"Hi my name is Fibromyalgia..."
From http://www.geocities.com/ccslilsis/iamfibro.html:
FIBROMYALGIA TALKS TO YOU
Hi. .
My Name is Fibromyalgia, and I'm YOUR Invisible Chronic Illness. I
am now velcro'ed to you for life. Others around you can't see me or hear me, but YOUR
body feels me. I can attack you anywhere and anyhow I please. I can
cause severe pain or, if I'm in a good mood, I can just cause you to
ache all over. Remember when you and Energy ran around together and
had fun?
I took Energy from you, and gave you Exhaustion. Try to have fun
now! I also took Good Sleep from you and, in its place, gave you
Brain Fog. I can make you tremble internally or make you feel cold
or hot when everyone else feels normal. Oh, yeah, I can make you
feel anxious or depressed, too. If you have something planned, or
are looking forward to
a great day, I can take that away, too.
You didn't ask for me. I chose you for various reasons: That virus
you had that you never recovered from, or that car accident, or
maybe it was the years of abuse and trauma. Well, anyway, I'm here
to stay! I hear you're going to see a doctor who can "get rid" of
me. I'm rolling on the floor, laughing. Just try. You will have to
go to many, many doctors until you find one who even BELIEVES I
EXIST. You will be put on pain pills, sleeping pills,
energy pills, told you are suffering from anxiety or depression,
given a TENs unit, get massaged, told if you just sleep and exercise
more I will go away, told to think positive, poked, prodded, and
MOST OF ALL, laughed at when you tell the doctor I am debilitating.
Your family, friends and co-workers will all listen to you until
they just get tired of hearing about how I make you feel, and that
I'm a real disease. Some of they will say things like "Oh, you are
just having a bad day" or "Well, remember, you can't do the things
you use to do 20 YEARS ago", not hearing that you said 20 DAYS ago.
Some will just start talking behind your back, while you slowly feel
that you are losing your dignity trying to make them understand,
especially when you are in the middle of a conversation with
a "Normal" person, and can't remember what you were going to say
next! Eventually, most of them will be like all the doctors who
say "It's All In Your Head". In closing, (I was hoping that I kept
this part a secret), but I guess you already found out. . . the
ONLY place you will get any support and understanding in dealing
with me is with Other People With Fibromyalgia.
FIBROMYALGIA TALKS TO YOU
Hi. .
My Name is Fibromyalgia, and I'm YOUR Invisible Chronic Illness. I
am now velcro'ed to you for life. Others around you can't see me or hear me, but YOUR
body feels me. I can attack you anywhere and anyhow I please. I can
cause severe pain or, if I'm in a good mood, I can just cause you to
ache all over. Remember when you and Energy ran around together and
had fun?
I took Energy from you, and gave you Exhaustion. Try to have fun
now! I also took Good Sleep from you and, in its place, gave you
Brain Fog. I can make you tremble internally or make you feel cold
or hot when everyone else feels normal. Oh, yeah, I can make you
feel anxious or depressed, too. If you have something planned, or
are looking forward to
a great day, I can take that away, too.
You didn't ask for me. I chose you for various reasons: That virus
you had that you never recovered from, or that car accident, or
maybe it was the years of abuse and trauma. Well, anyway, I'm here
to stay! I hear you're going to see a doctor who can "get rid" of
me. I'm rolling on the floor, laughing. Just try. You will have to
go to many, many doctors until you find one who even BELIEVES I
EXIST. You will be put on pain pills, sleeping pills,
energy pills, told you are suffering from anxiety or depression,
given a TENs unit, get massaged, told if you just sleep and exercise
more I will go away, told to think positive, poked, prodded, and
MOST OF ALL, laughed at when you tell the doctor I am debilitating.
Your family, friends and co-workers will all listen to you until
they just get tired of hearing about how I make you feel, and that
I'm a real disease. Some of they will say things like "Oh, you are
just having a bad day" or "Well, remember, you can't do the things
you use to do 20 YEARS ago", not hearing that you said 20 DAYS ago.
Some will just start talking behind your back, while you slowly feel
that you are losing your dignity trying to make them understand,
especially when you are in the middle of a conversation with
a "Normal" person, and can't remember what you were going to say
next! Eventually, most of them will be like all the doctors who
say "It's All In Your Head". In closing, (I was hoping that I kept
this part a secret), but I guess you already found out. . . the
ONLY place you will get any support and understanding in dealing
with me is with Other People With Fibromyalgia.