Product Description

Such a wide range of common symptoms means this disorder is a very difficult one to diagnose, yet fibromyalgia makes life miserable for thousands of people in Britain and it is greatly on the increase. In this book, patient-expert Claudia Craig Marek, first diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1991, guides you through your first year of learning how to cope, giving you a breakdown of mainstream and complementary treatment, as well as taking an in-depth look at important lifestyle issues. Marek answers all your most pressing concerns, including: How to ensure you get a correct diagnosis; How to best manage muscle pain; How to handle irritable bowel syndrome; Which medications can help and which might harm; How to cope with work, travel and relationships; This is the only comprehensive approach to managing fibromyalgia by someone who has been there, prevailed and now shares her knowledge and experience with you.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #210615 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
Claudia Craig Marek is a medical assistant who has counselled fibromyalgia patients for more than a dozen years. She was diagnosed with the disease in 1991. She is the co-author of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Fibromyalgia.

Customer Reviews

At Last!!!
It took me 12 years, 4 rheumatologists, 1 neurosurgeon and several other consultants later to find out in June of this year that I had FMS. After the initial relief of knowing it was NOT in my head I slumped into a deep depression, and this book has helped me to come out of that fighting! I cannot recommend this book highly enough to people with FMS who have been reently diagnosed - IT IS FANTASTIC TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE AS NORMAL AS OTHER FMS SUFFERERS!!! A must people coping with FMS.

Newly diagnosed & lost? Get this book!
There are a lot of Fibromyalgia books around and, after trawling through every single review and synopsis on Amazon, I ended up with this book as one of my purchases. I've suffered from Fibromyalgia for 3 years but was only diagnosed a few months ago, after which I was given a leaflet and sent away. I felt confused, frustrated, lost, angry, upset... I didn't know anything about my illness, what was I supposed to do now?!

This book has changed everything. It has conforted me, made me realise I'm not alone, given me a million and one things to try to improve my quality of life, and, most importantly of all, told me what Fibromyalgia is. It covers every symptom and practical lifestyle issue you could think of in a friendly, knowledgeable way, teaching you about things, then helping you to live with them. Even though the author is American, it is a UK version and all the information is relevant, with a lot of UK-based info added in. I can't recommend this book highly enough - trust me and buy it right now!

A great accompaniment to it is Christine Craggs-Hinton's 'Living With Fibromyalgia' for a 100% English look at the disease, providing more information on the scientific side of things (how everything works, or rather doesn't, in Fibromyalgics and why), which I found very interesting and that built on the knowledge I had gained from 'The First Year...'.

I have learned that unfortunately with Fibromyalgia if you want help, you really have to help yourself, and this book is a fantastic start.

You Must Read This !
I should of read this book to begin with when i found out that i had FMS. It would of saved me a lot of time and engery on reading other books. This book actually helps you get your head around it all and that you don't have to feel guilty for having FMS. I am in my third year of FMS and now after ready this book i am finally accepting the fact that i have got FMS and my life is going to change. If you have FMS or someone close to has it, it will help you understand what is going on with yourself or that person. I have laughed and cried while reading this book. I think the reason why so many people can relate to this book is beacuse it was wrote by some suffering with FMS. Which means the writer actually knows what they are talking about.