5 Things People With Fibro Want You to Know (And the Things We're Tired of Hearing)

Fibromyalgia is an invisible illness, which means you can't always see the symptoms, but they're always there. Fibromyalgia is categorized by widespread pain and various somatic symptoms, symptoms that affect the brain.

How do I know this? I'm not a doctor, but I've been diagnosed with fibro. Along with this diagnosis came a lot of frustration. Here's just a little vent piece, and I'm sure there are many more to come.

5 Things People With Fibro Want You to Know (And the Things We're Tired of Hearing):

Yes, we really ARE that tired.

Fibromyalgia is comorbid with chronic fatigue syndrome. This disorder is exactly what it sounds like, never-ending naptime. On top of CFS, fibromyalgia is also comorbid with depression. To add the icing to the fatigue cake, being in pain all the time is also incredibly exhausting.

So next time you see us taking a much needed four-hour nap and think, "Wow, this person is really lazy. Look how lazy this person is. They sleep all day. So lazy," consider this: Don't.

Yelling does not help us hear better.

A lesser-known comorbid disorder is auditory processing disorder. This doesn't mean we're deaf. It just means our brain and our ears don't quite link up sometimes. You may hear us ask you to repeat yourself several times before things finally click for us.

Yelling doesn't help. It's not the volume that's the issue. It's our auditory processing. Do your favorite fibro warrior a favor and be patient, and please, turn on the captions.

We have good days, and we have bad days.

Fibromyalgia may mean chronic pain, but the pain isn't always to the same degree. Some days, I can walk a mile to the nearest grocery store and back. Some days, I can barely walk to the bathroom. This makes planning things out a little iffy.

If we agree to go to that party the week before and need to cancel the night of, it's not that we're selfish. We're not angry. We don't hate you. We're just having a bad day.

Yes, we tried that. Tried that too. And that other thing.

Believe me, if having a big bowl of crystals with mineral water for breakfast every morning would cure my pain, I would do it. I have stuffed my face full of raw, unprocessed kale. I've adjusted my sleep schedule, my eating habits, my drinking habits, and my exercise routine. If it can be adjusted, I've adjusted it. The things that work, I keep doing. The things that don't work, I kick to the curb.

That thing you're about to recommend? We've tried that. Next time you have a condescending, "But have you ever done a sun salutation at 5 AM on a Friday," suggestion, keep it to yourself.

There is no cure.

Symptoms are manageable, but I will always have fibromyalgia.

So have patience, be open, and be understanding. Just because you can't see what we go through every day doesn't mean we're always okay.