Here it is again, May 12th. Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. Awareness is SO important because so many people don't know what these illnesses are, or have misconceptions about them. They are NOT psychological, though that is the common belief. Personally, I sometimes wish they were psychological, because then maybe I could just take a pill and see a psychiatrist and be cured. But no, it really isn't that easy. Another reason awareness is so important is because maybe it will help inspire people to do more research, and hopefully even find an effective treatment or cure. Awareness is also important because we have an "invisible illness" and people cannot tell we are sick just by looking at us, which often tends to make people believe that it is not real. Many doctors still don't believe it is real either, because there is no simple test to confirm Fibromyalgia, it is a diagnosis of elimination.
So, what did I do this year? Well, I did a couple of things. First of all, I wore my Fibromyalgia T-Shirt that I had gotten free from Vistaprint. I also participated in a balloon release. I only got three balloons, as I couldn't afford many, and also didn't want to do more harm to the environment. I wrote on them. They all said, on one side, "Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, May 12, 2011" and then each had their own writings on them. One was for Felicia Fibro because she wasn't able to do it herself, and her's said: "Hope is my future." I also had one that said "Hope for a cure" and the other one said "I long to be free again" which is a quote from a fantastic song written for awareness. Dan and I took them to the park and set them free. We clipped the strings from them, because I had read that those are the worst part for the environment. It was hard to take pictures of them as they flew away, but we did our best. Other then this adventure, I mostly posted lots of things on facebook and twitter.
Fibromyalgia is truly a debilitating disease. I am currently unable to find a job that my body can handle, and even though I now go to school online, that can be hard as well. The main parts of it are chronic fatigue and chronic pain, but honestly, that is just the beginning. Another big problem I have with it is the fibro fog. Someone can tell me something and I might forget it as soon as 5 minutes later, or sometimes something simple will really confuse me. It is very frustrating. I am only 22 years old and often feel as if I am at least 80. Fibromyalgia has taken many parts of my life away, and I can truly say that my life is not the same as it used to be.
Here is a link that might help you understand some symptoms: http://www.webmd.com/fibromyalgia/understanding-fibromyalgia-symptoms
Do you still have more questions? Ask me, I'm always here and willing to answer.
Also, if you or a loved one suffers from Fibro, what did YOU do for awareness today?
Last, but by no means least, I wanted to share a video I made for Fibromyalgia & CFS/ME Awareness. It looks better on youtube though, so here is the link: Fibromyalgia & CFS/ME Awareness Video.
Thanks so much for getting a balloon for me! Since my ankle kept me from going out of my house to raise awareness, I did it from home. I wrote a blog post and submitted it to Bloggers Unite about why National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day is important and ways to get involved. I tweeted fibromyalgia facts every hour, for 21 hours and shared other fibromyalgia related tweets. On Facebook I share fibromyalgia FAQs and I also held a giveaway in honor of the day. Just for fun, I also wore the color purple.
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