A Letter to the Normals

A "Letter" to a family of anyone who suffers from Fibromyalgia

"Please understand that being sick doesn’t mean I’m not still a human being. I have to spend most of my day in considerable pain and exhaustion, and if you visit I probably don’t seem like much fun to be with, but I’m still me stuck inside this body. I still worry about school, and work and my family and friends, and most of the time I'd still like to hear you talk about yours too.

-Please understand the difference between "happy" and "healthy" .When you've got the flu you probably feel miserable with it, but I’ve been sick for years. I cant be miserable all the time , in fact I work hard at not being miserable. So if you're talking to me and I sound happy, it means I'm happy. That's all. It doesn’t mean that I’m not in a lot of pain, or extremely tired, or that I’m getting better, or any of those things. Please, don’t say , "Oh, your sounding better!" I am not sounding better, I am sounding happy. If you want to comment on that, you're welcome. Please understand that being able to stand for ten minutes doesn’t necessarily mean that I can stand up for twenty minutes ,or an hour. And, just because I manage to stand up for thirty minutes yesterday doesn’t mean that I can do the same today. With a lot of disease you’re either paralyzed, or you can move. With this one it gets more confusing.

-Please repeat the above paragraph substituting "sitting", "walking", "thinking", "being sociable" and so on.... it applies to everything. That's what FMS/MPS does to you.

-Please understand that FMS/MPS is variable. It's quite possible (for me, its common) that one day I am able to walk to the park and back, while the next day I'll have trouble getting to the kitchen. Please don't attack me when I'm ill by saying "But you did it before!" if you want me to do something then ask if I can. In a similar vein, I may need to cancel an invitation at the last minute, it this happens please do not take it personally.

-Please understand that "getting out and doing things" does not make me feel better, and can often make me seriously worse. Telling me I need a treadmill , or that I just need to loose (or gain) weight, get this exercise machine, join this gym, try these classes... may frustrate me to tears, and is not correct....if I was capable of doing these things , don't you know that I would? I am working with my doctor and physical therapist and am already doing the exercise and diet that I am suppose to do. Another statement that hurts is, "You just need to push yourself more, exercise harder..." Obviously FMS/MPS deals directly with muscles, and because our muscles don't repair themselves the way your muscles do this does far more damage than good and could result in recovery time in days or weeks or months from a single activity. Also, FMS/MPS may cause secondary depression (wouldn’t you get depressed if you were hurting and exhausted for years on end!?) but it is not created by depression.

-Please understand that if I say I have to sit down/lie down/take these pills now, that I do have to do it right now...it cant be put off of forgotten just because I'm out for the day (or whatever). FMS/MPS does not forgive.

-If you want to suggest a cure to me, don't .It's not because I don't appreciate the thought, and it's not because I don’t want to get well. It's because I have had almost every single one of my friends suggest one at one point or another. At first I tried them all, but then I realized that I was using up so much energy trying things that I was making myself sicker, not better. If there was something that cured, or even helped , all people with FMS/MPS then we'd know about it. This is not a drug company conspiracy, there is worldwide networking (both on and off the Internet) between people with FMS/MPS, if something worked we would know.

-If after reading that, you still want to suggest a cure, then do it, but don’t expect me to rush out and try it. I'll take what you said and discuss it with my doctor.

In may ways I depend on you....people who are not sick....I need you to visit me when I am too sick to go out....Sometimes I need you to help me with the shopping, cooking or cleaning.

I may need you to take me to the doctor, or the physical therapist. I need you on different levels...you're my link to the outside world...if you don't come to visit me then I might not get to you .

...and, as much as it's possible, I need you to understand me."
 

Author's Note

I am a sufferer of this terrible disease, one that sneaks up on you without warning, and changes you to your very soul. It's hard to tell people you're sick, when on the outside, you look normal.

Reviews

[Wildecat]

Jalaran,
I have a friend that writes on here her name is Poetry Writer, she has the same thing that you have. I don't know how she copes to be honest. We have never met in person but have talked on the phone and became good friends. I am sure she would love to say hi to someone that really knows where she is coming from. I just try to be here for her when she needs a shoulder or someone to talk too. My heart goes out to you. Thanks for sharing this enlighting piece.

[Angel Baby]

I too suffer from this terrible disease and understand exactly what you have been going through. Couldn't have said or written it better. If you need someone to talk to who can relate to all these things, would be happy to speak with you. PW

[Cheryl J. Turner]

I don't suffer with the same illness as you but I do have depression and I can really relate to what you have written. People always think that if they can't see it then it isn't there, it's about time people got over that belief.
It takes a lot of guts to write a piece like this - I wish I had your courage!
I hope that the people you're aiming this at try their best to understand and accept you, you sound to me like you deserve it.