What is Fibromyalgia?

I ask this because I really don’t know.

My mother has been fighting against a seemingly unidentifiable immune disorder for many years.  She is unable to eat sugar in almost all it’s forms which for a fruit lover is torture.  It was scary growing up having to be her “babysitter”; having to make sure she didn’t eat something that she and the rest of us would regret.  We’ve had to take her to the emergency room a number of times in anaphylactic shock due to the severity of the allergic reaction.  Sometimes the reactions were milder like vertigo, slight tightness in the chest, irregular heartbeat and blurred vision or numbness in various areas of her body, mainly the face, hands and feet.

In later years the condition has progressed beyond what she can reasonably control with diet restrictions alone.  The mere act of eating sends her into a spell of weakness, pain and lack of mental clarity.  One doctor gave her a diagnosis of fibromyalgia which explains her constant muscular pain, but even he said it did not necessarily cover all of her other symptoms.  The bad thing now is that both my parents are nearing retirement age and my father is in a job that offers NO benefits.  He has been looking for over 2 years for something better, but even with age discrimination laws in place he’s told that he’s “over qualified” for the positions employers are looking to fill.
Even though my mother has no health insurance and it would be a strain for my parents’ to pay out of pocket should something catastrophic happen to her you can’t seem to stop her.  She gets depressed sometimes because her constant weakness makes her unable to drive.  She feels like a prisoner in her own house.  I feel bad for her and pray daily that she is able to care for herself one more day and that she not lose hope.  I wish I had the funds to help them pay for medical care for her.  The $12 I have in my bank account wouldn’t even cover a copayment if they did have insurance.

Longevity does not run in my family.  At least the last generation was short lived due to disease.  I hope my mother can live long enough to see my brother get married.  Or at least to see her second grandbaby born.  I love my mother so much.  She has always been my friend and confidant.  The thought of losing her turns me to mush. I hope my babies get to know her so they can remember what a wonderful woman she is.