Raise awareness about chronic illnesses by understanding their impact, symptoms, and the importance of support and education.
I didn’t always hate taking a shower. Before I had Fibromyalgia I probably even loved it. It has always been the thing that wakes me up in the morning and makes me feel good. However, now there is more of a love/hate feeling towards the shower. If you have Fibromyalgia or any other chronic pain condition, you probably already know what I’m going to say. If you don’t have a chronic condition then you are…
This is a special guest post from my twenty-two year old daughter. She and I have a very complicated relationship. Katie is very much like me and I have to say arguing with yourself sometimes can be annoying. However, with all our similarities and differences, we are very close and she knows she can always count on me. I have tried to hide my illness for so long and I think that when I couldn’t…
Every year my family goes around the table and says what they are thankful for. Even though this year has been my worst. I am determined to stay positive. Finding the things I am grateful for (even if it kills me) will happen. I often find myself feeling sorry for myself and wondering why I have a chronic illness that there is no cure for and that the medical community barely understands. Yet, I need…
**Subject matter in this article may be a trigger for depression, suicide & self harm.** This is a post I have been thinking about for a while but couldn’t decide if I wanted to actually write it. Writing about my physical illness is hard enough, but my mental status feels even more intimate. Can I make myself even more vulnerable than I already have? Can I say anything that would be helpful to anyone else,…
Mom Guilt (Dad Guilt), we all have had it at one time or another. I know this because we can’t all be perfect, so sometimes we are going to mess up or disappoint our kids. Even the healthiest of moms (dads) is going to have some mom (dad) guilt over her (his) inadequacies. However, having a chronic illness like Fibromyalgia and being a mom (dad) comes with its own set of “mom (dad) guilt feelings”.…
Do you succumb to the thought process of New Year, New You? I do not, and I will tell you why. First of all, having a chronic pain illness often limits my mobility. Really, the term “new you” sounds awesome, but is unrealistic for someone with an incurable condition. Do I really want to set myself up for failure? I don’t think so. However, there are so many ways to get some exercise in your…
Have you ever looked at a list of Fibromyalgia symptoms? Looking at these two websites you will see both anxiety and depression listed as symptoms. Here are two reputable websites as proof: WebMD and NFMCPA In fact, it seems that fibromyalgia symptoms and mental health are very much linked together. One could say that fibromyalgia is like a spider web, so many facets (co-morbid conditions) moving out from the center. Our Mission: Connection Between Fibromyalgia…
I had the great pleasure of meeting Amanda from Imagine Life Therapy on Instagram. As you all know, my subject matter has been focusing on mental health and how it affects our chronic illness. You can go back and read the start of the series called Fibromyalgia & Mental Health. So, I was wondering how emotional therapy could benefit fibromyalgia, if at all. I am so excited to share this interview with you. I hope…
You never want to hear your doctor say, “your brain MRI came back abnormal.” The fear and panic that goes through your body in this moment is overwhelming. My MRI revealed a pituitary adenoma. I know there are so many of you out there that have gone through this same situation and know just how I felt. For those that have never experienced this, I have written this article to spread awareness. What is a…
I have several chronic illnesses and have tried many different treatment options to improve my symptoms for all of them. My illnesses include: fibromyalgia, arthritis, endometriosis, hypopituitarism, pituitary adenoma, irritable bowel syndrome, rashes, restless leg syndrome and I think that is it, but I could be forgetting something. The medications that I have taken for these illnesses have caused me greater side effects than benefits. That is what led me to a holistic doctor and…