Fibromyalgia Awareness Week.

So fibromyalgia is a little known disease that has wide reaching and pretty all encompassing symptoms that dictate the lives of its sufferers and their families. Most diseases are suffered by not only those who are medically diagnosed with the disease but also their carers, partners, parents and families. This is no more true I think than with fibro. I do not wish to diminish the strength and determination that truly deserves championing in those who battle the disease every day but merely wish to elevate and also honour those who devote their life to those with fibro. It's not pretty. It's an uphill struggle daily, it involves infinite amounts of time, patience, compassion, empathy and sympathy not to mention inner strength and broad shoulders! In the case of my sister who at such a young age was finally diagnosed with fibro following years of living in a medical hades where no one knew what was wrong with her would not be able to live her life as she does (as fully as possible) without the support of her boyfriend and carer Paul. The energy and time he devotes to her and the grace and love with which he does it is touching, inspiring and remarkable for someone again so young. He compromises and sacrifices so much and consequently gets his life largely sucked up by this hideous disease that consumes my sister most of the time.

For those not too sure what fibromyalgia is it can be characterised thus

• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Brain fog
• Restless legs
• Overlapping syndromes
• Muscle and joint pain
• You never feel good
• Anxiety and depression
• Loss of control
• Grief and worry
• Immuno-dysfunction
• A lifetime fight.

http://coffeehousediscussions.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/fibro.jpg

I write this blog post not to dictate guilt at you but to help raise awareness of the disease and champion those I know and who are close to me who deal with it daily. Thank you for listening.