Celebrate the resilience of Fibromyalgia warriors, sharing stories of strength, tips for managing symptoms, and resources for support and empowerment.
“The happiest women, like the happiest nations, have no history”, George Eliot I have based my unproven theory about why more women than men are diagnosed with fibromyalgia upon a feminist analysis of the political and cultural roles of women in societies in general- both historically and at present. However, now that gender is currently socially constructed and is much more fluid, it has indeed become a complex issue and not as straightforward as I previously thought. I have begun…
“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…
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”, Maya Angelou On June 3rd I heard a documentary on CBC radio talking about the mark of shame, the culture of shame, and how it makes one feel. There is so much about the visibilities of women’s bodies that cause us to hide perceived imperfections, in particular, the dyeing of our…
“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,…
“If you are experiencing strange symptoms that no one seems to be able to explain, they could be arising from a traumatic reaction to a past event that you may not even remember”, Peter A. Levine Two words that are now often coined in conjunction with fibromyalgia are cognitive sensitization and somatic sensitization. I have been exploring the research in this direction for the past couple of years and have recently had another ‘aha’ moment.…
Having Fibromyalgia is like a roller coaster ride. Most days I just don’t know how I am going to feel. I try to have a positive mindset and I find it helps when I’m around others with a positive mindset as well. However, I realized that not everyone wants to hear or see positivity right now. Frankly, I can understand that – I use to feel that way too. I started to realize I have…
Fibromyalgia is such a complex condition. It affects you physically, cognitively and emotionally. Sometimes, if forces us to change who we are or suffer the consequences. This is where I have a hard time because I have dreams and goals and I’m not ready to give them up. Today I woke up feeling the weight of fibromyalgia on my body and my soul. Getting Out Of Bed Most people hate getting up in the morning.…
We talk a lot about how fibromyalgia affects women but did you know that men can have it too? I want to introduce you to Ted Hutchinson, That Gaming Dad! We had a really good conversation about everything from getting diagnosed, living with fibromyalgia as a man, and advocating for our community. He not only tells us how much harder it is to get diagnosed as a man but how to re-create your life after…
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…
Meet Hilary Neumann! She has lived with Fibromyalgia and several other diagnoses for many years. In the video below she tells her story of how she handles living with fibromyalgia. Her strength and determination to live her best life has shown me how to power through when living with a fibromyalgia diagnosis. Listen to her story below: Different Fibromyalgia Treatments Hilary has lived with fibromyalgia for twenty years and has tried many different treatments. Today,…