1. The illness I live with is: fibromyalgia
2. I was diagnosed with it in the year:2009
3. But I had symptoms since: i was 11 years old
4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is: walking without feeling pain
5. Most people assume: that i am lazy, or that my pain isnt that bad. but it is pretty bad at times, and im not lazy, im just very tired
6. The hardest part about mornings are: getting up and taking those few steps to the bathroom, realizing that my feet are numb and every step feels like needles and pins, yet i try not to complain about it, i just keep it to myself
7. My favorite medical TV show is: my life is a sitcom.
8. A gadget I couldn’t live without is: i have a few: one is my kindle, IT HELPS SO MUCH just reading without having to turn a page, my wrists are very happy because of it. my ipod is another gadget, without music i would me lost. and my phone, its got a great camera on it. and hopefully soon a TENS machine to zap some of my pain away
9. The hardest part about nights are:sleeping, i cant sleep. and if i take my seroqul it makes me a zombie the next day, so i suffer tossing and turning and then having to get up
10. Each day I take 6 pills & vitamins. (No comments, please)
11. Regarding alternative treatments I:am all for it, right now conventional meds only help a small percentage
12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose: visable, because right now, its so hard to live like this. because i look ok on the outside , ppl assume im ok. BUT IM NOT, even sitting here typing this, im in pain, my hips hurt, my skin on my body feels like its on fire, if i werent at work i would take my clothes off because even wearing clothes hurt. i want to cry so bad, but i cant. because some ppl look at my illness as a weakness, and if i cry i will be weak. so i hold it in. but im not sure how much longer i can hold it in and ” manage my pain” PAIN IS NOT MANAGEABLE! and everyone that has FMS is differnt some ppl have it worse than others.
13. Regarding working and career:i work because i have to…if i dont work then i have no insurance and if i have no insurance i will have no weekly chiropractor sessions, or discounted med, etc.. but even being in the office 8-9 hours a day, kills me. i would love to work from home one day. as far as my career, well, ideally workign form home one day a week or two would be IDEAL. the commute, sittign down for hours, stress, annoyance etc…its hard on me
14. People would be surprised to know: that i feel awful for not keeping touch with certain friends of mine, but in truth, i forget. and by the time i remember, its too late and they are mad at me. and for this i have lost many dear friends. my fibro fog has sort of ruined my friendships.
15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been:my weight gain and my sudden pain at random times. i dont like this at all
16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was: i havent reached that point yet in my illness, even walking hurts
17. The commercials about my illness: SUCK ASS.
18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is:walking long distance, coming home and having energy to do things
19. It was really hard to have to give up:my social life. im too tired after work to socialize, all i want is to go home and rest. yet ppl can’t understand that. they think im being a flake or im dissing them, but im not, i need to relax. i cant be out all the time and get home late. i have issues with sleeping as it is. having fms has really turned my life sideways
20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is:soaking in a tub full of epsom salt while drinking wine, and bi-monthly massage therapy
21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would:walk all over nyc. go to as many fabric stores as i could, sew and enjoy the movement of the day
22. My illness has taught me: that as much as someone says they love you, if they dont understand the illness, they can never fully understand you therefore they cant really love you 100%
23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is:

“I DONT THINK YOU HAVE FIBROMYALGIA, I THINK ITS SOMETHING ELSE” “WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS RESTING GET UP AND DO SOMETHING” “YOU DONT HAVE FIBROMYALGIA YOUR JUST LAZY”

24. But I love it when people: let me know someone in their family also has fms, and they know how hard it is
25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is:i dont have one…isnt that awful
26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: im here for you
27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is:hot flashes, hate them
28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was: take me to their local swimming pool so i could swim some pain away :)
29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because:i have fibromyalgia, and im sick and tired of people not fully understanding the illness and assume it can be fixed .
30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel: a bit better, i have so many things to say about fms to all my friends, but i fear that if i do , i might lose more friends. or who knows