A Letter From Diana
My name is Diana. I'm 45 and have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. My tale follows the familiar story line of being misdiagnosed. It took two years to be diagnosed correctly.
At first, doctors said it was stress because my parents were dying. It was a year of weekly stays with a 3-hour drive each way. Finally, with my Dad passing away and my Mother placed in a good nursing home in a city where my 3 sisters live, I thought some peace and quiet would cure "The Problem."
But it didn't. Now, I noticed that new things going awry in my body. I couldn't think straight, forget words in the middle of a sentence, and as for memory, I didn't have one. Then my arms, hands, and elbows took turns aching and falling to sleep. Then came the nights of pain and numbness. I couldn't sleep even on the very good days, wide-awake at 4a.m.
Finally back to the doctor I go and said, "this is not stress." I described my ailments then he decided to do a pressure points test. I believe there are 18, I had 16. So they started me on a med to promote Stage 4 Sleep where the body does its healing. It helped my insomnia and a little of the pain was left, but the "flare ups" came faster, stronger. And I was living with pain daily. Question wasn't if I was going to have pain for the day, but how long and how strong.
Being a person who believes you should learn about what is happening to you, I started searching the Internet about 'fibromyalgia' going to trusted sites and colleges doing studies. Then I started reading about what helped other people. I ran across a woman talking about OPC and Dr. Masquelier. She was selling her own vitamins. But I wanted the "real stuff" from France. I was figuring if it came from grape seeds or maritime pine bark, maybe it also had something in it that you could only get from France's soil. So I searched until I found a site telling about a lawsuit that that been won here in the USA by the company that had legal permission to sell OPC Gold Blend. Then came the scientific studies showing "it was his patented extract method" that made the DIFFERENCE. So off to another site and I order a bottle. The woman I read about said it took her a week. I didn't believe it.
By now I had chronic pain everyday and "fiber fog" where I couldn't think or talk without losing thoughts or words. My head felt that it was being crushed down onto the top of my spine, my back was so tight you could bounce quarters off of it, and headaches where I just laid and cried. Here I was a 45-year-old woman who was supposed to be in the prime of her life, who used to run circles around her friends, and who loved to clean and organize friends homes. I would renovate, paint, shop, move furniture, and clean out. Now I got up at 2p.m. and by 5p.m. wanted to go back to bed. I didn't cook anymore and didn't eat. Who wants to eat - when your in constant pain - who cares about food?
So I figured I would give OPC Gold Blend three months. Since my mind, body, and sprit had been through the ringer, I knew natural could take longer than meds. I got a calendar and marked the days with information so I wouldn't have to count on memory.
Within 30 days, this is what happened: my constant backache went away, the chronic pain subsided, and fiber fog was fading away. In the second month, my pain was no longer daily, in fact I forgot I had fibromyalgia. When I did have a "flare up" over the next year, they were far between, for only 3-4 hours, and much lighter pain. No more 3-4 weeks straight with no let up, my mind was clearer, and my constant fatigue was going away. I still needed 10-12 hours of sleep, but when I got up I could go for the same amount of time. There was a time I slept for 12-14 hours and wanted to go to bed 2 hours later.
The other great thing about OPC Gold Blend is that it can be a stand-alone supplement, which is great for the pocket book. After 2 months on it, I could take only two 100mg per day to maintain my reality-free, pain-free state. If I got a flare up, I would double my dose for a couple of days, and usually by the next day it was gone.
This is the first time that I have ever considered writing a testimonial about a product. But I know the frustration of the "trial and error" method and the expense. I encourage anyone to try it first. Then learn about your illness and find the conditions that set off your episodes. What helps me is to get up, take my OPC Gold Blend, and do stretches in the shower. I pray that this product is a blessing to you as it has been for me.
-Diana