Happy First Anniversary FibroHaven

FibroHaven is One Today!

One year ago today I sat down at FibroHaven for the first time and wrote this – Welcome!

In my very first post I shared what I hoped and intended to accomplish with my blog:

I have found the blogs I like best are the ones whose authors are aware they have an audience, yet they speak with a realness and simplicity.  They are authentic.  I image if I met the author they would be exactly as they sound on their blog.

That is the approach I hope to take in my writing.  I want to be real.

One year later I think my blog is exactly as real as I was hoping it would be and so much more.

I had no understanding at the time of the relationships I would form and the people who would reach out to me because something I wrote made an impact on them. I knew there was a need for a positive voice in the Fibromyalgia community, but I had no idea how much it would come to mean to me to be that voice.

My heart, soul, love, hope, spirit, and joy are in this blog. I doubt that I have ever been more proud of a personal accomplishment. Maybe that game winning home run I hit as the only girl on my little league baseball team. That was pretty cool! But seriously, FibroHaven is my baby.

Every time I read a comment like this from a recent post, I know I am doing what I am meant to do:

Thank you so much for sharing! I have only recently realized how important it is to reach out to those around me instead of hiding. I’m not weaker as a result of my illness. It is people like you that have helped me realize this. -Terri Simmons

Heart warming!

I have changed so much over this past year, and I doubt any of it would have occurred without this blog.

• I am more accepting of my illness
• I understand that I need to be my own best health advocate
• I understand the value and importance of researching every possiblity
• I recognize that there is no quick fix, no magic bullet
• I do not blame anyone or anything for my current state of health
• I have become more mindful of how my lifestyle choices contribute to my wellbeing
• I have a new spiritual awareness through yoga and meditation
• I am more in tuned to my body and my environment
• I am hopeful
• I feel loved
• I believe with all my heart that I will continue on this path to wellness and one day be symptom free
• I accept that there will be setbacks and obstacles, but that progress is still being made

If I had to give a number to my symptomatic improvement over this past year, it would be about 15%. Fifteen percent better than I was one year ago today. Wouldn’t you take that? Using the most basic of math, and not taking any variables into account, if I continue at a “15% a year” rate of improvement, I will be symptom free in just under seven years. After 13 years of living with a range of Fibromyalgia symptoms, seven years is acceptable to me.

But I don’t believe it will take seven years, simply because I cannot ignore the variables. If I had to give a number to my emotional and spiritual improvement (the variables) over this past year, it would be 60%. I am happier and more hopeful than I have ever been. I am at peace with who I am, and excited about who I am becoming. And I contribute the work I have put into FibroHaven for guiding me into who I am becoming.

I have put the work in, and I will continue to do so. I will continue to share and relate my experiences here. Some you will relate to, some you will not. But by taking the time to research and read, you are becoming your own best health advocate. Knowledge is power.

Thank you all for reading and commenting here. You are a big part of the reason I am feeling so loved and hopeful.