Question:
Is Fibromyalgia pain REALLY real?
Originally published on January 17, 2019
Dear Friend OF A FIBRO WARRIOR;
Unimaginable to me, but there are people who can’t relate to dealing with pain. There are folks out there that have never had as much as a headache in their life. This is unimaginable to me.
I’m NOT one of them.
I have dealt with pain from a very early age. In the 5th grade, I started having chest pains, severe pains, like having a heart attack pains. But by the time I got to a doctor or the ER, the pain was gone or they couldn’t find the source of it. They said it was “growing pains“. Funny, I never got taller than 5’2”. Sure had a lot of pain to end up so short.
Of course, now I know that the pain was most likely the beginnings of fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome that is ghost-like in nature.
There is no test to diagnose it and there is no pill to stop it. It just moves about your body wreaking havoc on your tissues, making it painful to even allow your loved ones to offer a hug.
Over the years, I’ve learned to live with the pain. I’ve learned to “manage”, but that’s about all I do is manage.
Why Fibromyalgia is a Real Pain? #fibromyalgia #thisisfibro #chronicpain #fibromyalgiaawareness Share on X
The Problem of Pain
- Causes Fatigue. Pain causes your body to become fatigued very easily. Every day, you feel tired. Tired enough that you barely want to get out of bed. And if you do, by the time you get dressed, you’re worn out and useless for the rest of the day.
- Lack of Motivation. On the days that you do have a bit of energy, you lack the motivation to do much of anything. You know that as soon as you start, you could be too tired to finish, so what’s even the use.
- Not much Social Life. I used to be a social butterfly, flitting from one friend to another. Meeting with friends was important to me. It still is, but the latter points make this nearly impossible. When you do go out, you have to take care to keep it short, or you will pay the piper, maybe for days. And since you don’t go out much, (and no one comes to visit you), you soon lose contact with your friends and find yourself pretty much alone.
- Additional Health Issues. Chronic pain causes more problems because you are not staying active enough, taking medications that make you gain weight, and causing other issues. You end up spending the time you do get out, going to doctors.
- It Really Hurts. At times, I get tired of the pain. When it is really bad, I get nauseous. It never stops. And there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Just more pain. It’s not like having a baby where you know that after a while, the pain will stop. Sometimes you can ignore it, but it sure would be nice to just have a pain-free day once in a while.
I’m sorry to be a downer here.
I’m not trying to get sympathy for myself. Truly, most of the time, I do alright. I am blessed to have a family that helps me manage. And I am thankful!
However, there are many, many out there that aren’t as fortunate.
I am their advocate.
If you know someone with fibromyalgia, I’m writing to you so that you can more understand about what your friend is going through. Please love them and try your best to include them in your life. Don’t bring up their pain, let them talk about it if they want to, but do invite them into your life. They might surprise you and join you for something fun once in a while!
Feeling Their Pain;
Do you have a question about fibromyalgia?
Leave me a comment and I try to get an answer for you.
Follow my Journey with Pain
I have now been fighting off fibromyalgia pain for 10 years. You can follow my journey at the link below.
Thank you for sharing my posts.
Pastor’s Wife (retired) & Chronic Pain Warrior blogs about how to make it through anything by relating her own life experiences to her writing. She is passionate about her love for the Lord and desires to spread that passion to others. She has a great desire to encourage women who are following behind her.
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in the mid 90’s by my GP. She sent me to two specialists. The first one told me that I “memorized the trigger points” and my reactions weren’t real. Gee, they felt real to me! The other concentrated on my hands, said I had carpal tunnel and gave me some cream for that. So I went for years in pain with no help. Finally there was a group set up to help people with Fibro. There were about 12 of us and each case was different. However, their explanation was the same – it is caused by stress and until you get the stress out of your life you will be in pain.
All of these things are sadly so true! Thank you for being an advocate and a Fibro-Friend for so many of us Mandy. I pray that we will all find ways to reach out and care for each other. Even an online “hug” can mean so much! Blessings and gentle hugs to you tonight!
Ohm Lydia, so sorry you had such a difficult time. Thankfully, I was diagnosed within about 6 months but it was another year before we realized that I had Rheumatoid arthritis as well. I’m going on 8 years now. So glad to have been sent to Mayo clinic and they are still treating me. Such a blessing
Yes, Bettie, the online support has been amazing. It has made all the difference for me.
Mandy, thanks for sharing this information. Many people don’t realize how much pain is associated with fibromyalgia, esp. when your body looks normal to others. Maybe this will help people understand better that just because someone looks fine, they aren’t doing that well at all. Blessings to you! I’m your neighbor this week at #porchstories.
Hello Mandy,
I am so encouraged by your story,with all the pain you can still encourage others.May God come through for you and heal you,sending the healing balm of Gilead.He is able.
Hey Gayle! Thanks for dropping by! That’s my goal in these “Letters to Friends”. I try to find gentle ways to help those who don’t know to understand. Many do not realize that there are several, right in their own circle of friends who are suffering. Thee latest rate is 5 out of every 100 are sufferers. 🙁
Thank you, Stella. God is indeed walking with me through this trial. At this point, there is only help in treating symptoms and learning to manage the pain by adjusting your lifestyle. They say Type A individuals, like myself, are most likely to acquire Fibro so pulling back on your lifestyle is difficult BUT POSSIBLE through God’s help. .. And my husband’s help, who constantly is telling me to slow down. 🙂
As a sufferer of fibro and RA, I also live with the reality that the pain is real. Thank you for being an advocate and for this informative post that you shared on the #LMMLinkup this past week.
Sorry to hear that you are a sufferer also. One of the best things about blogging is I have found a whole world of friends that feel my pain and we are a great encouragement to each other.
Thank you for positing this Mandy. It’s incredible to think that there are some people out there who don’t believe or want to acknowledge the existence of Fibro. Hopefully your post will change some minds!
That’s why I write… to inform friends and family. Help them understand