Daughter with Fibromyalgia : Need help

[sweetheartedly]

Hello, this is my first post on this forum. I have a daughter that has been suffering from fibromyalgia for four years now. She is currently 16, in her junior year of high school. When she was in the sixth grade I had her take the infamous Gardasil shot. Although we are not sure, we do think that is what triggered her fibromyalgia, as there has been several reports on this same thing.

She has suffered from severe pain (Chest pain, joint pain, muscle pain, stomach, migraines, etc), severe insomnia, and mild anxiety amongst several other symptoms. For the past couple years we have been on and off for school. Starting in her freshman year of high school, we did home hospital for the year, however since, her doctor's have been reluctant to sign off on more years, as home hospital is meant to be a temporary thing (As well as her pediatrician not really believing in fibromyalgia, we have since changed her doctor). The following year we switched to a charter school, which she only had to go in two days a week. For the first quarter she went in as often as she could, but it became increasingly hard for her.

The following quarter, she wasn't able to attend school at all. We met with the school admin, and they said to keep trying, so for the rest of the year she went in to take her tests, and did the rest of her work online. This worked for a while, however now they are saying that this is not something that they can do or allow anymore, so we are at a very hard place. She has been super stressed out, she feels inadequate, and it is only making her fibromyalgia worse. She is a very good student, who used to get mostly A's and B's, I have talked to her about doing online school that offers diplomas, however it is extremely costly (Can get to $12,000 for two years), and truthfully I am not sure if I trust online schools. Unfortunately I am a full time elementary school teacher, that does not have any time to homeschool her.

I have talked to her about instead getting her GED, however she has plans to go to college and worries that this will reduce her chances of getting into the ones she wants. She cares a ton about her future, and is trying her best to work around all of this. Is there any suggestions that anyone has, I would greatly appreciate anything. I want only the best for my daughter, and need help.

 

[1sweed]

I would highly suggest you find out about local homeschooling groups in your area. They would be able to offer many suggestions as far as best online collage courses and as well help your daughter continue her schooling at home for as long as necessary. Even your most local community collages might be able to make some allowances in helping your daughter stay in school and maintain her high grade average.

Fibro can be so tough to deal with at any age, but I think for the younger generation it is so depressing as in they are just starting out in life and want to spread their wings and fly into great careers and begin to start families. Please tell her to be brave and not to give up. Where there is a will, there is a way.
I hope this is of some help to you. Please invite your daughter to join the forum as there are many here who can offer encouragement and helpful ways of coping with this illness. I can tell you love your daughter and I wish you the best of success in finding a way for her to continue her education.

 

[wonweekatatime]

I'm really glad you care so much about her and her life. It's really refreshing to see that level of love! Try to continue to keep your home a haven from stress, for both of you. It's easier to deal with pain when you have a support team like you are and a place to flourish, whether you can secure the home schooling or not. From my personal experience, it's a good idea to see if her issues are autoimmune. I have had many issues I "shouldn't have at my age" because they were autoimmune. I see a rheumatologist. This kind of doctor can run a blood test to see if the factors are there for autoimmune diseases, like soft tissue rheumatism. Regardless, in the day and age, I do NOT think it is at all unusual for fibromyalgia to present itself at earlier and earlier ages. I hope she gets good care, and I hope she doesn't give up on her dreams because of her pain nor the outside world not understanding. Go team Mom!

 

[c.haines1178]

My 16 year old son has ADHD and has had a very difficult time in public school due to reasons stemming from this. We use an online accredited school called Accellus Academy. They offer a ton of class options in each grade level. Allow for parent access to see grades, schedules, etc. Can be done at the child's own pace and the classes are set up with actual instructors provided via recorded video lectures, etc. which allow for the student to actually see a real person teaching as they would in the classroom. It's like $30 a month I think. This may be something to consider. Also, I know in my state the public school offers a "virtual" public school option, though we had a lot of trouble with the program as it was only their second year offering it, but if possible in your state might be an option!