Cartooning Fibro; trying to maintain my sanity with humour
So, I’ve had this flare going on since Christmas. Twice I was elated that it had passed, tricked into thinking all was well once more and I began in earnest to ticking off all the outstanding chores that built up whilst I was out of action. Only a day went by before the pain erupted and I was swamped with fatigue. Roll forward another few weeks and the same thing happened all over again.
I will confess that being a mother I am tormented by guilt; guilt that my kiddos have to observe their mother this way; guilt that my laundry has built up to monstrous proportions and that ‘take out’ will have to replace home cooking.
I’m also very aware that the longer this goes on, the harder it will be to face the world positively but that I absolutely need to or I could remain depressed which is brutal all round and/or I’ll trigger the pain cycle once more.
So this blog post will use funny to draw attention to the nuances of Fibro; one in an attempt to make myself feel a bit more upbeat, a little bit of catharsis’s and two it’s def much easier for others to want to read about and ‘get’ the experiences of others. Here we go…
And I extremely proud of myself 💪🏼
Read on and you’ll understand why
“They need to find a cure, that’s for sure…“ Who doesn’t love a bit of Seus?
Nasty
The number of Doctor’s appointments I require is unfathomable
It’s persistent, can feel never ending, can be never ending. There are a number of life changes that we can make to offset the frequency of the vicious dog attacks thoughTrue storyI used to love a good party 🎊 I do like to rebel now and again and get out with my friends but I have to factor in that the few weeks after will be hell My experience is that it is 99% hidden apart from Oedema – tni? 😂
Usually caused by the crazy meds sufferers are prescribed – always check the side effects and join a forum, there’s always someone who’s tried what you’ve been prescribed. Be aware!
Pre diagnosis I thought I was going insane. I was luckier than many others because my diagnosis didn’t take the average 7yrs others had to wait. I do not feel lucky having fibro though.
Have you ever had painful hair? It sounds impossible but it happens and it’s bloody aching. Gentle massage does the trick
As a Mother, I’m always aware of this and it breaks my heart. Human touch is one of the most beautiful things in the universe – but it can be agony for fibro guys I miss it dearly. This captures it entirely. Please sir can I have a new body? Pretty please…?For instance, I’ve a gnawing, throbbing, piercing pain in my elbow for over a week – there’s not a mark on it. But it bloody aching
You know that feeling when your clothes hurt you…?
Vulgar but true
This is a very accurate depiction I do laugh at this one because it’s something that’s been said to me a number of times 😂 I’d rather know I was alive by being able to fully live.
Movement problems: If only a good oiling would fix it.
One trick to help manage fibro is movement – the problem is that moving can very painful.
Fatigue There was a time that I loved jumping out of my bed to go to work, to meet with family and friends, to go out for dinner and drinks.A lotta lotta days…I really do get sick of myself Legit storyFatigue is tired multiplied by 10,000If someone asked me what my worst experience of having fibromyalgia is, I would tell them this, chronic fatigue. Fatigue so bad that walking 2 feet pushes me to tears, I could sleep for 3 days straight and wake as exhausted as I was falling asleep. I could go on, for a very long time. And the possibly the next week tooSo, 4 years on, whilst I’ve had the most interesting and painful journey of self discovery, I still make the same mistake over and over; as soon as a flare passes I jump and try to experience all the things that I missed out on, overexert myself and boom back to square 1.This is the well researched method for minimising the debilitating fatigue – building up your spoons aka energy units.
Where can I buy more spoons?
I’m an intelligent woman, a professional woman and I’ve so much to give the world but I’ve been given an extra challenge in life, one that shouldn’t have appeared until my 80’s; memory loss. I feel the loss of that and my speech greatly. Now what was that word I was thinking of…
What did I do with my list? 🤔
Now this made me laugh 😂😂😂 because I once went out with two odd boots
Autopilot and muscle memory can be so useful
I love ice cream 🍦
It can be so very frustrating and can lead to complete isolation from family and friends. Be mindful and care, check in with those you love
Check me out 💪🏼
Final note to my readers. By no means have I intended to underplay the experience of other fibromyalgia sufferers, this post aimed to capture the pain and suffering caused by fibromyalgia in a manner that enables me to process the affliction when I’m not feeling so good.
Sweet Ellie Aromas 