Fibromyalgia Awareness | Information, Tips, Support, Patient Stories

Dedicated to raise awareness about Fibromyalgia and offer online support. Find fibromyalgia information, news, interviews and tips.

When being strong is the only choice

How do you react when someone compliments you on being strong? Sometimes I just smile. And often, deep inside me something hurts when I hear those words. The thought that I just want to have some strength to do the things that I could do earlier and not this mental strength crucial to 'fight' my illness. Because, frankly, I don't exactly fight my chronic illness. I coexist with it. It dominates me more often than not. I am forced to be strong to exist with it else it would shatter me completely.


I would rather have the strength to brush my teeth with ease, to knead some dough without worrying about the increased pain in my hands and shoulders thereafter, to hold my baby easily instead of avoiding circumstances when she could insist on doing so, to clean the house regularly the way I did before... to be the old healthy me. 

Sometimes, being strong is the only choice you have. Sometimes, you just want to be an ordinary person doing the ordinary things in an ordinary way. 

Fibromyalgia Patient Interview: Desiree Robinson


Support of spouse, family and friends makes a whole lot of difference when it comes to dealing with chronic illness. Here's the story of fibromyalgia warrior  Desiree Robinson who put her creativity skills and photography together to bring awareness about the condition with a video. Please read and share her story and the video to help her in her initiative.

Also remember, all fibromyalgia (FMS) warriors have different levels of pain, fatigue and other symptoms. So don't judge one warrior based on the other.


What's the story behind creating the video?

As a suffer with fibromyalgia of many years it was a mate who said to me that I need to make an awareness video on this illness. I have been wanting to make one for years but didn't know where to start.

Miracle cure articles and ads disappointing Fibromyalgia warriors


PLEASE DON'T FALL PREY TO MIRACLE CREAM, MIRACLE CURE AND SUCH ARTICLES, ADS AND VIDEOS.

And try not to stress when they post things like a woman was cured by a cheap cream!

This is in response to a fibro friend who is so furious, and so am I, after seeing an article link on a popular website. And I am not posting that link as I don't want to give any publicity to a fake product or the woman who's trying to gain money and fame out of people's misery.

50 Activities / Things that #hurtwithfibromyalgia

Several things hurt most Fibromyalgia warriors on a daily basis. While a handful of patients are able to manage the condition somehow, most have unbearable pain and many other symptoms 24x7. Listing some things that are painful for most Fibromyalgia warriors - a quick reference for the #hurtswithfibromyalgiachallenge.

1.   Getting out of the bed
2.   Sleeping
3.    Standing for over half an
hour
4.    Cutting vegetables
5.    Walking
6.    Exercising
7.    Combing hair

#HurtsWithFibromyalgia Challenge

#HurtsWithFibromyalgia Challenge
The easiest challenge ever for the most complicated invisible illness.


12th May is International Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. Have you and your friends heard about Fibromyalgia? Do you know that it is incurable and invisible? Do you know what exactly it is?


Fibromyalgia warriors across the world are suffering every minute. The 24x7 torture by the illness is one thing that we are living with. Problems in relationships and jobs are other issues. But what hurts most is that nobody believes we are sick. We just don’t look sick and people just don’t know what Fibromyalgia is all about.




No, we don’t need those big donations, after all, there’s no big surgery required to cure us. All we need is a little trust when we say we are sick which is only possible when there is clear understanding of the condition. Understanding by the people that we are not lazy but we are unable to do the simplest of tasks. Understanding of this complicated illness so that no one goes undiagnosed. Understanding of this illness by one and all so that fibromyalgia patients need not struggle to explain the umpteen symptoms to anyone who asks what are they suffering from.


No big company or celebrity or brand has yet done anything big to help us raise awareness. So, we have taken it on ourselves to do so. Will you support us in raising awareness about Fibromyalgia across the world? Please take this simplest ever challenge that aims only to make the world understand what fibromyalgia is all about and what are the challenges faced by the patients. No donation involved. We just want everyone to understand.


#HurtsWithFibromyalgia Challenge
An initiative by www.fibromyalgiaawareness.com
Facebook | Twitter 


It's very simple! Post a photo doing any daily activity and use the hashtags #(activity) #hurtswithfibromyalgia. Tag and challenge your friends or celebrities. You can take the challenge on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat...


The point? Every task, big or small, is very painful for most fibromyalgia warriors. So whether it is being able to move out of the bed in the morning or preparing a cup of tea or typing all the words you have read in this post, it is quite painful. Basically, everything you do in a day is painful for fibromyalgia patients. Yes, even sitting idle for a while! For a quick reference, we have jotted down a list of activities / things that hurt with Fibromyalgia on this link.


So, post a photo of yourself or your friends doing any activity. It’s as simple as that!
Remember to use the hashtags #(activity) #hurtswithfibromyalgia. Tag and challenge your friends or celebrities.
Example: #cooking #hurtswithfibromyalgia

We hope you will help us raise awareness about Fibromylagia, an invisible, incurable illness.