Where do we go from here?

Hello there old friend. After what feels like an unintended hiatus, I’m back. Sort of.

Over the past few years I’ve struggled with whether to keep this fibromyalgia blog going or not. Do people still read blogs?

When I first started this blog I wanted to create a space to share about living with fibromyalgia, which there was very little information about at the time. It was great and provided wonderful support for our community as fibromyalgia became more well known and more of us got diagnosed after years of struggling. My blog soon extended to talking about chronic pain and mental health problems like depression and trauma, which so many of us face. 

I am pleased that over the years our communities of patients have grown and flourished, despite the dearth of research into fibromyalgia, and the staggering unwillingness of the medical fraternity to take us seriously still, on simple things like providing proper pain relief. 

But to tell you the truth, a lot of the times I’m so exhausted from fighting. Tired of shouting and being vocal, trying to raise awareness, only to feel like I’m screaming at a brick wall. Years of this has taken its toll. I see exhaustion in parts of our fibromyalgia blogging community too. You know what I mean?

Where do we go from here?

I’m fed up of begging for proper pain relief only to be told to take over the counter medication for crippling pain. Fed up of being treated like a hypochondriac and the irony of some situations. You know like all those years we’ve complained about the debilitating fatigue that comes with fibromyalgia only to be told to exercise and not be lazy, then suddenly the pandemic happens and people affected by long covid-related fatigue get this amazing amount of compassion and medical attention, research, flexibility at work … all the stuff we’ve been begging for for years but no one cared about.

But… I decided I’m not ready to give up blogging about fibromyalgia, chronic pain, or mental health problems. This fibromyalgia and chronic illness community has been holding itself up for such a long time, through the hurricanes, tornados and unpredictable weather. It’s no wonder we’re exhausted. While some of us take a break or move onto other things, the rest of us can carry the baton, supporting each other like the family we’ve always been. It is not enough to exist with fibromyalgia and chronic pain and suffer in silence.

So, I’m back.

If you’re still reading this, let me know what sort of issues you’d like me to cover here. Tell me what’s happening with you. Maybe we can encourage eachother again, like before. I think all of us are in need of some of that these days.

See you soon.

Gentle hugs x

Photo credit: visuals on Unsplash