| Learning Objective #1: Describe the essence of the participants' lived experience with fibromyalgia | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Understand the need for nursing research to discover therapeutics that may improve the quality of life in women with fibromyalgia |
Objective: The phenomenon of interest was to explore the experience of rural women living with fibromyalgia (FMS). Design: A triangulated phenomenological design was conducted using van Manen’s methodology. Population, Sample, Setting: The sample consisted of women with FMS who lived in rural areas of a southern state. Data were collected in facilities where FMS support group meetings were regularly held and as preferred by the participants. Methods: A seven-member research team conducted individual interviews (n=41), focus groups (n=4 groups at 10-12 participants each), and observations of FMS support group meetings (n=2 at 20-40 participants each) in different regions of a southern state. Questions asked during the participant interviews were: What’s it like to live with FMS? What works for you? What does not work for you? The purpose of the focus group interviews was to explore with the participants what they needed from the health care system. Observation of the support group meetings focused on social interaction, dialogue, networking, emotion, mutual caring and support within the group. Findings: From repeating/enduring patterns, five themes and a synthesis of unity emerged. The themes that emerged from ‘what is it like?’: “I keep losing the battle.”; “I’ve lost myself.”; “Nobody believes me.”; Suffering; and from ‘what do you need from the health care system?’ “Primum non nocere” (do no harm). The Synthesis of Unity was “Life is a struggle everyday mentally, physically, emotionally and that’s the way we live.” Conclusions: The study’s participants verify that health care providers are not comfortable with diagnosing and treating FMS. In sharing what works for them, these women described complementary healing modalities; whereas, what does not work for them they clearly stated “medicine…and medication.” Implications: Implications support caring as the essence of nursing. An intervention study is being designed to examine treatment modalities (as defined by participants).
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