Fibromyalgia took me hostage 6 years ago. I had to give up a really successful cleaning business I loved, my ability to drive, do anything socially, even doing the normal routine things were too painful, too exhausting. It shrunk my world down to a darkness I couldn’t throw off. I didn’t know how to be this useless, weak, exhausted person who had to be taken care of and who had nothing to contribute anymore. Sorry, this is a terrible first post, I’m having a crummy week.
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wow, posted 12 hours ago and not one person said hi. i think i’m on the wrong website. thanks anyway…
Hi. It usually takes some time for reaponses. People don’t get alerts like social media. You have to be patient but it helps to be here. Stay positive. My sister sends me a positive message every morning so I start the day with a positive outlook. We have all had bad days but I would recommend a therapist to help get through some of the tough times. It may take a while to find the right one so again be patient. It can really help see things differently or hook you up with other helpful treatments. Hope things get better.
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Hey ShanaLear! I just got an email this morning that showed your post. I am usually terrible about looking at the site as frequently as I should. It helps me so much that you’d think I would be more faithful, but that Fibro Fog we all know about sometimes gets in the way of that.
Anyway, welcome to the site. Everyone I have connected with has been amazingly helpful, understanding, welcoming & willing to “listen” to me venting!
I can certainly understand your frustration & anger over your situation. I haven’t personally reached that point. I still work fulltime, but that is about it. It sometimes takes all I have to make it through my work day. My weekends are all about resting & regrouping for the next week at work.
One thing that has helped me is a site my daughter told me about called MeetUp. I had recently lost my 2 oldest & dearest friends within 18 months of one another. I was at my all time low. I didn’t really have any friends here anymore. MeetUp has helped me connect with people in my age group with similar interests. We go out to dinner once, sometimes twice a month. I always say I will attend the next dinner, but have had to cancel many times on that day due to fibro. I have never had such a caring response from others, with the exception of this site, of course! Anyway, that has helped me to reconnect with the outside world a bit.
Also, warm water therapy! I can’t say enough good about it. I am looking at rejoining a class a the local Y. Fun people & it helps get some exercise in a very painless way.
I hope this has helped in some small way. I truly hope that your week is getting better!
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Hi guys- thanks for your responses. I guess I got upset because I could see over 10 people had seen my post but no one bothered to say hi. Chronic pain and depression can magnify things and I’m sure you probably already know that. I wasn’t really angry as much as hurt. Anyway, thanks again for reaching out. I’m alone far too much and it’s beginning to really bother me and I need people I can talk to who understand the pain and sadness and confusion and exhaustion. I’m also struggling with a lot of anxiety in social situations, fear of rejection and all that. 
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Hey there! I can totally relate to the self-inflicted “wasting away” of your previous life. Well maybe not self-inflicted…fibro-inflicted. Sometimes I try so hard to remember what my body felt like before fibro and I think man if only I had known what was coming down the road I would have enjoyed the last theme park I went to or party or dancing. The things I used to enjoy just slowly fell by the wayside simply because I couldn’t do them anymore because of the pain and fatigue. I don’t socialize anymore at all. I don’t like to be in crowds because it’s too much stimulation. My family really doesn’t provide much support because I really don’t think they believe fibro is real. I know what it’s like to be alone. Sometimes I enjoy being alone and other times I want to do something but then get anxious about it and end up doing nothing.
I’m sorry you are having a cruddy week. I truly have been there. We are all in the trenches together managing and fighting this horrible condition one day at a time (wow that sounds so cliche lol). Anyway hang in there.
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Hello there I know just how you feel. I was 12 years before I began to get better. Very important to find the right health professional. After getting medical help I started a walking programme. 5 - 10 mins a day then gradually getting longer. I can still only do a good half hour walk but feel so much better with less pain and better energy levels. Just something to consider and it was hard because sometimes you can only do every second day. All the very best wishes. Libby
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Try a support group. You can learn a lot and make some new friends to support you. Libby
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Hi, Shandra
I’m sorry you’re going through such a rough time. I can relate strongly to what you wrote. I lost a career that I had worked very hard at for many years and cared deeply about. Some of my family members have pulled away because they don’t want to deal with my illness, and I have that “useless” feeling you described, even on days when I know it isn’t accurate. Transportation is hard for me because I’m legally blind, so I don’t get out much lately, and I always wonder if the handful of significant people in my life are getting tired of hearing me complain about pain and fatigue.
I’m thinking of trying online therapy since it would be too hard at this point to get to a therapist’s office every week. I’m having a hard time getting motivated to do it, but I think it might be helpful for many people in our situation. Meditation also seems to help me cope, although I don’t do it as often as I should.
I hope you find something that makes your situation more bearable.
Renee
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Thanks, all of you, for responding. I’m here alone most of the time and I start to wonder if the things i’m experiencing are fibro related or just in my head and it amazes me to see you all are describing my struggles. I hate to say, misery loves company, but it makes me feel better somehow to know I’m not alone. I swear, most of the time, I think I’ve fallen into a bad episode of the Twilight Zone. LOL
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