Welcome! I am glad you posted. It's rough when people around you seem to not grasp that you're not complaining or aching in order to get attention but b/c you could use some hugs and encouragement. We all go through that, unfortunately. I'm sorry you're having to deal with it, but hopefully coming here will help.

Hugs and smiles,
Leo

Welcome to the group.

Welcome! I'm new here too. Not so new to Fibro. I've had experiences with people that made me doubt myself & left me feeling like I was out of touch with reality. Some folks don't understand that you can look fine externally but internally you're screaming in agony. Or they may catch you on a "good" day when you are able to get out & take care of things that you normally can't, due to pain, etc. (I relish those days because I'm never sure when another good one will come around!) But if the same people see you the very next day or two days later & you can barely walk.....well, they don't understand because "you were just fine the other day!" Very frustrating.
I hope you will find support here. Also, just for kicks if you are not familiar with Cafe Press, check them out. They have great fibro t-shirts, bags, mugs, etc. (I have one that says, 'Hug Me--Gently') Best of health to you! Lots of gentle hugs-WoMom1

It would help to know what you're asking them to understand, and how you're communicating with them. Sometimes we get into a rut of talking about nothing else but our pain, and that gets tiresome no matter how much you care about someone.

Tell us more and we can help better.

Hi, and welcome to the group!! Lots of great folks here, and we're happy to help any way we can!

HUGS from down south :)

Welcome to the group! I don't know if coming here will help you find what you need to make "others" understand or not. I do know that coming here will give you lots of support and encouragement, that will make it easier to deal with others. This is a great place full of wonderful people. Lots of wisdom and knowledge to be shared that's for sure.

Hugs

Hello Artist, and welcome! It's been wonderful for me to be a part of this group. I hope that you find it the same ~ hugs!

wowmom1 hit the perverbial nail on the head. its hard for anyone to really understand what we are going through. one day we feel good, so they think we are getting better, but then the next day we feel the brunt of it. i try to tell them to lookup the symptoms on line so they can read about it and understand it better but dont think they really want to find the time to do that. hang in there kid, we're here for you.
rosellen :-)

Hi ArtistMadrid,

Welcome! This is a great place for those who look fine outwardly yet suffer with FM/CFS. You hit on one of the worst parts of this illness. The you dont look sick part that comes from others who dont have a clue what is going on.

Hi Artist,
Welcome to the group. It's been very helpful for me to read the posts of others. I, too, have had trouble with people understanding what I'm going through, to a point where I've pretty much isolated myself from most of my friends. Good luck!

Welcome! I have Fibro & MS to name a few.lol..... Try Finding a Story on Line Called "Spoons" or Spoon thery,It Helped me get my friends to understand a Lot Better. It`s about a girl & her friend eating Lunch when her friend asks her what it`s like to have Lupus,It applies,Believe me. Good Luck.Contack me here at my journal If You Need to talk to someone who Understands Or You just need a Friend. Friendship,Peace,Care,Support,Very Best Wishes & PRAYERS Always For YOU & Yours. Indigo/cindi

welcome even tho you have been reading "US" for awhile =good you are joining in plez visit the group "FIBRO PUZZLE & put your story in there! that way you won't get lost in the news feed! add me as a friend only way we can read ea others profiles!
Also for your saftey set/check your profile to "friends only" so the world won't be able to read your journels or comments! unless you want them too!

I am 52 yrs old and have had Fibro since I was 11 yrs old. People even to this day do not understand the illness that we suffer from. For the most part, people who suffer from FM are people that are doers. We are not couch potatoes. I have had people say, "if I did more, I would feel better." YEAH RIGHT. What I have come to learn throughout this whole thing is that because we don't LOOK bad, we must not really FEEL bad either. And that is not true. People know how to sympathize with people who have cancer, or other illnesses that can actually be seen. I have learned to just accept the fact that what people don't experience they may not understand. I will pray that you find just a few friends that will help you and learn to understand what you are suffering is real, and not a figment of your imagination. Glad that you found this site, it is very helpful to know people, even just on the computer that not only understands but can sympathize because we are experiencing the same thing you are. God bless

Thank you all so much for your encouragement.

I don't fault anyone for not understanding... I think we can hardly understand it ourselves! There were times early on in my dx that I slipped into denial because I was having a good stretch of days, so i was sure I didn't have FM after all. i am not a complainer, and usually have tried to hide my problems, but I'm getting better at being matter of fact about what I'm feeling. And about taking care of myself as best I can.

Welcome to our group, ArtistMadrid.