For years, I was extremely skeptical of chronic myofascial and fibromyalgia related pain, especially regarding severity. We are living in a society of convenience praticioners and demanding consumers. Patients see a drug on TV, ask their doctor for it, harp on them about it, and plead until the physician gives in.
Then I went to school. I studied medicine, physiology, and the anatomy of nerves. I learned how chronic illnesses can cripple a body, a mind, and destroy a personality.
Then I got to know real people. Great friends, family, and patients. People in crippling pain. Women who gave up careers. Men who started avoiding their families. Real people terrified of being seen as weak. People ready to have life changing surgery to get even a little relief.
Well, I have to say something now. I don’t understand it. I’ve never been there, not truly. But I understand that it’s real. The words hit me last night, and here they are.
Image: Rory Bristol
I’m not one of you, but you aren’t alone. Don’t forget it. You aren’t alone, dammit.
Eleanor Morgan
Anne