Joanne Lee SmithChronic pain and symptoms recovery Nurse / Coach

Fibromyalgia Patient's Fight for New Treatment

8 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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1:17

In this segment of her YouTube video, Joanne Smith recounts her experience after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2023. She expected a follow‑up review three months later, but the appointment never materialised. Determined to explore a newly discovered treatment approach, she returned to her general practitioner (GP) to request a change from the prescribed medication. The GP responded dismissively, mocking the idea of a cure and telling her she would be "very rich" if she found one. Feeling shut down and hopeless, Joanne decided to abandon further attempts to secure the review and instead commit fully to pursuing the alternative treatment on her own.

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Okay. I've never had a fibromyalgia review before because I was diagnosed in 2023, and shortly after I found out about this approach. I went— they told me that I'd get a review 3 months later. Nothing came through. I went back to the GP. I went back there. I was like, I really want to talk to you about this new approach that I've heard about. I've been learning a lot. I attempted to discuss it with my GP. In other words, I said, I don't want to continue with the medication that was recommended. I want to do this approach. And the GP wasn't open, wouldn't— they just said— and I said, I've heard that there is a cure for fibromyalgia. And the GP said, if you can find a cure for fibromyalgia, then you'll be a very rich woman. And I just felt so shut down and hopeless and I was just— I went in there feeling finally a little bit of hope, and I said, I've not had my review, but I found out about this, and do you know anything about this? Are you willing to— and I just got shut down and told, if you can find a cure for it, you'll be a very rich, rich woman. And then I made the decision at that point I wasn't going to chase up the appointment, and I was just going to go all in, and that's what I did.