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I eventually moved with my family to the State of Arizona. I was in my late teens. I decided that I wanted to start working out and getting into good shape. I wanted to become a Police Officer and was steadily working toward that goal. I would work out fairly hard and then the pain would come. I was having knots forming on both sides of my spine, my neck, and just about any other areas you could imagine. I thought that this was just a part of the wieght training thing. "No Pain, No Gain." I would have them rubbed on to no avail. I continued to take the over the counter medications and dealt with the pain, and musclespasms. I did eventually get into the Law Enforcement. There were days that the headaches would put me down for several days at a time. I was finally sent to see a Specialist. The Specialist stated that I had the classic migrain headaches. They tried several diffent types of medication to help me with the pounding, debilitating headaches. None of the medications worked very well. I began having problems with my right hip, right shoulder, and was told that I had Bursitis and Tendonitis. I was only 24 years old. I was still going strong. I was quickly advancing in my field and was a range instructor and taught at the States Training Academy. The pain continued to excellerate in my life. I was no doubt an "overachiever" and in a high stress job. It would only take a few more years for my body to deteriorate. I was now 28 years old and the ole body was screaming with pain, fatigue, headaches, and knots. Now I was about 29 years old. I was in a minor motor vehicle collision and began going to the Doctors due to the pains that had intinsified after the crash. I went to this Doctor and that Doctor. No one had any answers. I was out of work and on several pain medications and NSAIDS. About one month later, my Primary Care Physician diagnosed me with the FMS/CMPS. I told the Doctor that was great news. Give me the medications so that I can get well and back to providing the public service that I enjoyed. He looked at me and hung his head. He continued to tell me that the probability of me ever returning to Law Enforcement was slim to none. He told me that there were going to be some adjutments that would have to be made in my life and the lives of my family. I would at times need to swallow my pride, ask for help, or tell the people that I love, sorry but I can't do that today. I thought that I was dreaming. MY WORLD HAD BEGUN TO CRASH AROUND ME! My ability to be a husband and Father, to support my family, to be employed in the field that I knew and enjoyed, my ability to work on the car, the yard and all the other things that I thought made me a "Man" had just been snatched away from me by a theif called FMS. I BEGAN TO GET BACK UP AND FIGHT! I had grieved the loss of my old life and began trying to find a way to move on in this altered way of living. I was on so many diffent medications to "contol the pain." To make me sleep. To keep my stomach from being SO torn up. I thought that I needed to purchase a complete pharmacy for my home. I became employed again and found a wonderful friend. He is from Korea and has an immense knowledge of accupressure and other Oriental medicine. He made me feel much better through the mixture of massage therepy and accupresure. I figured out that I was not dead, just had to do some adjusting. I began climbing the ladder in the Private Security Industry. I eventually became the Director of the company and was working harder than ever. I was learning to balance my life through the illness. I could keep the flares to a minimum by keeping the stress level down and taking care of my body. I had a wonderful physician who has a wife that also suffers from FMS. His level of understanding and commitment to keeping me "living" was astounding. Having a physician that was willing to recognize and treat my pain gave me the ability to be up and moving forward again. THE MONTHS WENT ON AND I WAS GETTING WORSE! The Doctor searched for the reasons. I tried in so many ways to get myself back in the game again. It was not working. I finally went to a Specialist who is well known in the FMS world. He is very knowledgable and sees one of my family members who has Connective Tissue Disorder. The Doctor ran some tests and evaluated me. The new diagnosis is Primary Mixed Connective Tissue Disease with Secondary FMS. The treatments for this can be tough on the body as a whole but with some luck I might get a little better. I turned 30 and had made some progress. I was able to return to a Law Enforcement job and was doing quite well. I was having to stay on the medications to keep the pain to a minimum. I have made serious progress in learning to cope with the pain and have made many adjustments in my life. I continue to have bad days and worse days. I have found that I have to ensure that I physically do enough and not too much. I have a tendancy to do too much when I feel better. That causes me to have several BAD days in a row. About six months after returning to Law Enforcement, my Doctor and I decided that I really needed to give that up for good. It was a difficult thing to do and I had to do some real soul searching. I decided to try and gain employment in an industry that I have never had any experience in. I happened to meet a Grocery Store Director that beleived in me enough to place me into a management program. I climbed the ladder in that industry and doing quite well. I owe much to the man that helped a complete stranger and now, thanks to his assistance, have an excellent carrer opportunity outside of the physically demanding Law Enforcement feild. It is a fast paced job and at times, the pain can slow me down a little. I have accepted this change in my life. I still miss my old career, but I feel fortunate to be able to support my family. There is certainly hope of learning to cope in new and better ways. I thought for a while that I would not be able to become as productive as I was before FMS, but I am close today! Although I am ill, I am living again. I know that at any moment, I may end up like many others and be out of work and need to be on disability. Until then, I am challenged to live as "normal" a life as possible. We should never give up hope. I am proof that we can live despite this illness! Yet another change in career paths. I was given an opportunity to enter the Hotel industry and am still in the field to date. My latest evaluation has me a little baffled and somewhat concerned. The Doc seems to think that I am headed toward M.S. I suppose that shouldn't be a suprise since M.S. falls under the "Umbrella" of MCTD. I have more tests to go through and will be seeing a new Rhumy in Aug 2008. I am now 34 and really having to fight daily to keep going. I have a new addition to my family. She's going to be 1 year old soon. She's great and I have a wonderful and loving wife. Thier love and support goes a long way! This is "My Story" to date. I will update the site as there are new developments in my life. I hope that by sharing the details of my personal life, I may have helped someone. I am continuing to fight this war and will continue to live, no matter what health throws thier way!   
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My Story