Chronic Awareness: Understanding Chronic Illnesses & Supporting

Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue: Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS)

“Open your heart to your suffering”, Toni Bernhard There can be little doubt that those of us with fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue have challenges that have forced us to live life differently than those who have ‘health privilege’. Often thought of as malingering, hypochondriac, weak, attention-seeking, depressed people we often live in quiet desperation. By now we recognize that we have developed these conditions because of an over-stimulated nervous system that cannot sustain itself in a healthy manner…

by chronicillness•04/18/202208/23/2025•0

Fibromyalgia, Heart Disease and Women

“One out of two women are going to have, live with, and/or die from heart disease and stroke,…It is amazing women are still not getting that message, and one has to ask why.” Dr. Martha Hill On January 19th I suffered a heart attack. For that reason, I have not written much in the past several weeks. Writing about the ‘event’ is not easy. I could not have survived emotionally without the wonderful advice, support,…

by chronicillness•04/16/202208/23/2025•0

Finding The Humor In Fibromyalgia

Meet Jessica Hooten, she is a fibromyalgia warrior who chooses to find the silver lining about her diagnosis. In this video, she tells us all about how she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, treatments she has tried, and how she handles getting through each day. Secret: She does it by finding the humor in fibromyalgia. Search For A Fibromyalgia Doctor Jessica, like many of us, has had sleep issues. She has been to a rheumatologist and…

by chronicillness•04/11/202208/23/2025•0

Fibromyalgia Symptoms & Mental Health

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: Chronic Illness and Chronic Woman 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, with so many facets (co-morbid conditions) moving out from the center. Our Mission:…

by chronicillness•04/06/202208/23/2025•0

What happens if Fibromyalgia is left Untreated?

Although fibromyalgia symptoms are often written off as being sleepy, it’s really a much more serious disorder than it seems. With over 5 million Americans over the age of 18 diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, fibromyalgia requires more treatment than just taking a nap. Finding the right treatment depends on the individual, but the risks of not treating Fibromyalgia at all can be devastating and more dangerous. Worsening Symptoms A major risk of leaving fibromyalgia untreated is…

by chronicillness•03/01/202208/23/2025•0

I’m 22 and considering getting a cane for days when my Fibromyalgia Flares up

How do I be confident using the cane in public when I look like an otherwise healthy, able-bodied person? I can’t give you a direct definite answer to your question. But I will share a couple of things with you. When my oldest daughter was 13 she had surgery for scoliosis. She walked back to the surgery suite turning back, smiling and waving. Totally secure in what she was doing. 13 1/2 hours later they…

by chronicillness•03/01/202208/23/2025•0

Why isn’t Fibromyalgia taken more seriously?

It’s not taken seriously for many reasons. They’ve been doing more and more research on it but it’s very complex. Some of the medical community claims it’s a rheumatological issue like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. Some claim it’s all in our brains and faulty nervous systems. Some claim it’s a virus like Epstein-Barr. It’s usually the last thing you’re diagnosed with when they can’t seem to find out what’s wrong through many tests, X-rays, MRIs,…

by chronicillness•03/01/202208/23/2025•0

Do you find it difficult to solve problems when your Fibromyalgia Flares up?

I have lived with Fibromyalgia for 30 years. The answers to this question are true and help to explain some of the new symptoms I’m experiencing. For example, when I stand up, I’m dizzy and have to be very careful or I walk into walls or furniture or trip and fall down. Everyone has been blaming this on the medication I take for depression and pain but when I look them up, dizziness is not…

by chronicillness•03/01/202208/23/2025•0

Is Central Sensitization the same as Fibromyalgia?

Let’s remember that despite all of our great science, we don’t fully understand either central sensitization or fibromyalgia. So the question is cute but unanswerable. Central sensitization means that there is altered processing of sensation in the spinal cord and brain. Imagine you have an mp3 player and you plug it into an amplifier and then to some speakers. The mp3 player is like the tiny signals coming **constantly** from the nerves that touch all…

by chronicillness•03/01/202208/23/2025•0

Why is it that every sufferer that I’ve met that has fibromyalgia also has a controlling personality or bipolar problem, including me?

Multiple doctors have told me I very likely have fibromyalgia (but my mother never took me to a rheumatologist), and I would say that I only am controlling to protect myself from being harmed… So I am not officially diagnosed, but doctors have told me I likely have it, as in a neurologist, psychiatrist, and a family practitioner. A physical therapist named Marcos who is not an MD, but knows my family, also told me he…

by chronicillness•03/01/202208/23/2025•0