Why did you pick me, Fibromyalgia?It’s a question I ask myself a lot. Sometimes out of curiosity, so I can manage it better and sometimes more in anger and frustration. If I could write Fibromyalgia a letter asking why I have it and how I manage it, so I can explain it to others, then this is the reply I would expect: Dear Deb, I picked you, Deb, because you are a caring person who has always put others before yourself. You’ve been so busy doing that you forgot to look after yourself! And that meant you lost the ability to listen to your body and to stop when you needed to. That’s one of the reasons it was so easy for me to move in. You’re not alone – it’s estimated between 2% and 8% of the world’s population have Fibro, and that figure doesn’t cover all the people who have it, because it’s very under – diagnosed. Some Doctors don’t even believe I exist! How ridiculous is that! At first you found it difficult to get your Doctor to address your symptoms & work out what was going on – that was hard. Not getting listened to can make me shout louder to be heard & that’s what happened.. Developing Fibro is really common for people who have trauma in their lives, ongoing or because of a one off event. You’d had chronic pain for a while before you got diagnosed with Fibro. And that made you vulnerable. It’s also seen in families. Your Mum & your Grandad had chronic pain & fatigue, so that’s a factor too. Some of the viruses you’ve had have made you more likely to get a chronic illness Please remember that NONE of this is your fault!The good news is – The things you do every day are lessening my impact on your life. Pacing activities & work, getting good sleep, learning how to exercise without causing a flare, learning boundaries & most importantly learning how to regulate your nervous system have, as you know, made a huge difference to how I affect your life from day to day. You’ve also learnt how to advocate for yourself with your Doctor & your workplace. You communicate better with your friends & family to ask for what you need. You value the small joys of life & actively pursue them. Having me around is not the end of the world even though it can seem like it at first and when things are not going according to plan. You’ve managed really well, and now you’re helping others to do so too! Yours sincerely This blog post originated in an email to my list of subscribers. If you’d like to receive regular emails from my about all things Fibro please sign up here. |
If Fibro Could Talk..
