Fibromyalgia, The Invisible Disease

With this entry I would like to give visibility to one of the many chronic diseases that exist and that we probably don't know about until someone around you suffers from it. In this case I am talking about fibromyalgia.

What is fibromyalgia?

As I said before, fibromyalgia is a chronic disease which affects the muscles and bones, usually accompanied by other things such as dizziness, arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome or chronic fatigue (the most common).

The causes of this disease are not known and there is no specific medication for it. Sufferers are given anti-inflammatory medicines and relaxants, and are advised to do gentle physical exercise (such as going for a walk).

It is quite a diverse disease, as each person can be affected in a different way. For example, if I ask the member of my family who suffers from it, this person tells me that it is a constant and stabbing pain, it generates a lot of tiredness (fatigue) and when she notices it most is in the mornings because she wakes up with stiffness in her bones. She also suffers from insomnia and dizziness. 

Here is a video that explains what fibromyalgia is very well (It's in Spanish, so please put English subtitles if you don't get them by default)

Our family experience

It is difficult to see someone you love in a bad way, because you never know how they are going to get up, as there are days when they are fine, days when they are bad, days when they are regular and days when they can't get out of bed, which means that you can't make many long term plans.

What is really important is to be there when she needs something, to support her and encourage her to go out or do things, but always taking into account how she is.

Here in Ourense, there is an association called AFFOU, in which people suffering from this disease meet and do activities such as dancing, group psychology, laughter therapy (the best medicine). I have always thought that the fact of going there helps them to cope better, because at the end, they are people who suffer from almost the same thing and they understand and support each other.

Image taken from: https://www.farodevigo.es/ourense/2019/05/11/victimas-dolor-ve-15696575.html

                                 

I would like to end this entry with a phrase that the doctor once said to this person and that I liked so much that whenever I am asked about it, I always say it to explain it:

"You are really well, the only thing you needed were some new bones and muscles".