Do you have Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or another chronic invisible illness? Perhaps you have an over-lap condition to Lupus like, Sjogren’s Syndrome, Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, Raynaud’s Phenomenon, Rheumatoid Arthritis, or Scleroderma?
If you have been diagnosed with any of these conditions, please know you are not alone.
When I was first diagnosed with Fibromyalgia I had a difficult time with all the information I read. Trying to process it all was overwhelming at first, to say the least. Truth is, I still struggle with it. I am currently in the midst of a Fibro flare. Day five, actually. I wake up wondering if it will be over today. Each day makes me feel lethargic and even more incredibly sore than usual. I am so tired and worn out! My joints *h*U*r*T* with every movement. My head continues to throb in the front and the back. Ibuprofen barely takes the edge off of any of it. It is a major drag, to say the least.
However, I still have to live life daily, flare or not. I only go through my day much… S-L-O-W-E-R. I still need to cook. I still need to do laundry. I still need to (remember) to pay bills. I still need to take care of my family. I still….still…still….
Now, I do read about Fibromyalgia and Lupus as often as I can. Especially when I have a new symptom. It helps me to know that others are going through this, yet, at the same time, makes me sad at the thought. I blame almost every pain I have on the Fibro because it probably is the Fibro causing the pain.
The hardest thing you will find to digest is the acceptance that you actually have what the doctors have said, what the blood tests show and what you are reading about. When you read about the condition and all the symptoms of the condition and you can relate to them-that’s rough.
I still have days where I feel alone in this new battle I find myself in. Some days I want to withdraw from others and recluse myself. Sometimes, I even feel sorry for myself. What???? Hey, I am only human. Unless a person actually suffers from this awful disease they have NO idea how the person with the disease feels. They can read about it, but unless THEY are experiencing it, they have NO understanding of what it means to feel this way. Just saying.
Yes, I have Fibromyalgia. Yes, I suffer daily. Yes, I implement the power of positive thinking daily. Yes, it does not always work! Yes, I am a fighter! Yes, I can DO this! And yes, so can YOU!
Let us persevere in this new race of chronic pain!
We are the champions, my friend!
