HOUSTON – Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that includes widespread pain, fatigue, and other symptoms that can significantly impact a person’s quality of life.
“The first time I had a flare, I told my husband, like, I feel like I’m dying. Like, I feel like there’s something very, very wrong with me,” Lory Valadez said. “Even with my most recent flare, it’s the same kind of pain where I’m like, if I were to be dying in pain, this is what it feels like.”
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Valadez was a healthy young mom, but the crippling pain and fatigue was more than what most people can stand. She said it took about two years before she was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
Dr. Adan Alvarez from Luxe Primary Care Practice diagnosed Valadez and he said relies on a combination of symptoms (and basically ruling everything else out first) to make a diagnosis.)
“Females are more at risk for it... especially in their 20s, 30s, even 40s,” Dr. Alvarez said. “A lot of people will struggle with this for years before they can come, before they get diagnosed with it and get adequately treated for it.”
Dr. Alvarez said Fibromyalgia symptoms can include:
- Widespread or radiating pain
- Difficulty concentrating
- Hypersensitivity
- Headaches and migraines
- Fatigue
“A lot of the times we say, well, if you’re tired, exercise. And you know, and that helps with fatigue. Well, with them it’s the opposite and they actually are even more drained afer exercise,” Dr. Alvarez said.
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Instead, treatment might include medication, physical therapy and other lifestyle changes.
However, Valadez actually does exercise and uses her experience to help motivate more than 50-thousand followers on social media.
“I’ve started sharing a lot on TikTok. I think there’s a big community of fibromyalgia warriors there. I think what I want people to know is that it is a real illness,” she said, “The pain is real and what we go through is real and I wish there was more awareness. I wish there were more answers.”
Valadez felt she was able to finally make a good connection with her doctor because his practice is a direct primary care model, and she gets more access to her doctor and longer visits.
Click here to learn more about the benefits and comparison of direct primary care and traditional insurance.