AFFTER's Essay Contest

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ANNOUNCEMENT - AFFTER's Essay Contest

AFFTER - a non-profit 501©(3) organization

www.affter.org

(Advocates for Fibromyalgia Funding, Treatment, Education and Research)

~ Helping those with fibromyalgia and related conditions ~

TOPIC: Misdiagnosis of FMS or CFS - A Personal Account

DEADLINE: March 30, 2007 - Winners will be announced mid April.

AFFTER is requesting submissions from FMS and CFS sufferers for an essay

contest. If you were incorrectly diagnosed with an illness other than FMS

or CFS prior to receiving the correct (current) diagnosis, we would like to

hear your story. We need to spread the word about the difficult journey we

go through as patients, and the trouble getting a proper diagnosis is just

the beginning of that journey!

The winner will have their essay published in the upcoming volume of The

Fibromyalgia Focus, the official publication of AFFTER and will receive a

complimentary one-year AFFTER membership. There will also be one runner-up

chosen for possible publication in the future, and that person will also

will receive a complimentary 1-year AFFTER membership.

REQUIREMENTS: Submissions should be emailed as a Word document with 1 "

margins, single spaced with size 12 font and a suggested length of 1 to

1-1/2 pages. Use of reasonably good grammar is recommended.

SUGGESTIONS to get you started: What were your symptoms that the original

diagnosis was based on? What illnesses were discussed as possibilities

based on your symptoms? What tests or examinations were done to determine

what illnesses you had? What types and how many doctors and other health

care professionals did you see? How long did it take to get an appropriate

diagnosis?

INCLUDE WITH YOUR SUBMISSION: First and last name, full postal address,

email address, phone number. You can choose anonymity if you don't want

your name to appear in the newsletter - please indicate this choice with

your submission.

RULES: AFFTER reserves the right to edit submitted material for grammar or

space limitations. (*) Copyrighted material or essays previously published

*ARE eligible, and we expect the author to disclose that information (AFFTER

will not be responsible for any copyright infringement.) AFFTER reserves

the right to publish any submitted material, all or in part, in other

newsletters or publications, and will give author credit unless anonymity is

specified upon submission.

COMMENTARY: Illnesses such as FMS and CFS are difficult to diagnose and

often times are misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all. Tragically, there are

even people who have had unnecessary surgery as a result of an incorrect

diagnosis. The discrepancies and inconsistencies in the diagnostic process

add to the credibility problem. We need to get the message out that the

lack of a laboratory test to confirm the existence of these illnesses, leads

to misdiagnosis, improper treatment and overall lack of credibility.

www.affter.org