I am a 41 year old wife and mother. I have been dealing with Fibro since I was 20 years old, but I was not diagnosed until 2001. The last six years have been horrible. I use to be able to manage it pretty good, but not anymore. I still have my good days, but there seem to be a lot more bad days over the last six years. I try to stay positive and I have great family support, but there is only so much they can understand about fibromyalgia. I am thankful for my husband. We have been together for almost 15 years and have been married for almost 13 years. He is always there to help me on my bad days,but it is so hard not to get depressed. The exhaustion and neurological symptoms upset me more than the pain, which is good because my system can no longer handle prescription pain medication. It is after 1:00 am where I live, I usually cannot fall asleep until 4:00 am., but I am pretty exhausted so I should try and get some rest. I am glad I found this support group. I look forward to getting to know more of you.
Thank-you for introducing yourself. You sound like a very strong person, having coped with this for many years. I am sur you will have some great advice for those of us who have been managing this condition for a shorter time.
Thank you for your reply. I think I got about 5 hours of sleep, I am not sure though. I have been confused all day. I usually go three to four days with hardly any sleep, then the next couple of days I sleep better. Of course, with fibromyalgia no matter how much sleep I get, I am still exhausted. My husband has been laughing at me all day because my fibro fog is pretty bad today. I was on my cell phone talking to my daughter, and I kept freaking out because I could not find my phone. My husband just started laughing and I asked him what was so funny, then he reminded me I was talking on the phone I was looking for. We had a good laugh about that, including my daughter.
purplebutterfly said:
Welcome to the group.
I hope you got some rest. It is great that you have a supportive husband. I look forward to getting to know you.
Your welcome and thank you for your reply. Dealing with this for 21 years has taken a toll on me. My husband is and has always been there for me. Honestly, the last six years have been different for me. The pain, exhaustion, and so many other symptoms have been getting worse. I keep trying to go back in time to figure out how I coped and actually managed this pretty good for so many years before it got worse. I know I will be okay and get through each day no matter how much I struggle, but It does bring me down more than it use to. I have always been a happy, positive individual no matter what I am going through, but sometimes this illness takes everything out of me. With all that being said, I make sure to take full advantage of my good days, and refuse to let this take over my life.
AnneV said:
Hello Shell,
Thank-you for introducing yourself. You sound like a very strong person, having coped with this for many years. I am sur you will have some great advice for those of us who have been managing this condition for a shorter time.
I myself have been married for almost 22 years. My wife was diagnosed with fibro about 12 years ago. Like your husband I am trying to be as supportive as I can but I have my bad days too when I am not sure what to do to help her. I guess just being there is enough sometimes
Nice to meet you as well. That is great that you are there to support your wife. There are too many individual's who suffer with fibro and do not get the family support they desperately need. Lack of support from from family and friends can leave the person with fibro feeling depressed or more depressed than they already are, along with feelings of isolation.
You are right. Just you being there for your wife is enough sometimes. I love when my husband is just there to hold my hand and hug and comfort me. I understand it can be hard for him sometimes. He often worries that I will fall into a deep depression. We have a great, loving relationship, and I feel safe with him. I told him he always knows what to do to cheer me up on my bad days. As long as I have him and the rest of my family, I know I can remain a strong person.
I will admit, there are days when I get depressed. Sometimes it feels like I am being torn down bit by bit, and I get sick of going through this everyday, but I refuse to let this take over my life.