Visibility

I was reluctant to post my last offering. After all, I was going totally against the grain, against the entire Fibromyalgia Awareness campaign: "Fibromyalgia, the Invisible Disease". I understand what is behind it. Lord, we have all waited and waited to be legitimized. We have waited and waited to have someone believe us and know that what we are experiencing is not all in our heads!

We still encounter them frequently. The neurologist who doesn't believe it is a major condition. The physical therapist who says "pain doesn't equal damage". Okay, so maybe his kind of damage doesn't equal my kind of damage, but I am the one who is going to hurt even more over the next several days and he doesn't believe my pain is genuine and justifiable.

Justifiable pain. Now there's a concept. We are in pain (need a bigger word here) and are constantly fatigued. It hurts to be hugged. It is an accomplishment to make it through the showering and the dressing at the beginning of each day. But, now we have to sit down for a minute. More than a minute, but that's what we say: "just for a minute". Our hands and feet hurt, our skin burns like a fresh sunburn. Our necks and shoulders, and other parts of our anatomy, are in tight, throbbing knots. Our ability to concentrate, to focus, to process information and apply knowledge is shaky at best. It has cost many of us our careers. Yes, many brave women managed the pain and the fatigue at their jobs -I am in awe- yet have been brought down by this innocuously named condition known as fibro fog.

Justified. Legitimized. Validated.

Who would think that our first step in getting treatment for our condition would be to become VISIBLE?

Later,

me

CJ, in time