, things like that). I was also prone to bouts of depression. I was told that everything I was going through was normal.

As I got older the aches and pains got worse and the headaches turned into migraines. After the age of 19 I had to stop wearing contacts because they gave me migraines and my eyes were always sensitive. I rarely felt truly rested and more often than not had very little energy to go and “party” with friends.

In the winter of 2006 I enrolled in The Art Institute of Houston. January 8th of 2007 I started my Bachelor of Fine Arts journey. I was working 40 hour weeks at work and taking 4 classes. Each class was 4 hours long with about 4-6 hours of homework in each. I would get up at about 5:30am, arrive at work at 7:15, leave work at 5pm, and go straight to school. Class was from 6pm to 10pm. I would get home any time after 10:30pm and if I was lucky I would fall into bed by about 11pm. Unfortunately that was not always the case.

After approximately 6-8 weeks I had so little energy I had to fight with myself to get out of bed in the mornings. By the end of the quarter (they do 11 week quarters instead of semesters) my husband was very worried and insistent that I go to the doctor. I made an appointment with my Primary Care doctor and she sent me to Physical Therapy.

Following about 8-10 weeks physical therapy and a diagnosis of Tennis Elbow, the Physical Therapist told me that he was uncomfortable continuing my therapy due to the fact that I seemed to be regressing instead of progressing. He suggested that I go to a Neurologist to have some tests done. The Neurologist had me do an MRI, X-Rays, an EKG, and several blood tests. He discovered that I have a nerve problem in my neck called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS). Basically my Thoracic channel in my neck is too small for all of the nerves and blood vessels that pass through that area. He gave me a referral to a Physical Therapist who specializes in this Syndrome, but also gave me a referral to a Rheumatologist because he felt that the diagnosis of TOS was not an explanation of my lower body pain.

My first trip to the Rheumatologist was promising (for those who don’t know what I mean… the ‘not knowing’ is very disconcerting and discouraging. Knowing is ½ the battle). He told me that there were a number of things that could be causing my pain and he was going to start the process of elimination with some blood tests. He also looked over the tests that the Neurologist had done. After about 20 vials of blood and several trips back to the Rheumatologist he diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia.

I can honestly say that I was relieved. Many people do not understand the feelings of disillusionment and depression that come with feeling this way and not knowing what is wrong with them. Yes, this is not a ‘good’ thing to have, but it is also better than not knowing what is wrong. Now I can figure out a way to fight it!

I have several side conditions, aside from the TOS (IBS, acid reflux, allergies, migraines, sleeping disorder, etc) that I have discovered are all a part of my Fibromyalgia. Understanding my condition and finding better ways to live with it has become one of my main goals in life. Helping other people understand Fibromyalgia is another goal.


I am currently 26 years old and happily married to a wonderful and understanding man named Austin. We do not have any children, but hope to one day in the future. I was born and raised in South Texas near Houston.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design from The Art Institute of Houston on December 18th, 2009. My degree took 3 years at The Art Institute, but I also spent a few years at Montgomery Community College getting my general study classes out of the way. I currently work as a receptionist to an engineering firm in Sugar Land, Texas.

Living with Fibromyalgia may not be easy, but it is possible!