ABCs of Fibromyalgia

I have been trying to come up with ways to describe what my body is going through to people that just don't get it. One is: I'm always in pain and always tired. Another is: it's like my nerves never stop telling my brain I have pain or that I need sleep. But that doesn't cover very much of what people with Fibromyalgia go through. So here's my ABCs of Fibromyalgia:

A is for the Anxiety that can overcome me when I'm not expecting it

B is for the Bad days

C is for Chronic, you can't escape it no matter how well you're managing it

D is for the Depression, the dark toll that falls sometimes when the going gets pretty tough

E is for Eating healthy to manage my symptoms, less sugar less processed foods and more fruits more veggies more meat, which makes it rough to socialize sometimes cause our culture is so focused on unhealthy eating to facilitate social events

F is for being Forgetful, also known as Fibro Fog, I've forgotten the silliest things sometimes like names of family members or close friends as well as how to tie shoes etc

G is for the Good days

H is for Heat therapy, so relaxing and relieving of pain, electric blankets and rice bags are my good friends during the bad days

I is for how Fibromyalgia seems Invisible to everyone else, I don't like to draw attention to the fact that I'm miserable and I'll push myself through the pain and fatigue

J is for 'Just say no' to activities that cause pain and fatigue, and prioritize so I can do all that's necessary 

K is for those Killer tension headaches, for me, only caffeine can take the edge off of them

L is for that Lazy feeling that creeps in and makes me guilty for not being superwoman

M is for Muscle weakness and pain, sometimes just lifting up a fork to eat is rough. 

N is for what a big Nuisance it is, and how No one truly understands. It'll get in the way of all the fun, ... but then I get to create my own new kind of fun

O is for the Over active nerves, they are always partying!

P is for the Pain that lingers and travels around to different parts of my body

Q is for a Quilt to snuggle up in to try and forget the pain when I can't sleep

R is for Relaxation therapy to help my muscles not ache and be so stiff

S is for the Sensitivity to the cold and temperature changes whether they are drastic changes or not. 

T is for always being Tired but unable to ever feel rested after sleep

U is for being Unproductive and feeling like I'm drowning Underwater, but still doing my best to try and stay afloat

V is for the Vast ways that fibromyalgia can manifest itself in each individual person

W is for Warmth needed for my muscles to relax, warm showers and baths are heaven sent!

X is for (according to several MDs) the eXam and all other medical tests that proved I was the picture of perfect health and all this pain and fatigue was in my head... Ha ha Yeah right! Haha

Y is for the Yellow sunshine that brightens my day when I go for a walk and Yoga to stretch out my stiff muscles 

Z is for my Zany friends and family that make me laugh and smile through it all

Yes, it's hard to deal with but it makes me, me! Sometimes I do have bad days, or on occasion a really bad day. But I try to remember that my good days outweigh the bad days:) and God is with me through it all.