May is Fibromyalgia Awareness Month

When you look at these faces, you see nothing
that would indicate we have a chronic illness (most with more than one).
Each of us lives with Fibromyalgia. I'm glad I found others that
I can learn from and journey with. May is Fibromyalgia Awareness Month. #ThisIsFibro #FibromyalgiaAwareness

My family jokes that May is MY MONTH.  I have Mother's Day, my birthday, and my anniversary.  Then, I learned last month that May is also Fibromyalgia Awareness Month.  Kismet?!  I think not:)  

As stated in my blog, I had not even heard of the word Fibromyalgia(FM) until I was diagnosed.  Since then, I've done a lot of research and have found that while more acknowledgment of it and a bit more understanding (thank goodness for modern technology and brain scans), it's still really not known, even by most doctors.  There's also confusion as to what causes it. It's only recently that it's seen as a disorder of the pain processing system due to imbalances in the central nervous system. "Evidence suggests that both the ascending and descending pain pathways operate abnormally, resulting in central amplification of pain signals, analogous to the “volume control setting” being turned up too high." The Science of Fibromyalgia. 

FM affects 5% of the population.

The main thing that stands out to me from my research

is that each of us living with

Fibromyalgia has to find our own path.

There is no cure.  There is no one

treatment fits all. 

So, I've put together some snippets from my two years in this journey of learning, healing, and sharing.  

May is #FibromyalgiaAwareness month. #ThisIsFibro 
One Step At a Time

May is #FibromyalgiaAwareness month. #ThisIsFibro
Sleep, Fog, and Vampires

May is #FibromyalgiaAwareness month. #ThisIsFibro
What's Wrong With Me? Part 1

May is #FibromyalgiaAwareness month. #ThisIsFibro 
What's Wrong With Me? Part 2 

May is #FibromyalgiaAwareness month. #ThisIsFibro Acceptance is my Super Power

#FibromyalgiaAwareness month. #ThisIsFibro
Knock on Wood!

May 12th is #FibromyalgiaAwareness Day! #ThisIsFibro
Am I Strong Enough?

May is #FibromyalgiaAwareness month. #ThisIsFibro

But How Do I Practice Acceptance?

May is #FibromyalgiaAwareness month. #ThisIsFibro Choose to Make Every Day a New Start

Last night, I had the privilege to
participate in a free webinar put on 
by Fibromyalgia Association of Michigan. 
If there were fan-girls of a doctor,
I would be one of Dr. Daniel Clauw. 
He has been a champion for those of us
with Fibromyalgia. Check out my first
understanding of how Fibromyalgia works:
Chronic Pain: Is It All in Their Head?

For the rest of the month, I will continue to post these on my social media and add to this blog post as a collection of my journey.  I hope that this might help someone ease their own wellness journey as so many have done for me (see my Resources That Have Helped Me page). 

Being everyone's journey and experience with FM is different, I'd love to hear from you about your own wellness journey. Sharing and learning from one another is our biggest ally.

Thank you for visiting my blog today. 

 

I am committing to posting once a week on Fridays.  

However, as you know, my new normal means that sometimes 

I have to listen to my body and am not able to follow through 

as planned. 

Thank you for your understanding.

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