Living with Fibromyalgia

Lynne Matallana Director and Founder

National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA)

National Fibromyalgia Association

MISSION: The NFA’s mission is to develop and execute programs dedicated to improving the quality of life for people affected by Fibromyalgia (FM).

Founded in 1997 in Orange, California by Lynne Matallana and Karen Lee Richards, the National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA) is the largest nonprofit organization in the U.S. for people with fibromyalgia and other chronic pain illnesses.

Lynne and Karen became acquainted in the mid 1990’s through a fibromyalgia (FM) chat group on the internet. Both women had seen numerous doctors before receiving a diagnosis and felt that many people were not receiving the medical attention and community support that they desperately needed.

What is it Really Like to Live with Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia Does Not Discriminate

What Does Fibromyalgia Feel Like?

1. Having been hit by a Mack truck.2. Acid running through your veins.3. You have been stung by 1,000,000 bees.4. As stiff as a 100 year old woman… on her worst day.5. A blow torch is pointed at you and your skin is on fire.6. Like you have the worst flu of your life…only it never goes

away.7. Like your bones are going to pop out of their joints if you move.8. There are spiders crawling up the back of your legs and you

can’t get them off of you.9. Your muscles are in such tight knots that your body has turned

to stone.10. Getting thrown from a bull and then it stomping on you.11. Like you don’t know how you are going to get through the next

few minutes because the pain, fatigue, spasms, headache and nausea are so great that you just want to die!

Myths and Stigmas

DepressedDepressed

Lazy Lazy

DifficultDifficultComplainerComplainer

AbusedAbused

ConfusedConfused

“My Story”

Fibromyalgia Hurts…

…But The Future is Bright!

For A Good Quality of Life Despite Fibromyalgia!

There is HOPE if we Work Together!