You will find many articles, forums, and blogs on Fibromyalgia and Depression out there. Those of us that have Fibromyalgia may have suffered or do suffer from depression.
This is a very delicate subject and area to discuss. See, most of us that suffer from Fibromyalgia have either been through depression or are going through it. In the beginning, when you have no idea what is going on with you and everyone tries to convince you that it is all in your head that will immediately set you into a depression mode.
Most of us live with the symptoms for years before we are diagnosed. In those years we go through a zillion tests, zillion questions, a zillion loved ones saying we are hypochondriac, and doctors who just keep trying to give us more and more pills to make us go away.
I was one of these people that knew something was not right. Something was wrong, and I was determined to find out what was causing all my issues. It was heartbreaking when everyone around me thought it was all in my head. I cried many nights and days.
I kept looking for a doctor that would help me and listen to me. Through all this, you feel alone, that nobody cares and that nobody wants to help you find the solution to your continuous pain. You feel as though you are the only one going through this, but you are not as there are others just like you that are going through the same thing.
Being in constant pain is depressing in itself. Who wants to go around feeling like they have the flu 24/7? Who wants to have to change the way they live so they can function on a day to day basis? Who wants to change what they eat and how they eat so they can function day to day? Nobody wants to do this, but those with Fibro have to, for us to get through each day.
Most doctors who don’t understand what Fibro is will try and give you depression medications, but it is not in your head, so the pain is still there. This can lead you to be even more depressed.
I was one of those people that my doctor gave me depression medicine and it made me feel mentally worse than I had before. I was more depressed than I had been before I was diagnosed. I had to find something that would not make me feel worthless. I found another doctor, this time, one that did not put me on depression medicine and truly listened to me. He took me off of those nasty pills and put me on something that was for Fibro.
What a difference that can make? When you actually can somewhat function and think straight, you don’t feel quite as depressed.
It took some time, but I eventually was able to stop feeling so down all the time. I was taking my life back on my terms, and I was not going to step back into a depression mode again. This is not something that will work for everyone, but it is something that has worked for me. I still have a lot of life left to live and have depression on top of my Fibro was not in the chapter I was writing about my life.
Will this work for me forever? Not sure, but for now I will give it a try as I know there will be more changes, and I will take each one on a positive note because once I give into the negative and creep over to the red platform I have let my illness win and control my life. Staying positive lets me win each time.
Always remember to stop, take a breath and be positive!
Aimee Reese is passionate about bringing awareness to others about Fibromyalgia. Aimee has been living with Fibromyalgia for years, but officially diagnosed five years ago. Aimee is the founder of The Green Platform Assistant where she believes “In order for you to grow you have to start with knowing who you are.” Aimee believes by staying positive and on the Green Platform it helps get through the most difficult times when living with an invisible illness. Aimee lives in Kentucky with her husband Eric and two children.
Contact Aimee: aimee@thegreenplatformassistant.com