My Birthday Wish

I think back to when I was 15 years old. The tests that doctors now use to diagnose gastroparesis were considered "experimental" at the Mayo Clinic. I had to sign waivers to have these tests run back then.

I think back to just one year ago...I was in so much body pain. I was embarrassed to tell this to my doctors. They were already treating me for severe bladder pain, and now I was going to tell them that my entire body hurt just as badly? Would they think I was crazy? Even worse, would they think I was just a "pill popper?"

Luckily for me, they were very understanding, and told me I had a diagnosis called fibromyalgia. (What in the world was fibromyalgia? I had never heard of it.) To this very day, I'm still blown away that as many people who suffer from fibromyalgia, I had never once even heard of it.

Just last week I had another doctor's appointment. Guess what was taped to the window at the front desk? A new article about fibromyalgia. An article that explained its symptoms, and stated that most people are hesitant about telling their doctor if they have this wide spread body pain. That there is a name and treatment for this pain, and it's nothing to be ashamed of.

If only that article had been posted in my doctor's office window this time last year!

But, here's the good thing: There is always hope! If you have an illness right now; and it isn't being diagnosed, it's not well known, or there isn't treatment for it; {good!} chances are that in time, there will be a diagnosis. There will be knowledge to the general public about more and more illnesses. And there will be new treatments!

Today is my birthday, and one thing I've learned over the years in my life is that all things will come in their due season.

My wish today for you and for me: that we will never lose hope of the good things to come! Look back over your life (as I just did in this blog) - think about how certain things came to pass. The things we are longing to pass right now will come, too!

"God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It's a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God." Lamentations 3:25, MSG