Today I celebrated Fibromyalgia Awareness Day by attending a luncheon with members of my Fibromyalgia support group. As always, it was fun and restorative to spend the afternoon with others who understand. There is never a hesitation if someone stops speaking mid sentence because they lost their train of thought, or if you have to get up and walk around after sitting for 15 minutes. We understand and can laugh about the uglyness of Fibromyalgia, because when we are together we are not alone in our struggles. I started a discussion by asking how I could encourage some of our members who … [Read more...]
Melancholy Monday
I have been contemplating the value of online support groups and social networking sites. Value is not really the right word for it, but I am not sure what the right word is. My first exposure was to a yahoo support group for Fibromyalgia. It did not take me long to realize that it was not the place for me. Each person on there had a signature which listed all of their illnesses and health complaints. The longer the list the more clout you had. People were listing every trivial thing wrong with them in an attempt to make their signatures longer. I was really turned off to it, and it did not … [Read more...]
Things I Love #3: Working From Home
Working from home may be one of the best things to come from living with Fibromyalgia. I have been forced to adjust my career to allow for flare-ups and for days when I am not suitable for human consumption. It has been a gradual transition from the full-time job I had when I was first diagnosed, to my current career as a freelance writer and homebody, but I am very pleased with the direction my career has taken. The doctor who diagnosed me told me plainly and simply, “You are going to have to change your life, and most definitely your career, but you will be able to live and work … [Read more...]