Today is Fibromyalgia Awareness Day.
Fibromyalgia is having an illness you're not sure you have because the diagnostic criteria are so vague. And treatment? There really is none and a fun fact about fibromyalgia is that it makes you more sensitive to medications so you can't take most meds due to severe side effects.
It's all over body pain, constant brain fog, sensory sensitivity, irritable bowel syndrome, TMJ, and overwhelming flu-like fatigue. (and more!) When I say 'brain fog', a lot of people have no clue that means that it's super hard to focus, concentrate or remember just about everything, and our brains don't work the way they used to.
It's people questioning the validity of it and at the same time, having no clue what it is. People don't bring casseroles or arrange meals or reach out to folks who are in the midst of fibromyalgia flares. And that's ok because it doesn't really ever get better, so that would be a lot of casseroles.
Finally, it's not being able to work and feeling so broken by that fact alone. It's not being able to qualify for our country's supposed safety net, Social Security Disability because the medical establishment doesn't document this condition well, nor does it know what to do with it. So, not only are you broken in body and mind, but you're also freaking broke with no end in sight.
My heart goes out to all of us who suffer from this baffling illness. May we find some comfort in our days.
