David’s Story
60 Years with Fibromyalgia
Looking back, I can see that I had fibromyalgia all of my life. Language and cognitive issues when I was young. Muscle aches and pains the doctors labeled “growing pains” that I did not grow out of. Pain that gradually worsened through the years despite the many remedies I tried. Fibromyalgia stole my first career and marriage.
The only solution I was offered then were drugs to suppress the symptoms. But I never gave up looking for relief and natural answers that reflected the healthy life I was trying to live.
Finally, at a patient conference with my wife, Margy, we heard about a mineral deficiency that could be linked to three of the major symptoms of fibro — pain, fatigue and poor sleep. The missing mineral? Magnesium. What did I do with that information?
With the help of Margy and a biochemist friend, we formulated Fibro-Care,™ an incredible complete magnesium formula. Why incredible? Fibro-Care™ solved two of the problems we learned about fibromyalgia and magnesium.
One. The organic, bioavailable form replenished the deficient magnesium without gastrointestinal upset.
Two. Fibro-Care™ could be absorbed by even those people that doctors believed had a cellular resistant to magnesium – one of whom was me!
Finally I had something to make a difference in my fibro symptoms and a way for others to feel better, too. Through our company TyH, we have helped thousands get more energy, sleep better and reduce their pain. Plus, Fibro-Care™ appears to help with many of the other symptoms, like irritable bowel, anxiety and brain fog to name a few. The Fibro-Care™ Story will explain why it is the most effective and complete magnesium formula for fibromyalgia.
FIBROMYALGIA
David’s Story
by David Squires
What if someday you were to wake up and be unable to get out of bed because you were too fatigued or in so much pain that you would contemplate ending it any way you could? If I told you that you might temporarily forget the name of your wife or your child in a moment’s notice? And what if most doctors did not know what you have or how to treat you because nothing shows up in blood tests or x-rays so they may possibly even suggest it was all in your head? What would you do?
My name is David Squires and I have primary fibromyalgia syndrome (FM). Although I did not suddenly wake up with all of the above symptoms, I have been dealing with them for the past 30 years. I hope by sharing my story with you that one more person will understand this very complex syndrome.
My experience with FM started with neck and shoulder symptoms at age 15. Initially, I was diagnosed with “growing pains” and later with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). By age 20, the pain spread and involved my low back. By age 30, my whole body was in chronic pain. My joints were unaffected so the diagnosis of JRA was ruled out. At that point, there was no name for my condition. Without a diagnosis, I went through years of unnecessary treatments, spent thousands of medical dollars, and argued with my insurance companies to cover doctors’ bills. I saw between 30-40 doctors and no two agreed on an effective therapy program.
Some of the therapies I tried included nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), painkillers, hypnosis, TENS, biofeedback, exercise programs, myotherapy, acupuncture, vitamin therapy, yoga, Rolfing, a TMJ mouth brace, body cast for six months, chiropractic adjustments, trigger point injections, epidural nerve blocks, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, physical therapy, and, of course, psychiatric counseling. Diagnostic tests included CAT scans, MRIs, blood tests, and over 100 x-rays. Finally in 1976, a doctor at the Lahey Clinic in Boston told me I had fibrositis (an early name for FM) and advised me to find a job with little stress and no physical requirements. At that time in my job as a tool and die maker, I worked 50-hour weeks, always under a contracting deadline. I was too young to retire so I went back to work. By age 37, with great reluctance, I had to stop a career I had spent 15 years exacting. I was in my prime asking myself what the rest of my life would be like if I had to live with this kind of pain.
My story is not unlike so many others with FM. I thought I had the perfect life. I married my high school sweetheart, bought a home, started a family, and owned my own tool and die business by age 29. I was a good father, husband and provider. Successful at my job, I pushed myself through years of growing pain. Then in 1984, after six months in a body cast, I could not go on.
Life took a radical change for the worse. I could no longer sit or stand for any prolonged period of time without unremitting pain. Unable to understand my condition, my employer thought I could work if I wanted to. When I could not, he cancelled my insurance. My wife of 17 years was not able to cope with the changes and left me. Within the next 18 months, I lost everything -- my family, house, and car. I ended up cashing in my life insurance policy and selling my stocks just to get by. I came very close to ending up alone on the street before turning to local social services. A worker there heard my story and went out of his way to help me obtain Social Security disability. Life began to take a turn for the better. In 1985, I remarried and my children came back to live with me. Because of my sensitivity to the cold and damp weather of New England, I moved to Arizona where I live today.
Although I am still in pain every day, I consider myself one of the lucky ones with FM . Despite all the wrong diagnoses, the inappropriate treatments, and given all the rejection by doctors, family, coworkers, and friends who thought there was “nothing wrong with me” because I looked "fine", I survived. There are still some who do not and will not ever know what I go through on a daily basis living with fibromyalgia.
Am I telling you my story to gain sympathy for me or others with FM? No! I want you and everyone to know to what lengths a fibromyalgia person goes through to receive relief and a diagnosis for his/her symptoms. We are struck with an invisible syndrome that makes us look like hypochondriacs, malingerers, psychosomatically ill, or asking for a handout. Nothing could be further from the truth! Given the choice, we would rather work than accept disability, be free from the pain, and certainly would choose to keep our lives intact than have them turned upside down with FM.
In March of 1991, my wife, Margy, and I started a support group for people with fibromyalgia. We wanted to educate as many people as we could about fibromyalgia. Our group, along with three others in the Phoenix, Arizona area, grew to over 1,000 members in a little over 18 months. We held our first Arizona fibromyalgia symposium in March of 1994. Since the criteria for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia was written by the American College of Rheumatology in 1990, diagnosis numbers are going up. However, research is still in its infancy. The medical profession is still in disagreement as to the cause and treatment of fibromyalgia.
Although most doctors don’t agree on treatment, most will agree on one thing: fibromyalgia is not life threatening. However, FM can be “life shattering”. For the person with fibromyalgia, life goes on, but in a much different way.
Even though nature takes longer, people who change their lifestyles and diet, including taking vitamins and herbs, do much better than those on medications alone. I have always tried to stay as healthy as possible despite fibromyalgia. Knowing that fatigue was a common factor because of unrestorative sleep, I tried valerian, an herb thought to reduce insomnia by improving sleep quality without that next day morning grogginess with good results. In early 1992, a natural supplement with magnesium and malic acid was found to benefit the muscle tissue of those with FM . I decided to try that, too. Having so many other therapies fail, I welcomed natural remedies that might help my symptoms. I have not been disappointed. When my wife wanted a career change from the medical clinic where she worked – after everything she had been through with me – she decided to start a mail order company that would help others like me. Through my personal experiences and her medical educational background, Margy is able to relate to those in chronic pain and offer non-drug answers. Thus, To Your Health and Fibro-Care™ were born in July of 1993.
What advice do I have for others with fibromyalgia? Do whatever you can to help yourself. Do not get upset with people for what they think, say, or do. It is what you think, what you say, what you do about your FM that is important. Remember: Never give up! Millions of fibromyalgia sufferers know what you are going through. Do not be silent with your FM. Write letters to your representatives to let them know how fibromyalgia has affected your life. Try to stay positive and motivated. Join a support group or start your own, which may be the best thing you can do for yourself. It was for me. Finally, I would like to share a quote from Edward Everett Hale that has helped me, one that I read almost every day.
The First 30 Years
FIBROMYALGIA
by David Squires
How does one live with fibromyalgia for 60 years? You need two lives. Let me explain.
In my first life, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia (FM) early at age 15, disrupting my high school years. I did marry and have 2 lovely children. For a short while, I was happy. But my life took a turn for the worse as I became disabled with FM pain. If you had seen me back in 1984 when I lost everything a man could lose -- his family, career, home, money and health – you’d have seen a broken me. At 37 years old, I thought my life was over. Thankfully, it wasn’t. On January 12. 1985. I met Margy and her love and support were all I needed to go on and start – you guessed it – my second life.
As I think back, it is amazing to me that I will turn 75 years old in August – that’s 60 years living with fibro. Today, 37 years later, what a life it has been! My second life brought me to warm Arizona in 1988 and in 1991, Margy and I started the first support group in Scottsdale, Arizona. We attended the very first national FM conference in 1992. In 1993, Margy started TyH on our kitchen table and volunteered me as the first employee. We travelled around the US to more than 30 conferences, sponsored the first Arizona FM conference and several more local ones.
I was a boy who could not get up in front of the class yet as a man with FM in a primarily women’s FM world, I was often asked to speak about FM from a man’s perspective in front of hundreds of people. I did three men’s workshops, two with. Mark Pellegrino., M.D. Dr Pellegrino used to tell us that “we are in the trenches trying to help one person at a time win the FM war”. He should know as he has seen more than 32,000 patients, has fibromyalgia himself and written a dozen best-selling books on the subject.
I always had a driving need to do something that kept me moving on. That’s how I made it through 60 years. I couldn’t play football in school, yet I learned a trade as a tool and die maker the hard way, through apprenticeship and night classes.
Still, I struggled with FM until I learned about “the test” When we attended our first conference in 1992, we met Dr. Thomas Romano and heard him speak on the magnesium deficiency in fibromyalgia and how the RBC magnesium test was the only way to tell your true magnesium level. As soon as I got back to Arizona, I had the test. I was so low in magnesium that I required IV drip therapy. The IV reduced my pain and gave me more energy than I’d felt in years. I asked questions. What’s in this IV anyway? I learned that the drip also contained B vitamins, vitamin C and other nutrients. This tool and die man started thinking why can’t we put this combination in a supplement? With help from Margy and a biochemist friend and sourcing the most bioavailable ingredients, Fibro-Care™ was born.
It’s 1993. TyH was underway with six products and a mail order catalog, Margy who loved to write, started Health Points, the first complementary therapy national publication for fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue (ME/CFS), arthritis and chronic pain. We knew the business because I lived the fibro life many of our customers did. To think it started with an RBC magnesium test! While the IV therapy raises magnesium levels effectively, many do not have access to that kind of therapy. Fibro-Care™ gave them a comparable option. In fact, magnesium is low in multiple conditions! This test could change your life too as it has thousands of others with chronic pain.
A few years later at another conference, we met a doctor who was impressed with Fibro-Care™ and wanted to include it in a double-blind, placebo-controlled treatment for FM and ME/CFS. The study was successful and later published in a medical journal. But we did not stop there. After Fibro-Care™ and having it sell out at every conference we attended, we went to work developing other products too.
With support and feedback from our customers and doing researching on current non-drug therapies, Get with the Program™ was created. Each product in the Program addressed specific nutrient needs relating to common symptoms of FM and ME/CFS. And we did not sacrifice on quality, using patented and trademark ingredients backed by research studies, made in a GMP certified laboratory to ensure safety and label content.
You may think life was smoother after TyH started. You don’t know how many bumps in the road occurred in my second life, too. For instance, I was diagnosed with brain stem compression (Chiari), traveled to North Carolina to have endoscopic brain surgery by a specialist and spent 6 weeks there recovering. Although Chiari compression does not cause fibromyalgia, any structural issues you have will impact your fibro symptoms.
I should have remembered that later when I suffered through four years of pain thinking it was the fibro getting worse. When I finally consulted with a neurosurgeon, he said, nope, it is mechanical; degeneration of discs in my low back were pressing on my sciatic nerve, along with worsened compression in my neck after the Chiari. Both needed surgeries. I spent the next 2 years recovering from those two spinal surgeries. I am blessed that Margy stuck with me through those years of my second life as sometimes it was not fun. But again, one day at a time I took back my life. At 75, I have no health problems other than FM.
We all have plans and lists of things to do but taking the first step to move on is important. I had so many overwhelming things in my life that I thought I had no control over them but I chose to begin again. Take that first step. Consider getting “the test” like I did. You cannot get well with fibro without magnesium and the right kind of magnesium. Fibro-Care™ was my starting and changing point and it can be yours, too. In my first life story, I stayed motivated with a quote from Edward Everett Hale. Here is a new quote from him that sums up my second life.
“If you have accomplished all that you have planned for yourself, you have not planned enough.”
My message to you is that anyone can have two lives if you don’t give up.
Just start with one step. You won’t be alone. We will be here to help. Read our Happy Customer Reviews. People are getting better every day with the Program. I was the first and won’t be the last. Some of our customers say Fibro-Care™ saved their lives and allowed them to live “mostly normal”. They kept their jobs and their families. Even though my fibromyalgia was a more severe kind, Fibro-Care™ changed my life. I guess you could even say that Fibro-Care™ is the story of my second life.
To my great joy, my daughter, Tara, is continuing the Fibro-Care™ legacy so my story and Fibro-Care™ will continue to help others for a very long time. I hope you are one of them. If you are, let us know!
©TyH Publications (M. Squires) For informational purposes only.
David’s Story
My Two Lives, 60 Years with Fibromyalgia