Today is "Fibromyalgia Awareness Day"

Today is Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, a day that we recognize fibromyalgia as an actual illness and help to make the public not only more aware of it but also to a better understanding of what sufferers experience. 

It is very difficult and many times lonely living with this disease because it isn't something that can be seen so others don't always understand.  Many sufferers won't complain about pain because they don't want to be labeled a whiner.  Believe me I do know how that feels but sometimes we just need to speak up and better educate those around us.

My sister, who lives in a different state than  I do, has often brought up the fact that I don't work outside the home.   She mentions that if I just had a job that I wouldn't have all this time to think about my problems.  I can't tell you how difficult it is at times not to get very defensive and angry with her because she has absolutely no idea what fibromyaligia is.

That is part of the problem; most people don't really know what in the heck fibromyalgia is because no two patients suffer the same degree of pain so it's hard to pin down exactly what it is.  Telling someone that you just have pain or ache doesn't seem to satisfy them so explaining how your brain neurotransmitters confuse the signals regarding pain may make them roll their eyes at you.  I can just here my sister saying "So, you mean you don't really have the pain, so what's the problem?" Ugh!

I think the key is having a supportive friend or group that you can go to that will understand exactly how you feel.  I have a sister-in-law who has fibro so we "get" each other and it really helps when we go out together.

My next post will be some tips to better sleeping, so stay tuned.

Until next time:)