[.ca] First Year Fibromyalgia: An Essential Guide for the ... (ISBN 1569245215)

Wonderful help when needed:
This book was a wonderful help for me, being 23 and diagnosed with FMS on top of about a dozen other very painful joint and spine disorders that I have dealt with over the years. I wish I had this book given to me in the doctor's office after I was sent home knowing I had a silent disease, it would have helped so much. Although at that point I could no longer hold a book in my hands, let alone feed myself. That is the only negative thing I have about this book, since it is written as a day by day guide at first, there was no way I could have read all that information in even the first few months after diagnosis, I was in so much pain and sleeping all the time, I could barely read a page a day without collapsing from pain and exaustion. Now I have finally caught up to the correct month, month 8, and this book describes me to a 'T'. I kept wondering what all was Fibro, and what was wasn't back in the beginning, and everything is described that I experience, just as if myself was writing it. Being so young and having so many misterious things wrong, this was such a great support, since I knew there were other women going through everything I had to deal with daily. Amazingly I have gotten back to my regular life of being a professional bellet dancer. It took lots of determination, most days it was difficult to dress myself, let alone rehearse and drive the 30 minutes to the studio. But I have done it, and the pain is still there. Yes, I am still on Vicodin, muscle relaxers, and sleeping pills, but it is amazing, the transformation that took place once I pushed myself back into my old schedule. I am still very weak, very sleepy and painful, and very unpredictable, but I am living, and dancing, and taking every day one step at a time....

Wow, everything she ever told me .......:
about Fibro, and how to deal with it, is now right here in this book for all to use. What a compassionate and clear writer Ms. Marek is. Everything is so well-formatted, easy to read, easy to find, and above all accurate and well researched. Ms. Marek is co author and assistant to Dr. R Paul St. Amand MD one of the foremost Fibromyalgia experts in the country. I've been on the Guaifenesin protocol for 8 months and Ms. Marek has been my guide toward wellness. What a blessing this book is to all whose lives are affected directly or indirectly with this much misunderstood illness. Thanks, Claudia, you are right on, as always.

Wonderful Book:
This is an easy to read very enjoyable book written by a great lady. She knows and understands fibrymyalgia. I have recommended this book to friends and relatives so they may gain a better understanding of FMS.

The best book for those with Fibro ever!:
I am a newly diagnosed person with this disease called Fibromyalgia since mid summer of this year. I have been searching out on books when I see them at the bookstores about Fibro. I was amazed and grateful for the many books out there for Fibromyalgia. By far this one is the best. Packed full with ideas and at times simple things to do for bad flare ups or painful times. Explains wonderfully in depth what Fibro is all about. Also how it affects us. The author is totally honest and compassionate with her readers. She herself has Fibro. I highly recommend this book for the newly diagnosed and for those that have been enduring Fibromyalgia for a very long time. I have not read this book totally from page to page. I better enjoy going from chapter to chapter to certain subjects I might be enduring on a given day. Overall the feeling I get from this book is comfort. I feel really connected and accpeted by the author. There is help out there and better times to come for those of us that have Fibromyalgia. And this book is one of those things. A great book!

Response to previous review:
As a physician who has treated thousands of fibromyalgia patients, I disagree with the previous review. I have used a lower carbohydrate diet to successfully control IBS symptoms for several decades. This book is a solid source for compassionate and constructive information.