It's about time I write about this.. I have an illness.. it is a very commonly misunderstood and misdiagnosed illness called Fibromyalgia. Women are ten times more likely to get this than men... Fibro is a rheumatic condition that affects the joints and muscles.. it can also cause depression, anxiety, and fatigue (being a very common one). A few other symptoms of fibromyalgia include: extreme sensitivity to cold or heat, social isolation, IBS, difficulty with sleeping, poor circulation in the limbs(aka Raynaud's syndrome), restless leg syndrome, chronic headaches, incontinence, stiffness throughout the joints, bones, muscles. And there are many more.
Fibro causes most sufferers to ache all over. Often there are certain spots on the body that are more tender than others. In my case it is my back and neck I have the most problems with. I usually feel like my muscles have been overworked.. I feel like I have just completed a marathon that I had no training for. Today I am having the worst pain day I've had in a VERY long time. I can't actually remember having this much pain before. It could be that we just sailed through the Christmas holiday season, and I was eating sweets and drinking wine all week long. Sometimes I find increasing weather pressure can set my pain off. But it's never been like this. Today I feel like bawling. I can barely pick up four month old Noah and I can't even get on the floor to play with Zac. I can barely muster up the strength to make lunch for Zac and I.
My most difficult challenge I have had with this illness is explaining it to others. Many people refuse to believe it is real, or just can't comprehend it. My husband often forgets and doesn't quite realize the intensity that can rise with this. My brother, has often addressed this as something that is just imagined. There is a lot of misunderstanding this illness. I hope that people will someday realize that this is a real illness, just like arthritis, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, etc.....
The one thing that is keeping me going today is that my boys need me, and tomorrow is a new day...
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2 comments:
Wow Kate I never knew... my SIL has a similar illness and to be honest sometimes I forget that she is even sick because it isn't visible and some days are worse then others. You have one of the most amazing support systems I know so don't forget about all the people that love you and WANT to help whenever you need it!
my grandmother got diagnosed with this this past summer too
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