Welcome, Welcome!!! You've just described all of us. Congrats on making to a support group that REALLY UNDERSTANDS YOU! Cuz trust me, we ALL understand. You can whine to us anytime, and you'll hear the same from us from time to time.

Hi hon!!! Im so happy youre here!! Im sure we can offer you understanding and friendship...Welcome!!

OMG thank you so much, finally a few tears of joy to mix with the ones of pain.

Welcome, Welcome!!! You've just described all of us. Congrats on making to a support group that REALLY UNDERSTANDS YOU! Cuz trust me, we ALL understand. You can whine to us anytime, and you'll hear the same from us from time to time.

Welcome a'board....I'm 41 too. I go through stages where I feel sorry for myself, get upset etc. Right now, I'm in the "pissed off" stage! LOL I don't care if it takes 20 more doctor's appts, trying 20 different pain relief drugs, 30 different alternative therapy techniques or 100 lab tests! I'm gonna find something that takes this damn pain and fatigue away. I'm also accepting more help than ever before which makes it easier for the day to day stuff.

You have to let them know every day what your pain level is. What I realize is that my family aren't mind readers. They don't know how much pain I'm in or what to do unless I tell them. We also have to be good to ourselves and give ourselves a break once in a while.

Hi Rikki,
Im so glad you found us!!!!
Yep we all need each other
Im so glad yer here Welcome

You just go ahead and vent. How long have you had fibro and how long ago were you diagnosed with it?
You might try asking your family to read some articles or book excerpts on fibro (or even leave articles...around where they will find them.) Education can really help. There is also a Letter to Normals that describes fibro from the non-ill person's side. They might be more empathetic knowing that their frustrations are understood too. I'll pull it from my files and post it. You also may want to try calmy and intelligently explaining the illness and how you feel to them. I think people are more open to listening without getting defensive when everyone is sitting together talking calmly.

I understand exactly what you're going through. We all do. We have been there, are there and will be there again. Welcome to our family and keep writing.

Jan

welcome to the site. I haven't been on a long time, but I love the support people give here.

I want to say something about family reacton to fibro. When fibro hits, it generally hits like a ton of bricks. Generally, fibro folks are hard driving, energetic people who always put the other person first. So, the objects of our commitment loose us as much as we loose ourselves. They loose patience, just like we do. They know they can't fix it for you, so they are trying to ignore the problem and pretend that everything is like it used to be before it changed their lives.

Please don't think you are whiney. If you feel sorry for yourself it only prooves that you are a compassionate person. I feel sorry for you too and for us; all of us who have this disease.

I so hope this does not sound like a supercilious lecture. Sometimes I can get pretty terse.

Oh Rikki, like others have stated...you ARE NOT alone...we are right inther ewith you. Self-pity IS an ugly part of this DD. People look at us and see nothing different. I have to wear no makeup to get any sympathy adn then it's probably just because I look awful without makeup..LOL!!! Hey, listen, the self-pity is a constant with me, but many aren't that way, they will give you ideas on how to get out of it. I work on it every day.

The only thing that's helped so far is to be thankful for the little things, no matter HOW LITTLE...AND, not to expect anyone to understand because my expectations will always be dashed.

We DO understand and we ARE here to give you hope and advice. I LOVE this board. It's great...but most of all I LOVE the people in it. They are very caring and giving of their time and their stories, etc.

I'm getting errors on the website where I'm trying to get the letter to normals. There is also a letter to fibromites. Go to



Look in the left margine selections for both letters and click on them.

Hi !!.i am new as well.but already i feel at home here...because of the out pouring of support...friendliness and haveing people that DO understand...I no longer feel alone...and have become stuck to my computor...no longer even wanting or careing to explain this to anyone else anymore..this has become my family..sad but true...not really sad tho...cause I FEEl so much better EMOTIONALLY..

WELCOME AND WILL WATCH FOR FUTURE POSTS !!

Shoot, the web address didn't show up. Let me try again.

http://www.fibrohugs.com/

I think you'll have to copy and paste this onto your address bar.

Does anyone know how to create a link?

Never mind, this worked.

Hope you enjoy the letters after all this. LOL

I tried the clothespin challenge with my teenagers, by the way one of them is bipolar,adhd,intermittent explosive disorder, so this is a challenge in itself. They seemed to get it but just went on with their everyday stuff. I have always done everything for everyone and am not a "no" person. Now I feel like I have ruined all of them(husband included)and press on to keep doing while no one does for me or even cares.

Welcome! We love having you. We are all here for support, we all understand, and we reach out to each other as a way to make it easier for all of us. So feel free to vent, to cry, to rage, whatever. We'll be for you. And then we'll smile, joke, exchage gift ideas or recipes or just have fun together. We do that too. It all helps, and I'm glad you're here to join in.