Baylee's Fibro Team

You know the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." Well, I feel like we could also apply that to Fibromyalgia, only it would be, "It takes a team to support a Fibromite." Or something like that. I'm sure you guys could come up with something better. 

The point of this post though is to give a shout out to all of the different people who make up "Team Baylee." They will be listed in no particular order, by the by.

Dr. Collins- My rheumatologist, the sweet lady I see once a quarter, and the lady who hooks me up with my meds. Every appointment we go over my pain levels, she re-examines my body to check for new issues, and she makes it a point to address not only the pain but the psychological side of the disorder. She's listens to me when I tell her something isn't working, and she is always helpful when I call to ask about adjusting my medication. This woman has definitely found her calling. Every time I leave my appointment, no matter how upset or discourage I was when I walked in, I always feel refreshed and ready to go fight some more. 

Target Pharmacy Team- I LOVE my pharmacy. I get the best customer service from them (except for one time, but it was an isolated situation.) I can never keep track of which medicine I'm actually supposed to be picking up. All of my med refill dates over lap and I never know which one is up. The few times I've ran out of refills they've taken care of me and are always willing to contact my doctor for me. They are just AMAZING! 

Rachel- The nice lady who used to listen to me talk once a week. I don't see her anymore for financial reasons, but she was there through everything that happened over the year before I got my diagnosis. She is the first therapist I've seen that I have actually been 100% open and honest with. She helped me through several previous existing issues, and gave me great advice for the current situation I was in. She gave me tools that I will be able to use for the rest of my life to deal with stress that don't include medicating myself. That in itself was worth all the money I could ever give her.

Dr. Pace- My chiropractor, my life saver. He has never lost faith in my ability to get better. He encouraged me through my weight loss before the wedding. I was always so excited to report my new results to him! He was there through all of the frustration of my diagnosis process and what I went through at work. Him, his wife, and staff all genuinely care about both Jeremy and I. We love them to pieces and consider them family!

My Mom and Dad- My mother, who also has Fibromyalgia, is the person I call when I want to vent, celebrate, or just get an outside perspective. I don't have to pretend with her. If I feel like crap, I can just tell her I feel like crap, she understands, and vice versa. If I need to get my head straight I can ask her if I'm being crazy or if I'm valid for feeling the way I do. I know she'll be honest with me. She's always told me, "There's nothing you will ever do or see that I haven't already done or seen." As a kid I always just laughed and shrugged it off. I have since learned that it's absolutely, positively true. She seriously knows everything. Dad has always taken such good care of Mom when she would flare. And he did an even more amazing job taking care of me as a child when Mom was feeling really bad. Now that I'm an adult, he has turned into a wonderful friend that I can ask advice from. Or we can just talk about music, movies, video games...he's just a wonderful support role that I know will always be there to love me and help if I need it. I couldn't and wouldn't trade that sense of security for anything in this world. 

Friends- There are so many friends I depend on, and they're all in their own little category. I have the friends who can always make me laugh when I'm frustrated or sad, the friends who I can vent to and no matter how crazy I sound they'll always offer to go beat someone up just to make me laugh and feel better. I have the friends that drag me back to reality when I've gone down the rabbit hole of depression/anxiety and start freaking out about something I have no control over. I've got my Facebook Fibro friends, my Twitter FIbro peeps, and of course my gals of Faith, Hope, and Fibromyalgia. Those ladies have made such a huge impact on my life and I've only known them three weeks. Namely, Joy Peterson, the founder. She checks on me daily via text or email, we pray for each other and pray over our husbands that God will give them the strength, patience, and energy to help take care of us. I've got my friends who live far away and we only talk through Facebook. I can't tell you how amazing it is when I see you guys following my posts here or on Twitter. It seriously means the world to me that you would even be interested in learning about Fibro! THANK YOU! Your support uplifts me daily!

Jeremy- I know you guys are probably sick and tired of hearing me go on and on about my husband and how awesome he is. But you'll just have to get over it :) He's SUPER awesome. He has the patience of a saint, and the tolerance of a wooden statue. Sometimes I don't know how he puts up with me, but I know without a doubt he loves me. This is another sense of security I am thankful for. I know he will be there for me. Always. Love you babe :)

Maggie- This amazing woman is the one I call my Best Friend. I can't help but using that term. We've known each other going on 13yrs. She is the ying to my yang. We're complete opposites but fit so well together. She has inspired me to write and reach out about Fibro, like she has about Crohn's. She has been so encouraging throughout the entire time we've known each other. She stuck with me through all of my crazy boyfriend nonsense in high school and my huge heart breaks in college. She's seen me at my best and most certainly at my worst. Some people mistake us for sisters, and we used to call ourselves The Grace Sisters back in high school. (The most clumsy in real life, yet graceful in dance.) She was the Maid of Honor in my wedding, and one day my kids will call her Aunt Maggie. Even though she's in Chicago and I'm in New Orleans, we still find time to talk and check on each other. This friendship is one that will, with no doubt, last a lifetime. 

It goes without saying that God is on Team Baylee as well. I know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be in my life. I feel that more right now than I ever have before. 

And there you have it. I hope I haven't left anyone off. There are so many people who I know support me, so please don't be offended if I didn't list you by name. I love and appreciate every single one of you. 

<Who makes up YOUR Support Team?>