“I was in the best shape of my life at 30, working out, running races and eating well. I joked to a friend I was going to fall apart at 31. The summer after I turned 31 it started when I injured my arms.

They both had a burning sensation from the elbows to the tips of my fingers. They would sometimes feel numb and get pins and needles. I wore wrist splints 24 hrs a day and took 4 aleeve a day and there was no relief.

I couldn’t pick up and carry Elias, or anything for that matter. I would sit on the couch and cry with my arms laid out on pillows. I couldn’t clean my house or brush my teeth without pain.

As time went on the burning subsided but the pain stayed. Some days worse than others and I would always pay after doing chores or any project. I was terrified I had permanent nerve damage.

I kept running. It was the only exercise I could do that didn’t hurt my arms. My hip pain started with my second half marathon training at 33. It would ache starting about mile 3 and continue through the run. I stopped doing other leg exercises thinking maybe that was the cause. I ran that whole race with my left hip aching and soon after stopped running altogether. Other problems popped up and I just got worse. I felt like my body was broken. I’ve spent the last 5 years feeling physically broken.

When I started the #guaifenesinprotocol in June we took a bike ride and my hips ached and burned so bad I could barely walk when we got home. It is true when they say you will get worse before you get better!

But I’ve ridden my bike again the last two weeks and while my hips still have pain it has significantly lessened! Every time I ride my bike now I think about that bike ride in June and how bad it hurt and I remind myself that every day I’m closer to feeling better and that I’m not broken!

Changing that mentally is proving to be the hardest part, but little by little as my body responds and I see improvement in my fibromyalgia symptoms including the non pain ones it gets a little easier. I’ve still got a ways to go and each day brings different reversal symptoms and pains but I’m so thankful for the progress I have seen! #fibromyalgia#hismerciesareneweverymorning#onedaycloser “

~Erin Woods

If you would like more of Erin Woods story or information on the Guaifenesin Protocol or Fibromyalgia, check out the links through this post and the tags under this post.