Discover a structured Fibromyalgia protocol to manage symptoms effectively, including treatment plans, therapies, and lifestyle strategies for improved quality of life.
Our doctors spend a lot of time asking us questions like ‘what are your symptoms?’ and ‘how’s your sleep?’ So why is it that no one seems to ask us how fibromyalgia is affecting our relationships? Our spouses, our children, our friends and our colleagues – all of them are affected when it comes to fibromyalgia, but to what extent?
The National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association recently posted a survey asking about fibromyalgia symptoms and the impact that fibromyalgia had on relationships with partners/spouses, children, and friends. The survey was completed by over 6000 people with fibromyalgia, making it one of the largest fibromyalgia surveys. The results were published in the medical journal Musculoskeletal Care.
Out of those who participated, 96% were women and most were between 45 and 64 years old. The results were as follows:
Over one in four people reported that their spouse/partner did not understand their fibromyalgia, and half of people said fibromyalgia had damaged a current or previous relationship with a spouse or partner. 10% said fibromyalgia contributed to a break-up of a relationship.
Over 70% of people surveyed said they had children who were old enough to understand their FM. One in three said their children resented when they couldn’t participate in activities with them, and one in four said their children thought they exaggerated their pain.
In general, those surveyed explained that fibromyalgia had less of a negative impact on friendships than with spouses/ partners or children. That being said, many people felt that having fibromyalgia resulted in eventually losing friends, as many stopped calling or extending invitations.
Here at The Chronicillness.co team, we don’t want your relationships to suffer on account of your fibromyalgia. We are constantly taking new research and information into consideration when finding the correct treatment path for our patients, and strongly believe a multidisciplinary approach to treatment can help manage symptoms for a better quality of life.
Question: I have had fibromyalgia for some years. I would like to address the illness and get some help in managing pain levels better, any advice?
There are many steps you can take when it comes to managing your fibromyalgia. To start, choose activity wisely. Exercise regularly, but do not overdo things. Set personal limits, and always remember to take a rest. Try your best to remove yourself from situations that are likely to cause stress as this can aggravate pain, and modify your working environment to better suit your situation. During a flare-up, do less, take warm baths or use ice — whichever works best for you. It is also a good idea to read up on some simple mindfulness techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, or visualisation — as many patients see relief from these practices.
With several years of experience treating patients with Fibromyalgia, The Chronicillness.co team truly empathise with the obstacles patients face on a daily basis. We are constantly taking new research and information into consideration when finding the correct treatment path for our patients. We believe in a multidisciplinary approach comprised of tried and tested measures to effectively lower and manage symptoms for a better quality of life.
What are trigger point injections, and how are they most effective (i.e. all over the body pain or more targeted trigger points?)
There are a number of different types of trigger point injections including dry needling (acupuncture), and wet needling (with local anaesthetic/ local anaesthetic plus steroid or botox).
Trigger point injections are thought to work by causing local relaxation of muscle fibres, leading to a reduction in tension and a reduction of afferent pain traffic back to the spinal cord. They also release endorphins in a number of patients, which gives an overall analgesic effect. They are most useful when there are specific targeted trigger points, rather than when patients have widespread all over body trigger points. The aim is to shrink down the area of trigger points to the smallest area, before using trigger point treatment.
If someone has all over body pain, can treating the worst affected area with trigger point injections help the other areas?
Yes, in some cases this can be effective, although this is always on a case by case basis for which patients need to be fully, medically assessed. Various treatment options must be reviewed and discussed in person with the patient, so they can make an informed decision as to the best course of treatment.
With several years of experience treating patients with Fibromyalgia, The Chronicillness.co team urges patients to consider trigger point injections as a highly effective treatment options with little to no side effects.
What are the main benefits of TPI’s and can successful TPI’s result in lower requirements for oral drugs?
The main benefits of trigger point injections include reduction in pain, spasms, and analgesic requirements, in addition to improvement in overall functions. If and when trigger point injections (either dry or wet needling) is effective, this can indeed lead to a lowering of oral, analgesic medications.
The New Year is off to a great start already, as fibromyalgia sufferers in the U.S. have finally been acknowledged. As 2015 came to a close, fibromyalgia received its own official diagnostic code in the ICD-10-CM codes in the U.S. ICD-10-CM stands for International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification. This is a list of diagnostic codes used for medical reporting in the U.S.
The ICD-10-CM is based on the ICD-10, the statistical classification of disease published by the World Health Organization. ICD codes are used by everyone in the healthcare industry, such as doctors, insurance companies and government agencies. They are used to identify and classify diagnosed diseases and conditions.
Prior to the official code, when diagnosing a patient with fibromyalgia, doctors had to use a general code, which could include any muscle pain or inflammation. However, now FM is recognized as a distinct entity with its own code—a meaningful and exciting change for all who suffer.
The fact that fibromyalgia has its own diagnostic code now makes it impossible for anyone to insist that fibromyalgia isn’t real. Both the World Health Organization as well as the U.S. Government have given it unquestionable legitimacy.
Additionally, a distinct diagnostic code will improve consistency in fibromyalgia research, as the data for many observational studies is gathered by tracking diagnosis codes. Without its own diagnosis code, fibromyalgia studies have sometimes been hindered by inaccurate data from the inclusion of patients that did not actually have FM.
I am a retired Author and Producer of large creative events and most recently a Paper Maker, Sculptor and Workshop Leader. My husband always said that I metamorphosis at various times throughout life. We married very young and have three children and four grandchildren.
I was first diagnosed about six years ago. Gradually as my Fibromyalgia symptoms became worse I have had to learn to give myself permission to simply play with materials in the studio and not feel I have had to achieve anything which I have found extremely difficult and I have been very grateful for friends who have encouraged me through playing with me so that occasionally I can make again. Even if I don’t feel like it, I do recognize that creativity is one of the key healing elements in making one feel more uplifted and human.
I’ve been going to start this article many times but each time I was about to commence the dominant worst characteristics of my Fibromyalgia change, flawing me and causing me to stop and draw upon inner strength to refocus and start writing yet again!
I have not tried to use medical language but leave that for the experts! Also, I’m never very sure on some aspects whether the medication that is helping some of the more serious symptoms are helpful with others but again rely on expert advice.
Of course, all the other symptoms just keep perpetuating and even multiplying at times over the years and sometimes to me even seemingly replicating other diseases but I will come back to these. Upon reflection over the years I consider the worse aspect living with Fibromyalgia is the aloneness. Nobody actually sits down with you and says “now tells me what is it like living with Fibromyalgia?” Nobody. People will say how are you today? But that is embarrassing. Do you really want to be known as someone who complains all the time? No! So, to inform a little you just mention localized pain and weakness sometimes.
When you have a medical appointment, you pick out the worst aspects at that moment of time and it is those that get treated but I am fortunate and have an excellent medical team who’ve heard them all before and so have an overall picture.
Each day is a challenge and current severe pain areas are in my arms, shoulders, neck and in mostly in the top and back of my head. I also have ongoing very bad pain in my back and hips which is brought on by standing mostly at the kitchen sink after a few seconds, walking or any movement in fact. Pain is extremely unpleasant and can cause a lack of functioning but it is not something I am frightened of and do not therefore retire to my bed. I do get up in the mornings as I believe in moving very strongly and rest between moving. This has been a problem in the past with other extreme health conditions so I try to gage the level sensibly! At the moment I am not getting the pain in my legs and feet and toes only normal muscular after exercising. Neither in my hands and fingers. My toes have pins and needles. The shooting pains particularly in my breasts and stomach are also not occurring.
Starting at the top of my body sleep has been a very difficult issue and until recently due to medication I’ve only been able to sleep on average about 4 hours a night, now I sleep a little longer. I haven’t been able to cope with the computer for longer than 20 minutes at the most without feeling stressed or having a brain fog. Neither can I cope with flashing lights, bright light or loud noises and can feel dizzy easily. Memory loss is embarrassing to say the least.
I have awful indigestion although I eat little and very slowly and I frequently feel sick. This seems to be felt through heartburn or coughing. I am breathless very easily. I have gradually lost my enjoyment of food. I feel as if I have a urine infection most of the time which again interrupts the night as I get up between 5 to 7 times a night and can’t go out without stopping frequently. My vagina is so sore and painful and sexual intercourse has been out of the question over the last few years.
My body temperature fluctuates excessively at times and for the first few years I felt hot all the time which was unusual, then this changed (which may have been due to medication I don’t know) to frequent hot flushes even if I want to go to the toilet and always at night time so feeling very menopausal. I have never been a sweaty person but during these very warm times I do sweat and it is quite sticky unlike usual sweat. It can feel as if sweat is trickling down my legs. I can go from very cold to very hot within seconds. Patches of my skin can sometimes feel as if they are burning.
I experience extreme itching all over my body at times and this can for me exceed the pain as it is so tormenting. Other times it just on my head, back areas and leg areas. Also. It can feel quite separately that there are insects crawling under my skin often in my legs. Another sensation is that I have experienced in the past is similar to shingles with similar stripes appearing that can be painful and itchy on my back and under my breasts for a few days.
I also woke up one day with a red rash on one eye which looked as if I’d been punched in the eye preceding a black eye and was told by a friend who is a medical officer to go straight to A&E where they had an Eye Hospital as my sight kept coming and going. They didn’t know what it was but said I should contact them day or night if necessary. It took nearly a week to completely disappear. My eyesight does occasionally waver and my eyes feel dry and itchy all the time.
I also bruise very easily sometimes as red dots which turn blue and other times as a bruise that spreads.
Normal tasks like cleaning one’s teeth proves very painful whatever I try to alleviate backpain and having a bath is no longer a pleasurable experience so I always shower. This again means inwardly priming oneself up because of the effort taken particularly if I wash my hair. Do I try to keep my arms up in the air or do balance them against my body and bend right over which is going to prove the easiest on that particular day? Of course, not all days are this bad.
The frustration of being so weak was where I started and it was some time before diagnoses when I complained about pain too. One still hopes to grow stronger through exercise and it is wonderful to no longer be in a wheelchair thanks to meeting Dr Jenner who promised to get me into a better place which indeed he has and through his advice, medication, physical programmed within a year my wheelchair was stored in the attic! Together with my osteopath Victoria Latchem in Dartington, Devon where I live, they are rocks and I look forward to future times of accomplishing the peculiar things on my bucket list!
Each day no matter how I feel I always determine to be:
– up and dressed no later that 9am and try to be earlier than this
– make a list of tasks I want to accomplish even if some go over to the next day
– go for a walk no matter how much pain knowing that gently moving the muscles will help for the next day
– exercise if possible
Strategies are important too like doing the vegetables or similar jobs sitting down at a table or on one’s lap watching the TV to distract from discomfort.
However, with the added stresses of Covid–19 the fight to be positive is more difficult and depression is now an issue which affects me as an artist but also in the home. People are an antidote even if on zoom.
I could not cope without my wonderful husband who does know, asks questions and understand as much as anyone can what it is like to have Fibromyalgia living with me every day although he may dispute this. It is very difficult to see someone you love suffer and get frustrated even if they don’t say anything. I would almost say it is worse for him than me. He became like a carer when I deteriorated and therefore, I would say that if I was on my own further strategies would be necessary.
Why my own of course. Rationally I’m aware that there is no magic bar that’s been set for me by others. There is no invisible line of measurement being monitored for results. Nobody is judging my achievements let alone defining what those are.
Well, that’s not entirely true. There is me, and I’m quite adept at setting the bar way too high for my current physical state. I’m living a life with Fibromyalgia and I won’t cut myself any slack, nor give myself proper credit for the incredible effort I put into moving around each and every single day of my life.
Rationally, I know this. But, unfortunately, that doesn’t make it any easier to accept. Nor does it keep me from constantly nagging myself in my head. It’s exhausting, and so…
Not only will I be taking it one task at a time, but I’m also going to pat myself on the back whenever I finish one. I’m switching into positive reinforcement mode, stepping away from negative mode, and becoming a cheerleader in my mind.
Today is a fibromyalgia day. Not a flare, but rather a not-so-subtle WARNING. If I push too hard there will be consequences.
Here goes, I’m giving encouragement a whirl. Congrats self! You made your bed, swept, took a shower, and tidied the kitchen.
Oh, right, and I also cleaned a toilet!
Take care, my chronic friends,BTW — you’re doing a great job today
Looking back to the beginning of my fibro tale. I don’t believe pharmacy was necessarily the wrong choice for me at the time.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last two years it’s that no two single Fibro–tales are exactly the same. No two sets of triggers are exactly the same.
I had tumbled a little too far into the abyss and was dangling by a thread above the danger zone. So, I decided on the shortcut, quicker results to bring me back from the brink, both physically and mentally.
For this reason, I filled the first prescription. Which turned out to be the first of many more to come. As one might expect given the circumstances, I needed to get “a little bit well” to tackle life head-on again. So, I decided I would deal with the consequences later.
I don’t regret my choice otherwise, I believe without medicine and the support of my amazing Doctor I might not be here today sharing my Fibro–Tale with you.
After overcoming some uhhhhh shall we call them setbacks? A few months ago I finally decided it was time to start putting some of what I’ve learned about the many faces of my fibromyalgia to use. Now that the urgent stuff had been taken care of, time to try some new things.
I have decided to test the waters at decreasing the number of medications I am taking and to introduce some non-pharmaceutical healing “practices” into my life.
Why? I have finally reached acceptance. Two years into the fibro tale that is now my life, I am at last ready to meet the new me.
I have never been a huge visitor to Fibromyalgia support forums. However, it has been “eye-opening to say the least to see how opinions have been divided.
In one camp you have those, like me who think that this is great for raising awareness.
People are finally starting to ask questions about this relatively unknown and misunderstood condition. Facebook went into overdrive. Instagram was buzzing and Twitter, well just tweeted. Daytime TV interviewed doctors who gave the low down on Fibromyalgia. One of our regular presenters got a crash course in pronouncing the word as well as learning what the symptoms are. In some respects, it felt better late than never. All of sudden, we are validated. Just sad that it has taken so long and a celebrity suffering to bring Fibromyalgia out in the open. Good on Gaga!!
Sadly, on the other side of the fence, there are those sufferers who are playing the “my Fibromyalgia is worse than yours” game. They have declared open season on Lady Gaga.
They are questioning her motives for going public. Doubting that she could even have the condition given her long and energetic live performances. There have been those that have suggested that she would be better using her wealth by contributing to research. They deem this preferable as opposed to sharing her story. And believe it or not, there are some who are “whining” about her being in hospital. If she can “rest in the hospital, why can’t I?” Really???
I am sure that she can think of better places to rest and recuperate without being admitted to hospital.
The reality of this condition is that nobody is immune, the pain has no regard for celebrity status. Because Fibromyalgia is so different and unique to each individual it is difficult to judge one set of symptoms against another. Fibromyalgia can prove to be more debilitating for some than others. We know that it tends to go hand in hand with so many other conditions such as Chronic Fatigue or Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
For those of us with Fibromyalgia and chronic pain, it is important that we extend compassion not just to fellow sufferers but also towards ourselves.
It is imperative that we don’t turn our pain into some sort of competition by judging one another as to who can do what. We should be celebrating our successes and commiserating when the going gets tough. Not putting each other down because somebody had a good day!
I have, in some small part, been on the receiving of those who have doubted the severity of my condition. I have been slated for holding down a full-time job and for not taking medication. All good reasons apparently to question my diagnosis by other Fibromyalgia sufferers.
Therefore, I have to say that I do feel for Lady Gaga. Although never a fan, I admire her honesty and her admission that shows she isn’t the superhuman everybody thought she was. By coming out and talking of her struggle with pain, she has made herself vulnerable to the doubters and naysayers. I am hoping that she also becomes an ambassador and a voice for those who genuinely suffer in silence.
She has the same frailties and struggles as the rest of us who suffer with this condition.
And, yes truth be told, she has more money than most. Without a doubt, she will have access to some of the best doctors and healthcare. However, at the end of the day, her pain and fatigue will be as soul-destroying and debilitating as it is for the rest of us.
As we all do, she will have good and bad days. Sadly, she will have flares and periods of stability. She is now after all a Fibromyalgia Warrior battling with the rest of us. Therefore, she is as deserving of our support as any other brave soul battling chronic pain.
Whatever your thoughts are on the performer, she has brought the word Fibromyalgia into the public domain and that can only be a good thing. I for one, wish her all the love and luck in the world.
This is a great opportunity now to capitalize on her story and build momentum by telling ourstories. If you are feeling brave, why not get in touch with your local press and tell them about your Fibro journey. Post on your Facebook page, start up your own community or share your Fibro days on Instagram.
It is certainly a topical subject at the moment and ultimately, this can only be a good thing in educating people about our condition. It is up to us to get our message out there and highlight how many people are actually battling this condition day in day out, out of the headlines, and away from the cameras.
Be brave, be bold and tell your story – no meaty outfits required!!
Since I began Fibro Warrior, I have often been asked how do I manage to focus on the positives whilst battling Fibromyalgia? The answer to that is what are the alternatives? I guess I have two choices but only one is worth pursuing.
The truth is that there is certainly nothing positive about having a chronic condition. But given that there is currently no cure for Fibromyalgia, then I feel that I must change and adapt. So read on to see how I do just that….
When I was diagnosed in 2000, I had already been struggling with Fibromyalgia for 11 years. I didn’t know what was wrong with me and I think in reality those years were the darkest. They were scary in the sense that I feared for my sanity. I knew all was not well but the doctors could find nothing wrong.
It was in the early years that this condition robbed me of so much.
It took my energy, my health, my confidence, and my self-esteem. More tragically, it robbed me of the early years with my baby son, and later in 1997 it put paid to my first marriage. Whatever this was, it was beating me and winning!
Getting my diagnosis was a massive relief and once I got my head around the fact that it was incurable, I was ready to fight. I made the decision there and then, that I was not going to rely on medication and from then on, things started to change.
I had two choices, roll over and let Fibromyalgia throw all that it had at me. Become its victim and allow it to keep robbing me until I had nothing left or I couldn’t fight anymore!!
I didn’t have an army or stash of secret weapons…yet! But, I did have a renewed will to get better. I didn’t know how I was going to do it but I thought I knew what I was up against. It was a start, the battle lines were drawn and I could start and fightback.
Over the years, I read everything I could get my hands on about the condition. I saw a nutritionist, spent a fortune on alternative therapies and acupuncture. Joined a gym and quit, joined another, and quit again. I took supplements, drank Aloe Vera. I used crystals and aromatherapy oils looking for one that one miracle cure. You have been there, right? You know what I am talking about.
Well, I am sure you discovered the same as me. There is no miracle cure. One Nil to Fibromyalgia
As I neared my 50th birthday, there came the realization that with this anniversary there would be another “milestone.” I would have officially battled Fibromyalgia for over half of my life. In all likelihood, I would have to carry on the fight for another 25 years. I knew that there had to be a way of making sure that the Fibro didn’t swallow me up completely. I finally knew that the answer wasn’t going to come in some wonder drug or therapy. It was going to come from within me!!
Yep, Fibromyalgia, I won this one!! I got the answer you tried to keep from me for 25 years – one all
It was almost a revelation that my “healing” as much as it could be, was going to start and end with me. No doctors, no therapists, no medication – just me. I truly believed that I had all the weapons I needed right here in my body. It was just a matter of deciding what I had and how I was going to use it.
Firstly, I knew I needed exercise. I had tried all the usual gym stuff, swimming and walking. Invariably, these made me feel worse and induced a flare. I knew that I had to find something fairly gentle on my body but it had to be effective. So began my journey to the Yoga mat. It was and still is amazing.
Yoga meets you where you are and no two sessions are the same. Positions are adapted to accommodate my Fibro body depending on what I can manage on any given day. I also read up on rebounding (bouncing on a trampoline) and learned that this was beneficial for Fibromyalgia sufferers. So, I bought my rebounder and gradually increased my bounce time from an initial tough 5 minutes to an invigorating and enjoyable half an hour.
I had, over the years dabbled with meditation. This had been born out of my love of all things Tibetan and His Holiness, The Dalai Lama. Therefore it made sense to make a real effort to include meditation in my yoga practice. In addition, I spend the first 10 minutes of every day meditating outside, no matter the weather. (An outdoor gazebo is a triumph).
Meditation works!! It takes me to a place where my breath dominates and my thoughts, feelings, and pain are relegated for a short time while I focus on ME. My personal mantra is “It is all about me, it’s all about now”.
My early morning meditation and yoga sessions set me up for the day. I believe that this sends a message to my Fibromyalgia that I am up, out of bed, and ready to take on my day – strong and determined.
So, that is my body & mind sorted – what else could I arm myself with?
I have always been a strong believer that given the right conditions, the body can heal itself. Never one to embrace a medication, I always know that a headache will eventually go away. A cold or flu will run its course and then disappear without a trace. A cut or a bruise will in time, heal as if by magic. So, my next quest was to explore what my body needed to fight Fibromyalgia every damn day.
I personally believed that the answer would lie in my diet. So, I decided to go right back to the drawing board and carry out a cleanse. I knew that this would give me the opportunity of cutting out large amounts of food, whilst giving my digestion a break. This would then put me in the position of slowly introducing certain foods again and then judging how they impacted my body.
I opted for a 12-day program that required me to cut out all processed food, meat, caffeine, dairy, and sugar. It was tough for a couple of days but then the magic started. I woke in the mornings with no aches and pains (seriously). My energy increased and the constant fatigue which plagued my days was gone. People started to comment on how well I looked and I was even accused of getting Botox because my skin glowed.
I felt so good that at the end of the 12 days, I did another 12. I made the decision then to permanently cut out all caffeine and processed foods from my diet. Also, I opted to leave out the meat and just eat fish.
As time went on, I wanted to learn more about how I could further support my body in its war with Fibromyalgia but I also wanted to pass on what I had learned already. In order to support other sufferers, I decided to sign up to become and Health & Wellness Coach. I then went on to study raw food nutrition. It was learning about what my body needed to function at its optimal. I was giving it a fighting chance against Fibromyalgia.
Now, I need to be clear here and say that I would not consider myself healed. There are times when the pain is too much to bear, the fatigue overwhelming but compared to how I felt in 1989 there is no comparison. I have learned that with the right foods and being gentle with me when I need it, these flares pass and I live to fight another day!
Fibromyalgia may win many of the battles but I am determined it will never, ever win the war!!
When it comes toExplaining Fibromyalgia to Family & Friends, it’s a tough one. It isn’t something that comes easily to them or even to you for that matter. No matter how long you have battled with the condition, the reality is that you will always come up against opposition when you are trying to explain how this “invisible illness” affects you every day.
I have battled Fibromyalgia since 1989 and I still think that there really isn’t one member of my family that just “gets it.” And to be fair, who can blame them. Most of the time, I look absolutely fine – a little tired maybe. I am not rolling around the bed writhing in pain. I don’t have a raging temperature or covered in some unpleasant rash – I am to all intents and purposes ME.
It is for this very reason, that those battling Fibromyalgia often feel incredibly isolated and alone.
Likely, nobody in your immediate circle of family and friends understands what you are having to deal with day in and day out. Sure, you can head off to your local support group or find an online forum. But the reality is, if you are like me you want your family to comprehend your suffering. You want a little compassion and support from your loved ones.
One of the biggest frustrations of Fibromyalgia is trying to explain what it is. How you got it and how you deal with it. At times it feels like trying to explain the unexplainable. Truth be told, we don’t really understand what we are battling. It just appears from nowhere, takes over your life. You are caught up in the merry-go-round of pain and fatigue.
So, what are you to do when you find yourself in this situation?
How do you explain to your family and friends why you are missing out on the social occasion of the year. Why you can’t do Christmas at yours like you used too?
Chances are you can’t. And that isn’t because you are not articulate enough or educated enough on the condition – it is because you are too close to the situation. The likely outcome will be that any in-depth conversation will end up in misunderstanding, frustration, and emotions running high on both sides.
So, what do you do? The answer is you let somebody else do the talking for you. I relied on YouTube to get my message across to my family. It takes away the anxiety and almost makes it less personal when somebody else is recounting their story or sharing the facts. I have a great little video on the site which helps to explain, it is a little robotic but the message is perfect.
This issue can be a huge source of stress and anxiety to all concerned. So, it is, for this reason, I decided to do something positive to help you and your family.
I put together a short course which you can share with your loved ones. It contains some strategies for opening the channels of communication along with a couple of videos. There are also two fairly powerful and thought-provoking letters.
Because I feel so strongly that you should have the support and understanding you so richly deserve, I am gifting this course to you and your family.
It is my sincere hope that sharing this information with your loved ones, it will give both them and you the knowledge to move forward togetherunited.
So, head over there now and unwrap your gift with my love and best wishes.
Fate whispers to the warrior, “you cannot withstand the storm.” And the warrior whispers back “I am the storm.” ~ unknown
I love this “warrior” quote and have referred back to it many times throughout my battles with chronic pain. It is the defiance of answering fate back that most appeals to me. The thought that OK, I have my lot in life but I don’t have to like it or accept it.
So often now, we see titles such as Chronic Pain warrior, Fibromyalgia warrior, Chronic Illness warrior, Spoonie warrior. They are everywhere, often preceded by the # on social media. But what does it really mean to be tagged, warrior? Do you have what it takes to even be a warrior?
For me personally, I often shy away from using the word suffer when referring to my chronic pain journey. I prefer the word battle. My head tells me that this word sends out the message to the universe that I am fighting. Suffering I might be but battling is how I want to be perceived. There are many times when I don’t feel much like a warrior but no matter what life throws at me, I somehow tell myself the fight must go on. The alternatives are too hard to contemplate, so resolutely I “soldier” on determined not to let pain and fatigue get the better of me.
Now, I absolutely know that I am not unique, nor am I some kind of hero. I am just another warrior who has no alternative than to fight on. I know that for you reading this, you too are a warrior and committed to the battle. How do I know? Because if you were not a warrior, you definitely would not be on a website that looks to support healthy, positive life with chronic pain. You certainly wouldn’t be looking to empower yourself and search for answers if you were not determined and unwavering in your quest for better health.
We fight for our health everyday in ways that most people don’t understand.
For those of us battling chronic pain, it’s the little things that most people take for granted that make us strong. The effort to get moving. To get out of bed in the morning, even when it would be easier to stay there. Our determination to keep going when our whole body is crying out enough. The smiles we paint onto our faces mask the tears of pain and frustration.
Our abilities to resist the temptation to punch the doctor. You know the one, who tells us that we need to pull ourselves together and snap out of it. It’s the way that we hide our disappointment and sadness when friends and loved ones give us a wide berth for saying “no” one too many times. The relentless march to look normal when we are feeling anything but. It’s the keeping, keeping on when we are so exhausted we just want it all to stop.
The days when the last thing we want to do is be the victim, but our pain and fatigue overwhelms us anyway.
For all of these reasons and for many more, we ARE warriors. It is not some tag or label, it is truly our reality. Every day we go to war, engage in battle just to get through the day. We fight with everything we have, just for some normality. We stand strong in our unwavering support and acknowledgment of our fellow warriors. Knowing that nobody understands and lifts them up like another warrior. We are constantly on a quest for the smallest victories – holding down a job, attending a family wedding, a walk in the park, or just getting dressed.
To every warrior out there battling their chronic pain and fatigue, I salute you. I stand alongside you in your battle for health, wellness, and some sense of normality. Check out how I can support you by clicking this link.
For my birthday earlier this year, my husband bought me the CD from the Greatest Showman. He wanted me to hear the words from the song “This is me.” Today, I dedicate those words to you.
I opted to share this emotionally charged clip as opposed to the one from the actual show. She is scared but she did it anyway!! Enjoy her triumph and if you love the video as much as I do, drop a comment in the box below and let me know.
“We are Warriors, yeah, that’s what we’ll become.”
