Fibromyalgia and other forms of chronic pain change people. The chronic pain of Fibromyalgia has changed me. Over the last 26 years, I've changed several times. The changes I've endured fall into different categories. They've been physical, psychological or emotional, social, and economic.
How do Fibromyalgia and other forms of chronic pain change people?
Physical Changes
Some of the physical changes a person with Fibro endures may include changes in:
Sleep (pain makes it difficult to sleep, reduced sleep increases pain),
Concentration (Fibro Fog),
Digestive system (many people have IBS and/or gastroparesis),
The Brain (chemistry and loss of gray matter),
The endocrine system (our neurotransmitters are out of whack),
The cardiovascular system (some of the medication we take can affect blood pressure and heart rhythms),
The immune system,
The neurological system, and
The musculoskeletal system (deconditioning of muscles).
Psychological or Emotional Changes
Some of the psychological or emotional changes a person with Fibro battles may include:
Feeling sad or hopeless
Irritability
Feeling detached from family and friends
Lowered self-esteem
Anxiety and/or panic attacks
Loss of sense of autonomy (need the help of others)
Social Changes
Some of the social changes a person with FM may experience include:
Isolation from family and friends
Decreased work performance and productivity
Divorce
Loss of enjoyment from hobbies or other formerly favorable activities
Economic Changes
Some of the economic changes a person with FM may suffer include:
Reduced or eliminated paid work outside the home (disability)
Divorce
Increased medical and prescription cost
For me personally, I've swung the personality pendulum from a typical type A personality to a pile of Jello and back, several times. I started out as a full-time working wife and mom going to school part-time to obtain a post-graduate degree to a divorced, bed-ridden, disabled, survivor of domestic violence. I didn't have the luxury of self-pity, I had two minor children who needed protection from their father and had to fight for my disability pension. I found the strength to fight and help others with Fibro, becoming a Fibromyalgia Forerunner in advocacy. Then my health took a turn for the worst, I had a series of TIAs (mini strokes). The pendulum swung back to Jello. Now I'm somewhere in the middle.
Yes, I've changed. I'm not the pre-Fibro me.
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