Tag Mental Health

Mental & Emotional Journey of Fibromyalgia

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Fibromyalgia from a patient’s perspective is probably one of the hardest syndromes to navigate. Not only for patients but also for doctors. What was once thought to be a dysfunction of the peripheral muscoskeletal system has now become an obvious disorder of the entire muscoskeletal and peripheral nervous system. This leads to chronic widespread pain, and dysregulation of many different systems, including emotional regulation in turn amplifying pain perception.

“Fibromyalgia was originally thought to be a peripheral muscle disorder; however, recent studies have shown the presence of central pain susceptibility. Fibromyalgia patients have more reactions to pain compared to normal individuals, as in they have a lower pain threshold. Problem solving skills and defining and experiencing emotions are decreased. Therefore, they have difficulty in expressing emotions, and pain sensitivity increases in the presence of psychostressors,” states the Turkish Journal website.

Alexithymia has currently been studied when it comes to patients with Fibromyalgia. Alexithymia is referred to as emotional blindness where a person has significant challenges in recognizing, expressing, or describing one’s own emotions to others around them. This can have a significant impact not only in attachment but also interpersonal relationships. Alexithymia is commonly recognized and prevalent among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Studies generally show that fibromyalgia patients are individuals who have difficulties in expressing their emotions. Alexithymia rates were found to be high in patients with fibromyalgia,” states the Turkish Journal website.


It is understandable that Fibromyalgia patients have a dysregulation of emotions and responses to chronic pain. Long term emotional distress amplifies many different aspects of Fibromyalgia. It can instigate new pain, thoughts of hopelessness, financial distress from a multitude of physician visits, along with medical anxiety of having new symptoms appear out of nowhere. Patients can also feel guilty for not being able to complete simple tasks along with having difficulty thinking or remembering. Fibromyalgia also creates an environment for patients that either sleep too much or too little, changes in appetite, unusual anger and/or irritability, and the need to isolate from people or activities to navigate their symptoms.

If you feel as a patient that you struggle with the above listed symptoms, it can be helpful to be assisted with different options available pharmaceutically coupled with cognitive behavior therapy. Definitely seek help from your physician promptly. Stay calm, stay cool, collect your thoughts, and continue to educate yourself about Fibromyalgia.

My Promise to Fibromyalgia

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On this day, July 5, 2019, I changed my mind. I had changed my mind about a lot of things. The pain I was in, the depression I was suffering, the fact that I may lose my life entirely to a handful of diseases that were shutting my body down at such a young age. Things that normally “old people” suffered was going to destroy me before I even hit 50 years old. I had a laundry list of ailments. Those ailments may never go away but I decided the time I have left on this earth after years of fighting for answers and a diagnosis, I would change my trajectory.

“Depressive symptoms significantly impact the quality of life and prognosis of fibromyalgia patients. Therefore, the development of novel management approaches is crucial. Researchers and clinicians in the fields of immunology and psychiatry should conduct future studies with larger sample sizes to provide more robust evidence on the efficacy of current approaches in addressing depressive symptoms in people with fibromyalgia.” states National Library of Medicine website.

Somedays I wake up just fine, other days I’m in pain worse than the day before, but I wrote a promise to myself, my family and my friends and posted it for all to see. I have not looked back from that moment. Now I’m here being able to journal, record, and research and share my findings of the very illnesses that brought me to the brink of death. I encourage you to also find strength in yourself as you read my personal promise that I had written to myself and loved ones four years ago.

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0we6zL_0nHRrDOU00

MY PROMISE TO FIBROMYALGIA

My brain says, “I can’t”… but I did it anyway.

My body groaned and ached… but I did it anyway.

Then it started tremoring… and I still did it anyway.

The day after, my brain says, “I’m hurt, so I’ll hurt you!”… but I got up out of bed anyway.

My body says “you hurt me, so I’ll hurt you!”… yet I’m up and moving and doing things anyway!

How can a person endure so much pain, and still do it anyway?

Because my heart says, “You have to enjoy as much of what’s left of this precious life as you can, so do it anyway!”

And so here I am. My life has changed, my world has changed. I may have to take naps in between, I may have to take meds to do it, I may have to do everything in short little bursts…..but no matter how I get it done, I’m going to do it anyway!

Because my heart is untouched, and I’m going to love this life anyway.

— Wellness Wishes from your Author, Misty Romack

Stopping for a Moment for Lifetime Wisdom

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There’s been a lot happening in my life that doesn’t happen to be anything about my chronic illnesses, however they directly have an effect on my wellness. Remember, that just because you are doing everything possible to control your illnesses, the outside world and uncontrollable influences can send you into a flare. I’m really allergic to stress, even emotional stress. How can I tell?

I have this superhuman ability to gain like 5 to 10 lbs. overnight, which my kidney specialist told me one time was absolutely impossible. No one can eat or drink that much in one day for that to just appear. No doctor had an answer. However, here I was being this fabulous super growing and shrinking woman depending on what was going on in my life. Never did we realize at that point in time, it was directly correlating with the stress that I was under. Yet here I am, rocking it, even when my body was in a peaceful state as far as illness the day before.

So, I’m going to share with you some wisdom, that has seemed to come to me over the past few years. It took a group of my family elders and myself along with an example that shortly followed that brought me to this outright wisdom.

In Parenthood and Life, “It is okay to be human, but it’s always best to be a GOOD human.”

It takes nothing to be a Good Human to Yourself. Picture Credit: Engin_Akyurt/Pixabay

There’s been many different times I’ve asked myself over my lifetime, why certain people just choose to be a bad human. Then you wonder what kind of people would raise such a human. I am naturally a curious person and a people watcher. I even studied a bit of psychology when I was young in high school prepping for college, along with any and every child development course I could and even though I didn’t follow through with any type of degree, it certainly helped me in some pretty tight spots myself.

You can meet some of the most insanely nice people and then there are just inherently bad humans, ones that steal, lie, cheat and or abuse others. However, you meet their families and parents and question “How is that even possible?” No matter the upbringing, humans are responsible and should be accountable for their own actions, and sometimes they just aren’t, and refuse to.

It’s going to directly affect you in one way or another, but you still have the choice to still be a Good Human, and act accordingly if someone does something to you that hurts you. You have control on how you react to certain situations. You do not have to bow down to their tactics, walk their path, you have the ability as a human to walk away. Even good humans, still make mistakes, choose the wrong path inadvertently, but eventually they find their way back on the right path. It takes time and it takes patience for them to catch back up, but everyone has to make their own path, and that’s okay. Like I said, it’s okay to be human.

You personally, for your well-being (and sometimes health), have to be willing to allow yourself the patience and kindness to remove yourself from that situation. You have to remember “I am human too; I have offered my help, my love, and my advice, that’s all I have to help a fellow human. I can only maintain the things that are within my control.” Whether it’s a family member, or just another human friend, sometimes you need space, and that’s okay. As a Good Human, you also have to be a GOOD HUMAN TO YOURSELF AS WELL.

Let peace reside in your heart as much as possible, to reach the best possible feeling of well-being whether you are chronically ill or not. Love and Guide where you can and forgive the ones that choose differently because it’s out of your control. –Wellness wishes from your Author