Hi, I am diagnosed with fibro but my family still think it's all in my mind or me just being over sensitive. The thing is, I don't know if my 'pain' is as severe as many fibro sufferers. I have constant discomfort, various aches and pains, definitely the stabbing pins! But if I had to describe it I would say it feels more like an utter exhaustion and a sort of all over feeling of discomfort. I do get severe aching in my limbs on some days, and sometimes my thumb/wrist will just give out for no… read more
Tell the doubters in your life that your central nervous system is damaged at the point where the peripheral nerves join the spine because you had an illness or suffered some trauma in an accident and your damaged nerve cells amplify whatever they sense but since the signal is amplified and forwarded to the brain the brain takes the unknown signal and ids it as PAIN. In addition to the pain your body reacts to the errant signals causing things like muscle spasms, for more pain. Then you have a sleep disorder where your sleep is interrupted when you go into the REM cycle which you must complete to get to the restorative sleep cycle in the last hour of sleep. No restorative sleep means extreme fatigue always. This is from a closed head injury or bad disease that messed up your brain cells, so you are depressed, suffer also from anxiety and your brain's thermostat is also damaged so your are sensitive to cold or are sweating like a pig all the time. Then there's the smart part of the brain where your short term memory is on the fritz and you can't remember what your did a minute ago, your are in a fog, can't plan, you sometimes can't figure out what your seeing in a stupid, inane, TV show like the bachelorette. You'd bitch slap the next fool who accuses you of faking it or malingering but you can't get off the couch. That will shut them up.
Fibro is real. The pain and everything your feel is real. Your central nervous system was damaged and is overwhelmed with misinformation. You can't even rely on the site of the pain being accurate and certainly not the intensity. The internal network that controls your life and your reaction to environmental stimuli is misfiring, not firing, or firing unnecessarily. The end result of fibro is very real. You suffer from a dreadful condition. And sometimes it's very hard to be positive about that so hang in there.
It is difficult to explain to others what does not even make sense to ourselves. Find a few people who care and have compassion so that you can vent, share what you experience, etc. as, if you are like me, things just seem to jump around in your body. I find that fibromyalgia is very creative, a surprise at any instant. Those people will affirm you while others may bring you down emotionally. Someone told me many years ago that friends and acquaintances fulfill different needs... in our lives. P.S. She did not mean that we use people. It can take time to sort out where all of those people fit into your life. I hope this helps. I will give you an example. My children think that any mention of discomfort on my part makes me a hypochondriac, so I limit what I say to them. My best friend allows me to express myself whenever I need to.
Maybe your family can go to your next doctor's appointment with you, I also think at some point you have to let it go and disregard what they think, as hard as that may be!!
Sounds like fibro to me! I’ve had pain so bad, my teeth chatter! How can anyone think it is all in your head? I wouldn’t wish this horrible disease on anyone..