This week we are interviewing another of our men with Fibro – David E. Lentz of Macon, GA. He’s a husband, father, grandfather, and a retired corrections officer. I he was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 2012, at the age of 43, but says he’s likely had it since at least 2006.
Give me some basics… Are you married? Kids? Pets? Work? What do you enjoy?
I’ve been married 22 years to Karen Lentz. We have 3 adult sons, a daughter-in-law, and a granddaughter. We have 3 dogs, two granddogs, two cats, and one snake. I’m disability retired from the GA Dept. of Corrections as a corrections officer. I have a Masters in Justice and Security Administration. I enjoy firearms, archery, hunting, and fishing. I mentor boys in my church boys ministry.
What lead up to your diagnosis (symptoms, dr visits, etc)?
I experienced lots of pain, fatigue, fluctuating weight, mental fog, sensitivity to sounds, claustrophobia, anger, cold sweats, and vertigo. My GP ran just about every test imaginable to figure out my problem and in the end the only thing that made sense was Fibromyalgia. I also went to a psychiatrist and got diagnosed with PTSD, which has some similarities with Fibro. I went to one Reumy who supposedly was a Fibro specialist and was told he couldn’t do anything my GP wasn’t doing, and Fibro wasn’t really a disease but just a bunch of symptoms…needless to say I was pissed and never went back.
How did this diagnosis change your life?
My family won’t say it completely to my face but they know I’m not the same anymore and never will be…sometimes I feel like they look at me as a monster, and I can’t always blame them. My wife is disabled and I was the one who helped her a lot, so our marriage has taken a helluva hit-our communication has broken down and we are always hurting and/or angry. We still love each other but it is a daily battle not to let the pain win.
My career was destroyed, even with a college degree and 17 years professional experience. Once you are broken the Dept. has no more use for you, especially when you are a middle-aged male.
How did your family initially handle your illness?
My wife was upset and my kids weren’t too thrilled either, but our relationship had been eroding due to the PTSD (at the time undiagnosed but suspected). I refused to consider the possibility of something serious happening to me for a long time and that just made things worse. I paid a price staying in corrections so long and my family has paid it also.
What do you feel is the most challenging aspect of Fibro?
I can’t afford my medicine right now (going on 2+ months) and the constant pain, fatigue, and Fibro Fog are crushing me. I had the pavement pulled out from under me by an invisible disease and I’m still trying to understand the changes in my life. I’m hoping my appeal for SSDI with a judge (maybe in July) will come through so I can get a little breathing room.
Do you have any other co-existing conditions? If so, what are they and how do they impact your Fibromyalgia?
I’ve got PTSD which for me is a Jeckyll/Hyde proposition. I’m either angry, about to be angry, or pretending not to be angry. We can throw in some nightmares/flashbacks for variety’s sake. The claustrophobia and vertigo are similar to some Fibro symptoms so it seems my dueling maladies have signed a truce and get along nicely…
I also have Osteoarthritis and Degenerative Disk Disease.
What (if anything) have you found/ done that has improved your symptoms?
Canadian Mist works temporarily but I can’t stay lit all the time. (Hopefully you can recognize the humor here) Relief, even with meds, is never completely reached, so I’m always in some kind of pain. If Marijuana ever becomes legal in GA I would probably give it a go. Listening to Classical Music (moderate volume) while trying to relax helps some.
How open are you with friends & family about your illness & symptoms?
I don’t hide it from friends but I doubt if they really understand it. Some friends in the medical field pretty much get it. Some family and friends think it is more in my head than anything so I don’t deal with them as much.
What is the best advice you’ve received regarding Fibromyalgia?
Learn to live with the fact that I may never get better while on Earth. I believe that God can heal me if it is His Will, but even if He doesn’t I’ll be new again once I get into Heaven, so it will happen eventually, just maybe not in my life here.
What was the worst advice that you followed?
I should gut my way through things regardless of how I feel…that can be the worst friggin’ advice to ever give someone-taking the time to get better doesn’t make one weak, but I learned that a bit late.
What is your favorite way to cope with your life as a spoonie?
Mentoring boys in the children’s ministry, hunting, fishing, and listening to classical music are my favorite coping mechanisms.
What is it that inspires you to keep going, despite your illness?
The sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for me-nothing else comes close.
What is one thing you’ve learned about yourself since your diagnosis?
I can be nice one minute and angry and dangerous the next without even noticing the change-controlling this is a challenge but so far I haven’t crossed over into stupid. I also thought I knew how much pain I could handle-I didn’t have a clue!
What is the most important piece of advice you would give to someone newly diagnosed with Fibro (or even still seeking a diagnosis)?
Take plenty of time to pray and seek healing and comfort from God through Jesus Christ, communicate with others who have the same illness (menwithfibro.com, etc.), learn to live life AT YOUR OWN NEW PACE, and don’t try to maintain your old pace, it will not happen and you’ll just waste precious energy on frustration.
Make sure you have a doctor who is open-minded and willing to order the needed tests and listen to what you have to say-if they don’t believe in Fibro find one that does.
Is there anything else you’d like the readers to know?
Fibro won’t kill you but can make you feel like you are going to die-communicating with those of us in the same boat can go a long way to helping you cope. The idiotic commercials where someone takes a pill and reclaims their entire lifestyle won’t help but we can!
If you’d like to connect with David you can reach him via email or find him on Facebook [David Elmer Lentz (Macon, GA) ]. He suggests that if you want to connect to him on Facebook that you send him a message first and tell him where you learned about him.
If you enjoyed this interview and would like to share your own Fibro Warrior story, please contact me.
Stephanie Allen says
I’m new to sharing my pain with people but I’ve recently said things on Facebook and it really helped. I’ve been living with fibro since 2000 along with many other illnesses and diseases. God bless & heal all of us!! I am also waiting for my disability court date which could take up to a year with my lawyer. Stay positive and get lots of rest 🙂
Julie says
Hi Stephanie, thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope you hear back on your disability soon.