When diagnosed with fibromyalgia I expected pain, but I never expected an illness to cost me the respect of my friends and family.
Life with fibromyalgia is unpredictable. One day we can do something, the next day we can’t.
Tweet
*Disclosure: I am NOT a medical professional and am NOT issuing medical advice. Everything stated is my own experience and personal opinions. This post includes affiliate links. Meaning that at no additional cost to you, I receive a commission when you make a purchase through my links. .
How Fibromyalgia Causes a Lack of Respect
We cancel plans often.
There’s no way to predict a flare, even with an amazing pain management plan.
Some days we need to use a mobility aid and others we don’t.
Then there is the randomness of when and where our bodies experience pain.
All of these varying factors cause those who have trusted us in the past to question us.
Some people may accuse you of using your illness to get out of doing things. Others will insinuate that you like being ill.
Doctors who once listened to and sought to find a solution to your symptoms, suddenly start dismissing new symptoms.
Tweet
Denial
Friends and family may say that this isn’t true, that they haven’t lost respect. But their actions say otherwise. How often they ask for your assistance, even if it is just to offer moral support, declines because this illness has the tendency to make us unreliable. They may not reach out to you as often as before because they don’t want to hear about how awful you feel.
What hurts the most is when family and friends suggest and/or accuse you of causing your illness.
Tweet
Family loses respect over us not being able to do everything or as much as we did before becoming chronically ill, for canceling plans, and unfortunately at times for requiring assistance.
Expect to be:
- Doubted
- Ignored
- Avoided
The Rest of the Story
The cost of living with fibromyalgia goes beyond finances. Nothing I read at the time of my diagnosis could have prepared me for the high cost of living with fibromyalgia.
Click below to read the rest of the series
