All One but Not the Same

http://www.afsafund.org/fibromyalgia.html


It is unwise to automatically equate one fibro patient with another and I have been guilty of this myself. Symptoms, pain intensity, and frequency of flare-ups vary from patient to patient. Painful tender points vary from individual to individual. Up to 63% of fibro sufferers also have migraines. Also co-morbid conditions such as TMJ, IBS, and fatigue may or may not be present. A quarter of fibro patients remain work disabled. But many fibro patients find a balance with prescription drugs, physical therapy and behavioral management that allows them to rejoin the workforce in some capacity.

What works for one fibro patient is not guaranteed to work for another. Just because many fibro patients have found ways to manage their symptoms and pain and work with fibro doesn't mean every fibro patient that you meet has found that balance yet. Some fibro patients may never be capable of the same level of activity as others because for some patients, it is a completely disabling condition.

For some reason people "get" it with other conditions... MS can vary in speed of degradation, cancer can vary in aggressiveness, even people with the same flu may get more or less severe symptoms-- including differences in fever temperature or the presence of nausea and vomiting. This shouldn't be a difficult concept to grasp.
In my case, I am hopeful. My diagnosis is fairly new and I still have options to explore. I am hoping to find the balance that will give me enough reliability to pursue classes and at least part-time work. But currently my fibro is uncontrolled and I am dealing with intense pain flare-ups at least 2 days per week, and bouts of weakness and utter exhaustion 2/3 of the time. I could not even volunteer because that requires a predictable schedule and my body is completely unreliable at this point.

It is hard to be patient with myself during this time and I have become impatient and snappy (though Lyrica can also cause that too, so I will keep an eye on my mood). I feel bad that I have not been more patient with others. I will try to be a more patient fibromyalgia patient.