Bob's Story
My story begins five years ago on a cross country flight, when I woke to find myself in a city I was not destined for and my back covered in shingles from my spine to my tail bone. I was treated but never seemed to fully recover. I was experiencing unrelenting fatigue, tingling hands, numbness and flu-like symptoms that ravaged my body and would not go away. Fearing the worst and unable to quantify exactly what these mystery pains were, I began the process of visiting physicians for help.
Test after test came back negative and yet the pain, numbness and general malaise continued to worsen. I faced one confounded doctor after another who recommended everything from "stress reduction" to tri-cyclic anti-depressants and pain medication. Nothing seemed to make it better. Time passed and I was no closer to an answer.
I woke up most mornings more tired than when I went to bed. Staying awake at work was nearly impossible - forget concentrating. I found myself trying to minimize all physical activity because I recognized that direct physical strain lead to days of extreme stiffness and body pain. Since I noticed that certain weather conditions made the days more painful, I found myself paying more attention to daily weather forecasts. Inactivity increased my weight rapidly. I tried exercise to get the weight under control, but the pain just quadrupled in intensity; it was a depressing cycle of events.
As I modified my life, little pieces of my lifestyle began disappearing each day. Personal relationships began to crumble. Getting out of bed required walking on very stiff and sore feet. I withdrew from life and had little energy to continue the on-going battle with my aching body. A normal life and having fun were distant memories and instead were replaced with depression. I was hopeless.
In 2002, I found hope and healing through Dr. Kent Holtorf. His practice was focused exclusively on improving the health of Fibromyalgia (FM), Chronic Fatigue Immune Deficiency Syndrome (CFIDS) and Unrelenting Fatigue (UF) patients. As a CFIDS sufferer, Dr. Holtorf knew what it was like to have this life altering condition. Dr. Holtorf worked with me and in less than a year, my improvement was dramatic.
I believe I went through the trials and tribulations of Fibromyalgia so that I could help establish Fibromyalgia & Fatigue Centers, Inc. which blends compassion and understanding with sound medical protocols. As a sufferer, the centers are a vision come true for me. As Founder and Chairman of the Board of Fibromyalgia & Fatigue Centers, Inc., I am dedicated to bringing insight, hope and treatment to those suffering with the same disease.