One of the many frustrating things about Fibromyalgia is the lack of fun. I often have people tell me that it “must be nice” to have the time for a 2 hour bath or to read a book all day.
What they don’t understand is that those 2 hours in the bath, they are because it hurts too much to even lie in bed. So sitting in a nice warm bath where the water supports your body without too much pressure on it, might be the only relief you get that day. Epsom salts will help make that 2 hour bath give relief for a few hours afterwards as well.
Reading that book? Yes, I admit, I enjoy reading. But sometimes I do it to hide from the pain and fatigue that is preventing me from doing other things.
The Fibro Troll has taken a lot of thing from me. I had to stop doing the job I love. I spent my whole life working towards that goal, I spent 5 years at university, worked two jobs in my final year and somehow still managed to have a social life. I worked hard in that job, did all the normal things people do – housework, social life, etc. Then bam! The Fibro Troll invaded my life and took all that away.
Now I have to make sure that there’s only one thing scheduled for a weekend. If I go to a BBQ or a birthday party I have to plan ahead. I usually bring my own food, I have to make sure I rest up before hand for a day or two and make sure I sit down a lot.
If I go to a wedding – and I love weddings – I know that the next week will be spent in bed or on the couch or yes, I will spend 2 hours in the bath or read a book. I won’t do housework that week. I’ll be lucky if I can cook dinner. So my darling knight has to take up the slack – again.
So next time you tell a person who is chronically ill, that it “must be nice to have time to relax” they’re probably thinking – “it must be nice to have the energy to clean your own house.”
