My wife has been to at least fifty different doctors for every symptom under the sun. Some of them gave her diagnosis's and others told her that there was nothing wrong with her.

        We are in serious debt, and a great deal of it is physician (insurance) co-payments.

        I had been quite convinced that my wife was simply a hypo- chondriac. After all, she had irritable bowel, TMJ, Manic- Depression, Carpal Tunnel, Gastric Reflux, Early Arthritis, Bouts of Blurry vision, Bad Periods, Muscle pain, Excessive Exhaustion, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Insomnia, Etc. Etc. Etc. She has been to M.D.'s, Chiropractors, Naturopaths, Osteopaths, Physical Therapists, and every individual specialty that exists.

        Every few weeks there was a new doctor. Every few weeks, a new medicine, a new herb, a new vitamin or mineral, not to mention the experimental diets: Salt Free, Sugar Free, Wheat Free, Lactose Free, More meat, Less meat, Extra water, Don't cook this, Don't eat that, Etc. Etc. Etc.

        I was pretty disgusted by all the doctors, diagnosis', medical bills, tests, and myriads of medicine bottles filling the medicine cabinet. Mostly I was sick of hearing the constant complaints about pain, constipation, diarrhea, jaw ache, muscle ache, hand hurts, knee hurts, stomach hurts, can't read, cant go for walks, cant do this, hurt too much for that, No Sex, or interrupt sex for a run to the toilet.

       When she came home from Doctor #4,307,231 and told me that she had Fibromyalgia, I didn't pay a lot of attention. Just another one on the long list of terrible things that I could not longer feel sorry about. It was just another diagnosis for the collection.

        It took me a while to accept that this was real. I had to do a little study and reading on my own. Now I realize that all the other diagnosis' that she had are not individual illnesses or diseases, but symptoms of one larger syndrome.

        Here is what I've truly learned though:

1. It was not all in her head after all.

2. Even though it was not all in her head, emotional stress makes it worse.

3. I can help by handling many of the family issues that are stress producing    for her.

4. It is perfectly O.K. to tell her when I have heard enough about physical complaints. She may be upset at first, but she gets over it.

Spouses,

Reduce their stress whenever you can. It will ultimately reduce your own.

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