It all began...

It all began in 1979. Suddenly I was so sick that the act of getting out bed exhausted me. What started out as a case of mononucleosis became a devastating life changing event. I would never be the same. Life as I knew it ended, before it even started. I was 19.

Here is a brief synopsis of some of the diagnoses I was given as the illness progressed through the years:
*Mononucleosis
*Chronic Mononucleosis
*Epstein-Barr
*Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ "yuppie flu"
*Chronic Strep Infection
*Systemic Yeast Infection
*Environmental Illness/Asthma
*Multiple Chemical Sensitivities
*Functional Hypoglycemia
*Interstitial Cystitis
*Adrenal Exhaustion
*Depression
*Fibromyalgia
*In 1993 I h=gave birth to my 2nd daughter, who was born terminally ill with trisomy 16p. She lived 22 months.
*Hashimoto's Disease

(at this point it was brought to my attention that an "unknown organism" was causing my immune system to attack my body)
*ME/CFIDS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Immune Deficiency Syndrome)
*Sjogren's Syndrome

Ironically, I was one of the lucky ones: I didn't get diagnosed as mentally ill, or as a hypochondriac. Sadly, this was how most patients like myself were treated during these years. In October of 2009, something changed all that. The Whittmore-Peterson Institute announced their study findings: "We have detected the retroviral infection XMRV is greater than 95% of the more than 200 ME/CFS, Fibromylagia, Atypical MS patients tested."