It’s #FibromyalgiaAwarenessDay. Here, I try to explain what fibromyalgia is, in my personal experience.
It’s constant fatigue that never goes away.
It’s spending weeks recovering from a big event.
It’s feeling like you’ve done 10 workouts when you did a simple chore.
It’s migraines, stomach cramps, bladder issues.
It’s shower water feeling like tiny needles.
It’s a winter coat feeling heavy as lead.
It’s sometimes not being able to stand noise, or light, or smells.
It’s dizziness and bumping into things.
It’s not being able to think of basic English words when you were once multilingual.
It’s having the concentration span of a goldfish.
It’s random skin issues appearing from nowhere.
It’s cold hands and feet even in hot weather.
It’s eyes that refuse to focus when they’re tired.
It’s anxiety and depression.
It’s hormonal flares, change in the weather flares, lack of sleep flares, stress flares.
It’s needing a rest after the lightest of chores.
It’s working from bed.
It’s pretending you’re fine when you feel like hell.
It’s grieving the old, healthy you.
It’s realising how ableist you were.
It’s trying not to hate a body that feels like it hates you.
It’s learning who your true friends are.
It’s re-prioritising.
It’s finding joy in the everyday.
It’s gratitude for the good days.
It’s accepting the bad days.
And yes, it’s chronic pain.
