I’m glad you’re here too! I’m sad that you contemplate a world without YOU. But I definitely get it. I have to have rotator cuff surgery in November, and I know that being laid up is going to cause fibromyalgia flares. Resting too much (even 3-4 days) has always caused those flares. So, I know that I’m in for increased sciatic pain, neck pain, arm and shoulder pain, and fibromyalgia pain. All at the same time.
Needless to say, I’m scared. So I’m planning and preparing the best I can. I’m premaking Nutribullet smoothies and freezing them so I can maintain good nutrition. I’m borrowing my neighbors’ power recliner chair so I can rest sitting up.(everyone including the surgeon recommends that!) I’ve asked a nurse friend if she’ll come by to refill the ice machine thing you have to wear over the arm the first week. I’ve asked another close friend to take one of my dogs to stay at his place for a while( he’s young and rowdy and strong and needs lots of exercise!)
I even got a super short haircut last week to make it easier to take care of with only one arm!
It’s only recently that I’ve learned to ask for help, or even talk to the people I love about fibromyalgia. This support group has been a part of that. I’m tired of people’s lack of understanding and have reached a point in my life where I’m going to practice what I’ve always preached as a nurse…we ask our patients to fight…it’s time I fight for my own quality of life. Done worrying about what others think.
Ha! That’s today… I’m feeling pretty decent and got 5 whole hours sleep last night! Tomorrow I may be so sore and exhausted and disgusted with myself I’ll want to throw in the towel. But I know I can check in here with you all, and we’ll get through.
I feel guilty every day. I’m lucky to get a shower. Usually I have to sit on the floor to finish shaving my legs and rinsing. Sit on the bed to brush my teeth. I get only about 4 to 5 hrs sleep in the afternoon. I hate leaving the house because of ibs and panic attacks. I feel trapped in my own house. I’m wearing a spot out on the couch from sitting all day. I keep thinking tomorrow I will do more. It doesn’t happen that way. Thanks for listening to my rant. I can’t really talk to anyone. I think everyone is tired of hearing about it.
@Cshines: Do not feel guilty. There is nothing you can do about it other than doing stretches every morning to keep your body loose and it will also help with the pain. Try to do simple stretches and start with low repetitions and build from there. After I do some work in the house, which is only about four hours at the most, my back and feet start hurting and I have to sit down for the rest of the day. It really bums me out, but you can only do what you can do. There are days I cannot do anything, regardless of doing the stretches. Those are the days I am in a Flare, which is happening more and more often.
I am not tired of hearing anything about Fibro, and those that have Fibro understand what you are talking about. If we share our problems with others on this site, it helps to know how they are suffering as well and we might feel a little bit better in the process. Take it easy…
Thank you so much for responding! I feel better knowing some one out there cares. I try to do some things around the house. Have to sit and rest every 5 mins. I sweat and gag. Now I will have to rest the rest of the day. Again thank you for caring.
Wow I can’t believe how many times I hear this. I don’t know if people say this to try and “encourage” us, or if they’re thinking we’re milking some injury but it’s an actual nightmare 
I’m so sorry I hope you are taking good care of yourself!
Cshines, we are NOT tired of hearing it, and I insist you keep talking it out; at least here! That’s what this place is for.
I sense you’re in a pretty bad place… well at the time of that post anyway. How are you today?
Thank you for caring. Some days are better than others as we all know. If I get in my head and think how everyday is heavily the same I do get down. I need to interact more here to realize I’m not alone.
Exactly, the permanence of this condition and letting that get to you can really make you feel like you’re going insane. I will also make it a goal to interact more on the forums when I am feeling sad! I look forward to sharing and learning about others 
I have heard this over and over and experienced it myself. My husband did not understand what was happening to me. I took him to the doctor, one that was very supportive of me and actually diagnosed me with fibro. After that visit, and with a lot of reading on his part, he has come around. My son is another matter, but I can’t really blame him because he a grown man and lives away. My daughter has severe fibro and works hard all the time. She has a disabled veteran husband with severe PTSD and has to do almost everything for them. He doesn’t “get it” sometimes. I keep trying to get him to go to doctor with her and see if that will help. We’ll see. I just wanted to say how lucky I am that my husband is so supportive.
Another thing, do any of you have fluctuating body temps? Or sleep disorders? It was 4:00 a.m. this morning before I could fall asleep.
Hello to everyone here.
I too have been called “lazy”, told it was all in my head etc. I felt lazy, looking around at everything that needed to be done and not doing it. Finally thru
counseling I realized that im not lazy! I still struggle with it from time to time but
try to remember the good days (a lot of the time few and far between) and what I accomplish on those days.
I don’t know how anyone is supposed to understand fibro when science doesn’t seem to understand it or how to effectively treat it.
Most people just don’t get it and I rum out of patience with that. Ive had people say “just don’t think about it”, makes me furious!! Or just push thru it, like Ive never thought of that or tried!
Shannongrant I don’t know how you do it, 2 jobs and toddler is beyond imagining
for me.
Anyway Cshines Ive been there with a shower being to much. I just forgot about shaving my legs. I didn’t do anything that wasn’t necessary to be clean. Shower, brush your teeth that’s it, if you need to go back to bed for awhile and you have that option then do it. I find if I don’t think about what im going to do for the whole
day Im better off. I don’t end up beating myself up for not accomplishing whatever.
Just baby steps a good part of the time.
Sheila2
Hang in there!
Unfortunately, TV advertising has made it seem like FM can be “cured” with one little pill. I hate that commercial! (Can’t remember the pill right now.) DH asked me about it right after I was diagnosed. I told him that I had done some pharmaceutical research already and wasn’t certain I could take that medication with all the others I’m on. We also had a long talk about what “more normal” meant. More normal could just mean that I could walk further before my back, SI joint, and hip pain kicked in. It doesn’t meant I won’t still have those pains.
I struggle too with feeling lazy. My therapist is helping me work on this. Her statements are to give myself some grace and compassion. Treat myself with the same consideration I would give to someone else. When I think about it like that, it’s easier to say that I’m really not lazy, I’m just not capable of doing everything I want to do right now. Maybe I can do it later, maybe not. But I do try to NOT beat myself up as much.
I was told the other day that if I just get up in the morning and get moving that I won’t hurt, because “that’s what they do, and it works.” For them…
I, too, get tired of explaining, so many times, I just don’t. I just let them think I’m a wimp!
Anyone having temperature fluctuations, especially at night? Not all the time, but several times a month. Usually goes along with not being able to go to sleep at all!
I’m sorry you’re struggling. If that were my MIL or anyone else, I would try to patiently sit her down, look her in the eye, and firmly tell her what’s going on with you. If she still doesn’t get it, we’ll, I’d put her in the group of : people who don’t understand or have empathy. I’m sorry, am I being too aggressive on this site?
No Brooke, I do not believe you are being too aggressive, well not from my point of view anyway.
Having been judged and labelled for many years as ‘just a hypochondriac’ and even after receiving a concrete diagnosis that stigma still follows me around. I have in fact confronted one of the primary agitators but even in doing so, no responsibility was taken. “Well, don’t blame me, blame the dr’s, they’re the ones who got it wrong in the first place, so blame them.” So even in ‘sitting them down’ the preconceived ideas still linger. Some will never accept conditions when they are invisible.
Merl from the Moderator Support Team
You’re right, Brooke. Thank you. I’m going to just start ignoring them! Too much other stuff to deal with.