In the US, approximately 1 in 13 women and 1 in 20 men are diagnosed with fibromyalgia. To put those numbers in perspective, breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women, cervical cancer affects 1 in 13 women, and colon cancer affects 1 in 25 women and 1 in 23 men. Yet, even though the prevalence of fibromyalgia is in a similar range, screening for these cancers has become mainstream, and fibromyalgia remains on the sidelines of medical training.

As patients, we have to be more proactive than ever and be as knowledgeable as possible to make good decisions about our care. In many cases, we know more than our doctors, who – despite being compassionate – just don’t know how to help you. Unfortunately, it’s just the way the system is set up.

This is the reason Tami created the International Fibromyalgia Coaching Institute. A Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® or Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® can help fill this care gap by educating, encouraging, and supporting people with fibromyalgia. As people with fibromyalgia ourselves, we can give you real tips and tricks from our own lives and things that have helped us with our fibromyalgia. On average, graduates of our Certified Fibromyalgia Advisor® class improve their symptoms by about 50% during the three-month class, and graduates of our Certified Fibromyalgia Coach® class are often nearly symptom-free, with an average improvement of 75%.

In today’s ninth installment of our Fibromyalgia Stories of Hope and Healing, some of our recent graduates share their fibro journeys and how they’ve improved their fibromyalgia symptoms. In this episode, you’ll hear about the importance of fibromyalgia coaching, how a fibromyalgia coach fits into your healthcare team, statistics on the prevalence of fibromyalgia, the importance of patient education and fibro awareness, the correlation between long COVID and increased fibromyalgia diagnoses, how the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire is used, how our programs help graduates to improve their symptoms, Dr. Robin’s long journey with fibromyalgia, why we need fibromyalgia coaches, what it was like for Dr. Robin to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach®, characteristics of a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset, why a growth mindset can help your fibromyalgia, cultivating a growth mindset, the role of a coach, the three key characteristics that contribute to successful management of fibromyalgia, a client experience story from Tina on the transformative power of a growth mindset in managing fibromyalgia, next steps for graduates, how Jeannette’s undiagnosed ADHD masked her fibromyalgia symptoms for decades, why it was essential to her healing process for her to acknowledge her ADHD diagnosis, the significant difference between working with a coach and doing self-study and reading, the value of self-care and self-compassion in managing fibromyalgia, the lifestyle changes and support systems that contributed most to Jeannette’s symptom management, Jeannette’s advice for perfectionists and hope for the future, Margo’s skepticism and initial resistance to positivity about life with fibromyalgia, what it was like working with her coach Gisèle compared to her DIY approach, benefits of having a coach who understands fibromyalgia from personal experience, how community and shared experiences in the coaching class helped her journey, recognizing self-love as a healing process, the emotional healing process, learning to better communicate your needs, Margo’s message to skeptics, finding the right people to help you on your healing journey, how the class helped Ileana improve her fibromyalgia, what it was like as a coach working with a fibro coach, the need to look beyond managing symptoms and focus on joy and balance in life, the positive impact of finding a functional medicine doctor, the factors that contributed the most to improving Ileana’s symptoms, connecting with your purpose, practicing self-love and compassion as vital elements for improving your fibromyalgia, and more.

Note: This episode is not meant to be medical advice. Every person and every situation is unique. The information you learn in this episode should be shared and discussed with your own healthcare providers.