Me Versus Fibro

Living with Fibromyalgia: My Journey Through Pain, Diagnosis, and Resilience. Introduction Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterised by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and tenderness in localised areas, the pain and its intensity fluctuates day to day and even hour to hour. Fibromyalgia affects approximately 1.8 to 2.9 million people in the UK. Despite its prevalence, fibromyalgia remains a misunderstood and often misdiagnosed condition, leading many sufferers on a prolonged journey before receiving a definitive diagnosis. In this blog post, I aim to share my personal journey with fibromyalgia, detailing the onset of symptoms, the challenges faced in obtaining a diagnosis, the impact on my personal and professional life, and the strategies I’ve adopted to manage the condition. Through this narrative, I hope to shed light on the realities of living with fibromyalgia and offer insights to others navigating similar paths. The Onset: A Mysterious Illness My journey began ...

  🌀 Fibro Fog and Forgotten To-Do Lists: Learning to Be Kind to My Mind mevFibro.blog Some days, I lose my keys. Other days, I forget what I was saying halfway through a sentence. And then there are days when I open the fridge, stand there for a good minute, and still have no idea what I was after. That’s fibro fog for you — a symptom I never saw coming, but now know all too well. When I first started noticing brain fog, I thought I was just distracted, tired, or  maybe even a bit lazy. (Hello, internalised guilt.) It wasn’t until I learned more about  fibromyalgia that I realised: no, this isn’t “just forgetfulness.” This is my brain on Fibro. Fibro fog feels like your mind is buffering. Like you’re running a race in your head,  only to forget the word for “microwave.” It’s frustrating, sometimes embarrassing,  and often completely out of your control. 🧠 What It’s Really Like It’s difficult to explain what this kind of cognitive fuzziness feels like unless y...

The Grief of Letting Go: Mourning the Life I Had Before Fibro Coping with fibromyalgia means more than managing pain—it's also mourning the life you had before. Explore the emotional side of chronic illness, from grief to hope. When fibromyalgia crashed into my life, it didn’t just bring physical pain—it brought a deep, overwhelming grief. Grief for the person I was before, for the life I thought I would always have, and for the simple joys I used to take for granted. No one really talks about this side of chronic illness. The emotional toll of losing who you once were is real and heavy. I expected to battle fatigue and pain; I didn’t expect to mourn the loss of my career, my independence, and my connection to the life I loved.   This is my honest reflection on mourning the life I had before fibro, the layers of grief it brought, and how I’m learning—slowly and imperfectly—to live alongside that loss.   Grieving More Than Loss of Health   When people hear the word grief, ...

Understanding the 2010 Equality Act and What It Means for Fibro Sufferers in the UK Navigating life with fibromyalgia can be challenging, and knowing your rights under the 2010 Equality Act can bring a much-needed sense of security and support. In the UK, fibromyalgia is recognised as a disability when its symptoms have a substantial and long-term impact on your daily life. This means that if fibromyalgia makes it harder to work, travel, or engage in everyday activities, you are entitled to protection under the law. What is the 2010 Equality Act? The 2010 Equality Act is a comprehensive piece of legislation designed to protect individuals from discrimination on the basis of several “protected characteristics,” including disability. For many living with fibromyalgia, this means that if your condition has a lasting and significant effect on your life, you are covered by this law. The Act requires employers, service providers, and public bodies to make reasonable adjustments that allow...