Living with Fibromyalgia: My Story

When people hear you have fibromyalgia, they immediately think about the pain associated with the condition. While chronic pain is a big part of fibromyalgia, there is much more to it than just hurting all the time.

I have sixty health problems associated with fibromyalgia. Yes, that's right, sixty. Some of them are only minor inconveniences, but others make life interesting to say the least. I often joke with my husband that living with fibromyalgia is exciting because you never know when you wake up what the day will bring.

One of my more bothersome problems associated with fibromyalgia is weather related migraine headaches. Nine times out of ten, if it rains, I'll have an all-day migraine. The headaches usually come along a few hours before the rain hits, when the barometric pressure starts changing. It's no fun when the weather dictates your life, but, unfortunately, that's what happens on those days because I'm not able to do much but lay on the couch until the migraine goes away, which usually doesn't happen until the rain goes away. This can take days sometimes.

A condition that often goes along with fibromyalgia is IBS or irritable bowel syndrome. These two conditions play off each other. A bad pain day with fibro will lead to an exacerbation of my IBS symptoms, which in turn will make me feel even worse. It's a vicious circle and is one of the main reasons I can't work outside the home.

Living with fibromyalgia has really had a severe impact on our lives as far as travelling goes as well. I can't sit for long periods of time in the same position because it increases my pain, plus I have irritable bladder syndrome too, another condition associated with fibromyalgia, which means we have to stop every hour or so on any trip we take. While I could just suck it up and suffer with the pain, I don't think it would be good for anybody if I ignored the urge to go to the bathroom for very long.

Dizziness, balance problems, and motion sickness spice things up when living with fibromyalgia. It's not everybody who feels like they've been on an amusement park ride when they go through an automatic car wash or ride an escalator. The excitement is too much to bear sometimes.

You're probably wondering why I don't take medications to help with these conditions. The thing is, medication sensitivity is another of my problems associated with fibromyalgia. If there is a side effect listed on a medicine, I'll most likely have it. I've even been known to have some that aren't listed, or have the exact opposite reaction.

As you can see, living with fibromyalgia involves more than learning to deal with chronic pain. It is a balancing act in which something new can pop up at any moment to trip you up. Falls occur often, sometimes only leaving bruises, but other times leaving life-long scars. I've learned to deal with fibromyalgia by literally taking one day at a time and counting the blessings in my life instead of the hardships.