I have fibro, but it doesn’t have me.

I have fibromyalgia. This has never been a sentence that I have said in a support group, but I have said it on occasion. Usually, it has been something I have said to explain a limitation that I have or being a reason for something I couldn’t or didn’t do. It is true that I have all this pain. It is real. It is tangible. I feel it every day. I feel it in my bones, my muscles, my nerves, my brain, my back, my chest, my fingertips, and more recently… my eyesight.

It has been an obstacle of my daily life for more years than I can recall. The physical pain, the stiffness in my joints, the burning ache in my chest, the migraines, the brain fog and forgetfulness, the digestive issues in my stomach, the constant draining of energy, and all the other symptoms have been a part of my daily struggle for more than 15 years now. I had it even before I knew what IT was. I felt the symptoms for a long time before I was diagnosed by a medical professional. I spent 5 years going through a multitude of doctor visits, tests, treatments, trials, and hospital admissions, until I finally found out what was wrong with me. Then, on the day I finally found out what was wrong with me I could finally start trying to understand everything that was happening. Start doing my research to find ways to treat the symptoms and issues I face physically, mentally, and emotionally, every single day.

It has been a long road, but not my first tour because I have been on long trips before. I’ve travelled most of my life and been a lot of places, seen a lot of things, and met a lot of people in my life. So, I have been patient as I travelled this journey of getting educated about fibromyalgia and the condition I have had to learn to live with. Everything I have been through has gotten me to this moment, to where I am now.

To this exact second in time.

To this place of understanding.

To this awareness I now own.

To this point of action I now want to take.

To this decision I want to make.

To realize my goals and manifest my dreams into reality.

I am here. I am present. I am finally realizing where I need to be. I finally understand why this has all happened and I can honestly say now that I have fibro, but it doesn’t have me.

The one thing fibromyalgia cannot take from me is my mindset.