Pain is subjective right? Some of us are taught at a young age to suck it up, stop complaining, “it’s not that serious”, or we are “dramatic”. As crazy as that sounds, it’s true! I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia at the age of 33; exactly six months after getting over Covid-19. I worked in the Pediatric ICU as a night nurse and contracted Covid June 2020 from my nurse manager. I was terrified because I had already been diagnosed with Chronic Systemic Exertion Intolerance Syndrome at 23 years old. I was definitely expecting to fall apart. Funny enough, I actually did fine, or so I thought. It wasn’t until about five months after Covid that I began to feel down, sore every day, anxious, and my feet and hands would feel tingly when I was asleep. At first I ignored this as just mere “signs of stress” and over working myself. I was working 7 to 10 nights at a time in order to save money to buy a house for myself and my two kids. Maybe I was just overwhelmed, overworked, and stressed out. Finally, in January of 2021 I gave in and went to see my primary. Explained to her my symptoms and she brought to my attention the possibility of being more susceptible to Autoimmune Disorders once you already have one. After many appointments and tests, my diagnosis of Fibromyalgia was confirmed. I cried for days because why another Autoimmune Disorder? I was worried about the medications, the pain, the anxiety, and people not believing me. After asking questions and obsessive panic and research, I made the decision to deny medication and focus on lifestyle changes. Big decisions came about during 2021 and the “lifestyle” changes included minimizing stress, eating cleaner than I was eating, minimizing caffeine, no artificial sugars, and working out consistently to manage the pain and sadly, leaving PICU. I transitioned into the operating room to work in a less stressful specialty area and have recently transitioned into Clinical Education of Procedural Areas such as Cath Lab, OR, Pre-Op, PACU, Interventional Radiology, and Endoscopy. I am able to educate new and established nurses on how to manage nurse stress, career advancement, and the overall prioritization of “me” while in nursing. This career has giving me so many highs and lows. Once in a while I have my down moments if I try and do too much, but overall I am medication free for three years next month! The knowledge I have acquired over the years has inspired me to also become certified in Nutrition and Personal Training. I help women around me learn to love themselves, lose weight, eat better, and most importantly LOVE LIFE. We focus on a positive relationship with nutrition and physical activity, peace of mind, and minimizing stress in the workplace. I plan on continuing everything I do now and more as time allows me to. I want to continue to remain healthy and live long for myself as well as my two children! It’s all about health and wellness! Anything we put our mind to we can accomplish!