In the Beginning . . .

 "When did the symptoms begin?"  If I had a dime for each time I've been asked that question, I would be a wealthy woman today. I have no idea when the symptoms began.  They could have begun in childhood, maybe in my early twenties. Which symptoms began when?  Some of the so-called symptoms were so much a part of my life that I didn't realize they were symptoms because they were my "normal". 

When I was a child I remember being diagnosed with having a "nervous stomach".  I also remember missing school often due to experiencing the three-day measles every time I was near someone who had them.  I remember being told continually to "stand up straight" when I was standing as straight as I could.  I remember being told, "You're not really sick, you're just trying to get out of doing the dishes, sweeping the floor, cleaning your room, etc."