Gosport fibromyalgia sufferer sets up support group

Susan Davey from Gosport is one of the 1.5m sufferers of the condition in the UK and had to leave her highly stressful job as a Contract and

Project Director to focus on her health.

The 57-year-old said: ‘I was working long hours, I was stressed and my home life suffered.

‘I wasn't able to leave my house, I felt so isolated and lonely. There were days when I was ready to give up.

‘If someone had told me back then that I could turn it around, I wouldn't have believed them.’

The medications she was prescribed weren't helping the intense pain and it became increasingly difficult to maintain a positive mindset but Susan decided to take matters into her own hands and began studying vigorously to learn more about complementary therapies and how they can help people living with chronic pain.

She said: ‘I decided that I had to help myself so I did a lot of research.

‘I got tested for food intolerances and adjusted my diet, worked hard to get back to a healthy sleeping schedule and I discovered the benefits of meditation to control the pain.’

Susan also began practicing mindfulness, hypnotherapy, and Reiki and now wants to use her skills to help others by creating a support group in Gosport.

She added: ‘Job centres and doctor surgeries have records of many people living with fibromyalgia and I want those people to know that they have somewhere to go where they can speak to people who are living with this condition too.’

The fibromyalgia support group's first meeting will be held at Coffee 1 in Gosport at 1pm on Friday August 16.

The aim is for it to be a free monthly event where people can share knowledge and techniques on how to manage the condition and to begin to build a support network full of people who can help each other.