Fibromyalgia Is Like A Box Of Chocolates

Fibromyalgia Is Like A Box Of Chocolates

Borrowing a famous line from the greatest movie Forrest Gump, “my momma always said, life was like a box of chocolate, you never know what you’re going to get.”
If you have fibromyalgia, you know that like a box of chocolate, you never know with fibromyalgia what you’re going to get. Of course, we all know that with fibromyalgia comes chronic widespread pain, we know that it is a Central Nervous System disorder and we know that at the present time, there is no known cure. But that is where the certainties of fibromyalgia stop.
The symptoms of fibromyalgia are vast and by some counts include over seventy symptoms. If you are recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia you are in for a long ride to discover what other symptoms you’re going to have. Once you find a way to manage the chronic pain you might notice, many more issues that are common with fibro like insomnia, fibro fog and many more.
box_of_chocolates
With a nice big box of assorted chocolates you get a nice assortment to experience. At least you have a choice, do I buy this box of chocolates or not? You don’t have a choice with Fibromyalgia.
I made my own box of assorted chocolate to illustrate a point. That’s the beauty of assorted chocolates now days. They have web sites where you can customize what you want inn a box of chocolates, but there is no choice which fibro symptoms you get. You can’t customize your symptoms on a web site. Even if you could, what would you want to select?
Whereas with a box of chocolate, you might get a Milk Chocolate Almond, with fibro you might get depressed. You could get a Milk Butter Cream, or with fibro you might get fibro fog. If you’re lucky you could get a Milk Walnut but with fibromyalgia you could get fatigue. The Milk Pecan Bud is nice, but with your box of fibromyalgia you get may get Fibrocystic breasts.
For me no box of assorted chocolates would be complete without some dark chocolate like a Dark Almond. With fibromyalgia you might get chronic hip pain, I hate that one, probably the most.  Dark Walnut is nice, but Foot Stiffness or Foot Pain is terrible. I love Dark Peanut but I hate the headaches and sleep disorders. I like Raspberry Truffles, they’re very rich, but one in a box is good.  Muscle  Twitches and Spasms are bad and I hate them both.
What’s ironic using this interesting comparison about fibromyalgia and boxes of assorted chocolates is that another symptom of fibromyalgia is cravings for carbohydrates and chocolate.
This article, I hope amuses you just a little, maybe if I am lucky the corners of your lips turned up just a bit. But it’s hard to be amused my fibromyalgia and its scores of additional symptoms as if the chronic widespread pain is not enough. For the most complete list of symptoms that I know about, go to Fibro Symptoms.
Troy Wagstaff

A Song Dedication To Fibro Awareness – We Are The Champions

A Song Dedication To Fibro Awareness – We Are The Champions

Dedicating ‘We Are The Champions” by Freddie Mercury to Fibro Awareness

Fibro Awareness words in (parenthesis)

I’ve paid my dues
(Chronic muscle pain, muscle spasms, or tightness)

Time after time
(Day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute, with no end in sight)

I’ve done my sentence
(Moderate or severe fatigue and decreased energy, Insomnia or waking up feeling just as tired as when you went to sleep. Stiffness upon waking or after staying in one position for too long)

But committed no crime
(I didn’t ask for this, I didn’t go looking for it.)
And bad mistakes
I’ve made a few
(Doing things I knew would hurt the next day)
I’ve had my share of sand kicked in my face
(Well meaning people or family being insensitive or lack understanding or empathy)

But I’ve come through
(I’m still alive and fighting)

And we mean to go on and on and on and on
(We intend to see a cause and cure and hold on with hope)

We are the champions – my friends
(We will not give up hope!)

And we’ll keep on fighting Till the end
we_are_the_champions_fibro_awareness(It’s not in us to give up, we are fighters to reclaim some sense of our former self.)

We are the champions
(We are champions for not giving up hope.)
We are the champions
(We will no longer be ignored by the medical establishment!)

No time for losers
(We have no time for negative people in our lives. We try to stay positive in the midst of pain. We need positive attitudes around us more than ever)
‘Cause we are the champions of the World

(We will be the champion of the world when everyone that suffers from fibromyalgia will have medical help and a cure.)

I’ve taken my bows
And my curtain calls

(Our bows and curtain calls will come when they know what causes fibromylagia and have a cure or better treatment)
You brought me fame and fortune
And everything that goes with it
I thank you all

(We thank everyone who has supported us and understood us throughout our disabling illness)
But it’s been no bed of roses

(Difficulty remembering, concentrating, and performing simple mental tasks AKA Fibro Fog. Abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and constipation alternating with diarrhea, AKA IBS)

No pleasure cruise

(Tension or migraine headaches, Jaw and facial tenderness. Sensitivity to one or more of the following: odors, noise, bright lights, medications, certain foods, and cold)
I consider it a challenge before
The whole human race
And I ain’t gonna lose

(Our health has been taken from us but not our hope. With hope we can’t loose.)

And we mean to go on and on and on and on

(And we mean to see this illness through to the end!)

We are the champions – my friends
And we’ll keep on fighting
Till the end

(We are not the type of people to give up.)
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers

(We’ve had many distractors calling fibromyalgia a trash can diagnoses and other disparaging remarks. We have no time for negative people.)
‘Cause we are the champions of the World

We are the champions – my friends
And we’ll keep on fighting
Till the end

(We choose not to let the constant bone crushing chronic pain keep us down. We will keep of fighting until a cure or better treatment is found.)
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers

(We have no time for negativity or distractors. We are down enough and we need positive energy around us to help us fight this chronic illness.)
‘Cause we are the champions

(Not giving up makes us champions my friend.)

Fibro – Awareness

Fibromyalgia Symptoms:

Chronic muscle pain, muscle spasms, or tightness.

fibro_symptomsModerate or severe fatigue and decreased energy.

Insomnia or waking up feeling just as tired as when you went to sleep.

Stiffness upon waking or after staying in one position for too long.

Difficulty remembering, concentrating, and performing simple mental tasks (“fibro fog”).

Abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and constipation alternating with diarrhea (irritable bowel syndrome).

Tension or migraine headaches.

Jaw and facial tenderness.

Sensitivity to one or more of the following: odors, noise, bright lights, medications, certain foods, and cold.

Feeling anxious or depressed.

Numbness or tingling in the face, arms, hands, legs, or feet.

Increase in urinary urgency or frequency (irritable bladder).

Reduced tolerance for exercise and muscle pain after exercise.

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