Today is Fibromyalgia awareness day.
There are many symptoms of Fibromyalgia and everyone who is diagnosed does not necessarily have all of them or the same ones.
Among the most common symptoms are:
widespread pain,
insomnia,
sensitivity noise, light, smells, etc,
muscle and joint pain and or stiffness,
sensory overload,
chronic fatigue (with no apparent cause),
difficulty concentrating,
mood disturbances,
muscle spasms,
numbness in hands & feet,
chronic headaches,
memory loss,
irritable bowel syndrome.
And unfortunately, there is no cure..
I’ve had symptoms since… well for as long as I can remember!
Many people don’t know or understand what Fibromyalgia is… so I would like to share with you that Fibromyalgia is an “invisible” illness. That means, very simply, that those of us who have it may not appear to have anything wrong with them. There are no outward signs of our suffering.
So when I am in an active cycle and people say “oh but you so good”... that comment really annoys me, every single time!
I mean I’m glad I don’t look sickly, but still, it oooh it bothers me. Why? Was I afraid they thought I was exaggerating my discomfort or faking it? Is it pride? Do I desire attention? Pity? Certainly not.
You know what it is? I grow frustrated when others don’t "get" what I am going through. And that I somehow have to justify what I am struggling with. Many don’t really understand chronic pain. And for that I am grateful. I pray they never have to find out for themselves.
When family and friends are skeptical about the existence or the seriousness of our disease, it can be devastating. It can wound our self-worth and cause problems in our self-esteem. Understanding and acceptance are important.
Another aspect of Fibromyalgia that is particularly difficult is its cycles. There are times when I feel so good and think my symptoms are gone, only to have them return suddenly. Sometimes a “fibro flair” may last a few hours, while others may last for days or weeks.
The unpredictability of life with Fibromyalgia is quite frustrating. As you can imagine, the temptation is to take advantage of good days and do too much, but the result is often a severe relapse. Life often feels like a “can’t win for losing” situation.
Most of us with a chronic illness eventually accept our condition in order to live our best life.
Thankfully, we don’t have to figure everything out because He assures us, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5b {New International Version {NIV}}
This is the secret that can empower us on the days when we feel overwhelmed, and the truth we can hold on to when we get discouraged.
It’s not about what we have in us; it’s about Who.
Take Care
1 comments:
I'm sorry for your invisible pain. I have a friend I walk with who has it too and even though she says it's a daily choice for her to keep going I often forget and don't appreciate enough what it takes.
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