Ruthie Overcomes Fibromyalgia

“I worked in a church as a part-time receptionist in the office. I would go in the mornings, I would come home after a few hours and I would be so exhausted. I would just go straight to bed. After that, I didn’t have any energy. I couldn’t do any house-work. I couldn’t do any shopping. I couldn’t go with friends or spend time with grandkids. My life was pretty much a mess.   

I was in a lot of pain. I had no energy. I had trouble sleeping. I really didn’t have much of a life. Mostly I’d just be in bed. With the fibro, I hurt everywhere. I would have muscle cramps and muscle pain. I couldn’t move; it just hurt. You can’t describe what the pain is like, other than it’s really very painful. When I had flares, I would lie in bed and I was just miserable. I tried to distract myself to try to not notice the pain, but it was so bad I had a hard time even distracting myself. I could hardly read or watch television because I couldn’t stay focused. It’s like pain was ruling my life.”      

Dr. Murphree: “Fast forward 6 months and tell me how you’re doing now.”

“It’s just amazing. It is so amazing. I have improved stamina. I’ve been able to travel with my husband. We went up to New England. We live in Georgia now but we were able to go by car up to New England and over to Niagara Falls. We were gone for 2 weeks and I was still going strong. Before, I couldn’t even get out of bed to go to the doctor hardly. That was really amazing. There’s just no way to describe what it’s like, to have my life back again and in such a short amount of time. I’ve been going to medical doctors for 30 years and they were never really able to help me. You’ve restored my health in just a matter of months and it’s so amazing. People see me at church at all the time and they’re always so amazed at how well I’m doing. I’m able to come and be there service after service, without having to be sick for several months at a time. My friends are just amazed.”  – Ruthie L.

Above you can listen to Ruthis’s story, and here is the transcript below:

Ruthie Overcomes Fibromyalgia

ruthie-both

 

Dr. M:  First of all, you’ve had fibromyalgia for a long time. How long has it been since you’ve felt good? How long have you been struggling with fibromyalgia?

Ruthie:   I was diagnosed with it 5 years ago but I’ve had it longer. Because of other medical conditions, I was on my heavy pain medications and I couldn’t really feel that I had it. I couldn’t tell until it was advanced. I’m not sure how long, but it’s been a long time.

Dr. M: How long has it been since you’ve felt good, prior to now?

Ruthie: Probably 30 years, because I had migraines and other conditions and then the fibro … it’s been a long, long time.

Dr. M:  Tell me what was your health like prior to us working together? We started working together about 6 months ago. What was your health like prior to working together?

Ruthie:                

Oh, it was pretty bad. I was in a lot of pain. I had no energy. I had trouble sleeping. I really didn’t have much of a life. Mostly I’d just be in bed. With the fibro, I hurt everywhere. I would have muscle cramps and muscle pain. I couldn’t move; it just hurt. You can’t describe what the pain is like, other than it’s really very painful. When I had flares, I would lie in bed and I was just miserable. I tried to distract myself to try to not notice the pain, but it was so bad I had a hard time even distracting myself. I could hardly read or watch television because I couldn’t stay focused. It’s like pain was ruling my life.

Dr. M: You said there were a lot of days you were bedridden. How many hours were you in bed on a given day?

Ruthie:

I worked in a church as a part-time receptionist in the office. I would go in the mornings, I would come home after a few hours and I would be so exhausted. I would just go straight to bed. After that, I didn’t have any energy. I couldn’t do any house work. I couldn’t do any shopping. I couldn’t go with friends or spend time with grandkids. I had brain fog but I didn’t realize how much it was, until after I was working with you and I started feeling better. Then I realized how slow and hazy my thinking was. It had just been so long, I just couldn’t remember what it was like to be thinking clearly. My life was pretty much a mess.

Dr. M:  Let’s fast forward 6 months and tell me how you’re doing now.

Ruthie:                

It’s just amazing. It is so amazing. I have improved stamina. I’ve been able to travel with my husband. We went up to New England. We live in Georgia now but we were able to go by car up to New England and over to Niagara Falls. We were gone for 2 weeks and I was still going strong. Before, I couldn’t even get out of bed to go to the doctor hardly. That was really amazing. There’s just no way to describe what it’s like, to have my life back again and in such a short amount of time. I’ve been going to medical doctors for 30 years and they were never really able to help me. Now I could say you’ve ‘fixed’ me. You’ve restored my health in just a matter of months and it’s so amazing. People see me at church at all the time and they’re always so amazed at how well I’m doing. I’m able to come and be there service after service, without having to be sick for several months at a time. My friends are just amazed.

Dr. M:

It is amazing because I look back over my notes in talking to you, which has been a pleasure working with you. I look back over my notes and I see on many occasions that’s what you would say – “It’s amazing, it’s amazing.” Every time we talked, something new would happen. People who don’t have fibromyalgia or people who’ve not been what you’ve been through, I think they can probably take it for granted that what a big deal it was for you to go on that trip. A lot of people, myself included, going on a 2 week car trip that would wear me out. For somebody with fibro to go on a 2 week car trip and enjoy it and have a good time, come back and not crash, that really was amazing.

Ruthie:   It was. For 30 years, I haven’t been able to travel. We would do the trip up to see my parents who live in Wisconsin, but it was always with a lot of pain and difficulty. It wasn’t enjoyable. I was hoping you do because you go visit your parents, but it was never an easy trip for me to make. Now I can travel … it’s just unreal.

Dr. M:   Yeah, it’s wonderful. Could you have ever imagined 10-12 months ago that you would be doing what you’re doing now, feeling as well as you feel now? Could you ever imagine that?

Ruthie:

Oh, never. There’s just no way, no. I think the biggest thing that helped me was that you did testing right in the beginning. You would see what I needed. You made a comment once that really struck me. You said when people have migraines, they usually have food allergies. Then you did allergy testing and we found out I was gluten intolerant, and I have several other allergies. I’ve been thinking I’ve been going to neurologists and specialists for 30 years to treat my migraines, and no one has ever suggested doing allergy testing. No one ever knew there was a connection. I was just so impressed with that and amazed. As soon as I got the list of foods to avoid and started avoiding them that very day, in no time at all I was feeling so much better. That’s so amazing. It’s not just the migraines or just fibro or the neurological problem I have with my face nerve; it all seems to tie together. I just feel so much better overall with everything. To me, that’s just astounding. The other condition that I had was rosacea and my face was always broken out. I’m 63 and you’d think I would have outgrown the broken-out skin. It was always broken-out but now my face, my complexion is beautiful all the time. I hardly need make-up. I don’t have to have make-up to cover up my skin and it’s the same with my eczema. If I’d even ride in the car for an hour, my arm where the sun hits would be in so much pain because it was so sore and itchy. It would just be very troublesome, and now I went for 2 weeks riding in the sun and I didn’t have any problems at all with my eczema. I just feel so much healthier overall.

Dr. M: You worked really hard on the anti-inflammatory diet and you’ve lost a quite a bit of weight, didn’t you?

Ruthie: I did, I’ve lost 60 pounds.

Dr. M: Wow, that’s amazing.

Ruthie: That is amazing but I feel so much amazing being lighter. I’ve always tried to lose weight but I never could. Again, I think part of it is because you went ahead and gave me a thyroid supplement. I kept thinking I needed them, but my medical doctors said “No, your lab results are all fine.” You did other lab results and saw that I did need it.

Dr. M: Tell me what’s your family saying? They’ve got their mom back, they‘ve got their wife back, they’ve got their grand-mom back. What are they saying when they see you?

Ruthie:

I have a daughter that lives out in California so I don’t see her much. I saw her right at the very beginning of the program last May. I sent her a picture recently of how I’m now and she texted back and said “You look like a completely different person.” I’m not the person in pain with the drawn face, because the pain was so bad … and the overweight person. People keep telling me I look like a teenager. I am much fitter and I’m just healthier.

Dr. M:                  

One of the things that’s in my notes, your husband is a pastor. The stress of having to be a pastor’s wife, it can be pretty intimidating. I know when you first started working, that was one of the challenges, all the social responsibilities that you have that go with that. Now, you get to this incredible role model for others to show them that no matter what’s going on, you can feel better. What are the people in your congregation saying to you?

Ruthie:                

They’re just so amazed. They’re constantly telling me they’re so pleased with how well I’m doing, that I’m able to be involved in things. I’m involved in a lot of activities that I’ve wanted to do. I felt like a failure as a pastor’s wife because I couldn’t do the things I felt I should be doing, and now I’m doing them and it’s so amazing … It’s just so exciting. I get tired by the end of the day. I’m so busy, I go and go and go because I’m able to. I’m tired when it’s bedtime and it’s so good to go to bed and be tired, go right to sleep and then wake up refreshed in the morning. In the beginning, I kind of wondered just a little bit if this was going to work … just a little in the beginning. You said firstly you have to be able to sleep through the night, to get a good night’s sleep. I wasn’t able to right off. You had given me something and I couldn’t tolerate it, so at the next appointment you switched it out for something else. The next appointment, we added something and next appointment we added something …. For the first month or so, I was wondering can I get past the very first base here of being able to sleep? Then once we conquered that and found out my allergies, from then on it was just smooth sailing. Everything went so well. It wasn’t hard to lose the weight. If I avoided the foods I shouldn’t be eating, I knew that I would keep on feeling well.

Dr. M:

I applaud you and you deserve everything you’ve got, because a lot of people would have given up. A lot of people will listen to this replay and they won’t even be proactive enough to get the book or watch a free video or whatever, because they‘ve already given up. It’s sad but true but in your case, I really applaud you for working so hard and for taking the first initial step, which I realize has to be a little intimidating to reach out to a physician you never have met and do it by phone, but you did that. I’m sure you prayed about it, you did it and then the next step was you had to trust me. You did and it didn’t go well right away, and that happens because everybody is complicated. But you hung in there and you did what you had to do, and now you’re reaping the benefits from all your hard work. I’m really proud of you.

Ruthie:

Thank you. I was at my low point when I came to you. My pain management doctor had said there was nothing more he could do for me. I was allergic to everything. That was a real blow because I needed something for pain. He said “Traditional medicine has failed you, there’s nothing more we can do” and then was like “Goodbye.” I was in so much pain. I just went home and I remember I was crying and praying, asking God to show me what to do because basically I was at the end of the rope. I had seen all the specialists and I just didn’t know what to do. That’s when the ad popped up on Facebook for you. I read it and prayed about it. That was on Friday and by Monday or Tuesday, we had decided we were going to go ahead and go for it. That was definitely God’s leading.

Dr. M:  Yeah, I totally believe that. What was it like working with me by phone? How did you find that arrangement?

Ruthie:                

Actually, at first I thought it seemed like it might be a little strange. I wasn’t sure what it’d be like but as soon as the first call, I realized this is going to be just fine. You are so compassionate, and that comes through the phone. I always knew you were there for me and that you really cared about me, which I didn’t feel always about some of my other doctors. I knew that you cared and your whole office staff… Juno and Gina are just wonderful. I felt loved by everybody. It’s like you all really cared about me as a person and you really would work hard to get my best, and you have.

Dr. M:

I’m blessed; I’ve got a wonderful staff with Cheryl, Juno and Gina. Juno has been with me for 17 years and Gina almost 12. What would you like to share with others that maybe they’re in a similar boat that you were in? What would you like to share about their difficulty with even believing that they could feel better?

Ruthie:                

I think no matter how old you are, I thought I was too old to lose weight. I knew I wouldn’t feel better without losing weight, or no matter how much pain you’re in … I’ve lived with extreme pain for a very long time. No matter where you find yourself, there’s hope. If they’re willing to do what you tell them, what your recommendations are, if they are determined to do what you say I know you can help them. If I can feel better, I feel like anybody can. I really do. I’m not any super-person with super strong character or anything; I just wanted to get well. If I could do it and realize that these things would help me, I would be foolish not to do them. I did them and I saw how amazing the change was, and that makes it a lot easier to stick with it. When it’s hard, it’s easier if you know that this will keep you doing well.

For the diet, my gluten-free diet and not eating my allergies and the elimination diet that you had, you said it’s not worth it to cheat … I think you did call it cheating probably. It’s so true, it’s not worth it to cheat. I did eat something I shouldn’t have. I was accidentally a restaurant and they put something on my food they shouldn’t have. It caused me to have the pain that I had been having, and it reminded me of how much pain I had been in. I spent the next 4 days in horrible pain and I saw what a difference it makes. If someone is considering contacting you, I would really encourage them to go ahead and do it. If they’re not happy, you can work that out too with them. I think anyone that signs up to work with you will see the results and be so thrilled.

Dr. M:

I appreciate your confidence in me. Some people will listen to that and they’ll think, oh my goodness it’s all about changing my diet. That’s all it is, I’ve tried that and it didn’t work. Really it’s much more than that, as you know. What would you reply to someone who says “I’ve changed my diet, I’ve tried to do an allergy elimination diet and it didn’t help me.” What’s different about this program than that?

Ruthie:                

You’re right there to walk them through it. If they have any problems, all they have to do is just call your office or send a email. You don’t leave someone to get discouraged. You’re just so helpful all along. If they don’t think they can do it, they can … they really can. They just need to try it. I’ve read somewhere maybe in your book where it says that a person won’t go walking to a patch of poison ivy, because they know what it’s going to do to them. It’s the same way here. You’re not going to eat a food that you know is going to hurt you and cause you pain. You just need to find out what the foods are to eliminate and once you eliminate them, then you’ll feel well. That was a really good analogy.

Dr. M:

Ruth, I want to thank you for joining me today. You’re a wonderful person. You deserve all the success that you’ve earned. I look forward with you more and more, staying in touch with you. Now you’re part of the family here, everybody’s crazy about you and crazy about your amazing success.

Ruthie: Thank you so much.

Dr. M:  You are so welcome. I look forward to talking with you soon. Have a good day.

Ruthie:  You too.


These patients and hundreds of others who’ve worked personally with me have in fact beaten their fibromyalgia. You can read or listen to their stories by clicking the link below:

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Cynthia's Story

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Janna's Story

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Robin's Story

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