Chronic PAIN. We all feel physical pain at some point in our lives but do you have chronic, unrelenting pain? How do you survive with chronic pain? How can you thrive with chronic pain? Chronic pain is a symptom of both the Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) that I have and Fibromaylgia  and often times people with RA also develop Fibromyalgia.

 

It seems the more I share my story about my RA, the more I hear from bloggers and readers that have Fibromyalgia and other related chronic illnesses. We understand each other on a deeper level. Often times we can share our success stories and things that have helped us cope and thrive with our chronic illness. In fact, those with chronic illness tell me they “get it”, why I write about my small victories. It’s important to me to raise awareness for all sorts of chronic illnesses so patients are better understand and can help one another thrive with chronic illness. 

 

Brandi from Being Fibro Mom and I became blogging buddies several years ago it seems. We had so much in common, both of us have kids (I have 3, she has 4) and were trying to keep up with the physical demands of motherhood when our bodies sometimes did not want to cooperate. Brandi always had a kind word, helpful hint or gentle virtual hug to offer me when I talked about my painful flares or fatigue on social media.  She even shared with me some great ideas about surviving the holidays with chronic illness. She’s an inspiration to me as she handles her disease with grace and faith. 

 

So I’m happy to have Brandi on Mom’s Small Victories today as we approach Fibromyalgia Awareness Month this May 2016. She has an exciting and informative month planned to and you won’t want to miss anything! Please welcome Brandi as my guest today. 

 

Fibromyalgia Awareness Month May 2016

By Brandi from Being Fibro Mom

May is Fibromyalgia Awareness month, and May 12th is Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. This is the time of the year that people, all around the globe, raise awareness for fibromyalgia and chronic pain through fundraising events, personal stories, online campaigns, and other ways. The funds raised during this time help to further research of the illness in order to one day find a cure.

 

What is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a complex chronic condition with various symptoms that affect the entire body. These symptoms vary in degree and day-to-day. Common symptoms include chronic pain throughout the body, chronic fatigue, and abdominal pain.

Research has shown that a person can develop fibromyalgia by physical trauma, emotional trauma, infectious illness, or hormonal changes, or a combination of factors. Research is still in progress to see if fibromyalgia is hereditary or if a common genetic type exists.

Anyone can develop fibromyalgia – men, women, and children. In the United States, there are 3.7 million reported cases of fibromyalgia. The majority of the cases are women between the ages of 40 and 75. Individuals with rheumatic diseases – such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis – are more likely to develop fibromyalgia.

See @BeingFibroMom's Story + her mission to help #fibro sufferers become fibro thrivers Share on X

 

Brandi’s Fibromyalgia Story

I lived with fibromyalgia for years before being properly diagnosed in 2012. It was a long and arduous journey leading up to the diagnosis as well as getting well again. During my journey I discovered that I was not alone in my feelings, symptoms, confusion, and depression. There are other moms (and others) suffering from the same ailments and loneliness that I was experiencing.

In late 2013 I decided to start chronicling my ups, downs, and in betweens in hopes of reaching out and connecting with others suffering from fibromyalgia. My mission of Being Fibro Mom is to help fibromyalgia sufferers become fibromyalgia thrivers. This is accomplished through the various resources and articles available on my site.

Each year at Being Fibro Mom, various fibromyalgia organizations (national and international), chronic illness bloggers, and national online companies come together to promote fibromyalgia awareness through personal stories, informative articles, campaigns, product awareness, and giveaways.

 

Fibromyalgia Awareneness Day 2016 Agenda

Here is what is on the agenda for Fibromyalgia Awareness Day 2016:

• 10 giveaways (Being Fibro Mom website)
• 4 Friday Flash giveaways (each Friday evening on Being Fibro Mom Facebook page)
• Articles from national and international fibromyalgia organizations (such as UK Fibromyalgia and Fibromyalgia Coalition International)
• Personal stories from fibromyalgia and chronic illness bloggers
• Product awareness that will benefit those living with a chronic illness

If you would like to participate in the awareness events, please fill out this form. 

Join @BeingFibroMom for #Fibromyalgia Awareness Month with important information + #Giveaway Share on X

About Brandi

Brandi is a follower of Christ, wife to an amazing, supportive husband, blessed mother to four sweet children, and fibromyalgia thriver.

Follow Brandi on her blog | Pinterest | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

I’m really looking forward to understanding more about Fibromyalgia. Because of my RA, I know that I have a greater chance of developing Fibro and I want to know what to look out for. I think patient stories are vitally important, everyone’s diagnosis story and path with chronic illness can be so different. Stay tuned, I’ll be sharing my story with Brandi’s readers during her event too. 

What questions do you have about chronic illness, Fibromyalgia or Rheumatoid Arthritis? If you’re a patient, how long have you had the disease? How do you cope with it? Leave a comment for Brandi, we’d love to hear from you! 

About Be Our Guest Fridays!

Be Our Guest Fridays is a weekly feature where I feature guest posts by my favorite bloggers and authors. I started this feature to encourage and support the bloggers I love and the authors I want you to know. I am excited to share with you these creative and inspiring individuals. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, leave me a comment on this post and I’ll be in touch.

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