I found my partner and family dismissive at first treating me like nothing was wrong, they exected the old supercharged do it all me, my excuses and mistakes when forced to do diy or fix the car began to irritate and annoy, the flares afterwards didnt help either. Fibro and fatigue with associated complications affected social gatherings, outings, holidays and i eventually had to stop working. It took a long time for them to realise but it happened eventually. They still forget my limitations time to time and get fed up with my illnesses.

Annemarie, one of the nicest things about this site is that it is a safe place to be real about your emotions as you navigate the day to day living with fibro. It hurts my heart that so many people (including myself) feel shame about a situation/condition that has developed in our bodies through no fault of our own. It's the mystery illness that even the medical community has no answers for at the moment. I pray that changes one day for all of us.

Hugs.

I agree with that a bad relationship will definitely add a lot of pain to the body. Sometimes we suppress how we really feel about somebody else until we get away from them and the pain lessens with less stress and guilt. My ex's whole family used to smoke in the house and that made me extremely ill and it was hell on Earth trying to convince them that either they had to stop doing that or I could not stay with my ex. They told me I was not sick from the cigs, it doesn't cause illness but that was about 15 years ago. Not everybody cares to worry about our individual problems so I would suggest a good therapist and if somebody is not going to support you then it's adding to your health woes. My two cents .... Was harder to be with somebody who gaslit me then to just be alone

My husband works with brain injury survivors so he is very understanding, but my ex-husband traded me in for a younger healthier model. Thank God he did, because my current husband is amazing. Don't carry shame or guilt because you didn't ask for this illness. Don't waste your energy beating yourself up over something you can't just stop. Instead, use that energy to learn about fibromyalgia and finding ways to feel better. I cannot stress enough how much PainTrainer.org has helped me! I learned how to absorb my pain, live with it and get on with my life. And it's free online! I personally felt my hubby needed to learn about FMS, so I share articles that I find. He semi-pays attention, but not completely. But no matter. He still supports me and he's the one who helped me get SSDI on my first application. Every night he'd review the work I'd done on the application and make suggestions. Think I'll keep him. ☺️Lol. Read, read, read everything you can find. You don't know what tip you'll find. Once again, find a specialist to work with you. Experiment with supplements. Magnesium helps me. Magnesium Malate is good for energy so take it in the morning. Magnesium potassium complex helps with muscle cramping. Try different things. I started my regimen decades ago and it's changed over the years. I always wondered if these supplements actually were doing anything. Well in March, I found out. I had to stop all supplements and vitamins prior to surgery. I started hurting so much! My migraines got worse and I was so tired, but I learned the supplements actually work!! Try not to get discouraged. We're all here for you! We know where you're coming from.

My husband has been supportive and helps with things I can no longer do but I have to ask him..lol. Fibro is a very difficult illness to understand, even for me, and I have had it for years. Symptoms keep changing. I try not to expect too much from him. My fibro has gotten so much worse and limits me more than it use to. I have found it more useful to just ask for help when I need it rather than trying to get him to understand my illness. Makes life smoother. The people on this site have been so supportive and sweet plus have helped me learn to manage this terrible illness. Hope this helps! God bless you!