I made my first FibroSelfie (It's a t... - Fibromyalgia Acti...

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I made my first FibroSelfie (It's a thing I made up)

Feather profile image
16 Replies

After I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia I was asked to put a dot and a cross on where I felt pain. The picture came out black. There is nowhere in my body where I don't feel pain, so the image looked like I coloured it black.

This is what the image would look like today if I was allowed to use colour to represent the pain I felt at the moment I was painting. As I said to my consultant, I left the bit that doesn't hurt white.

I was wondering what yours would look like?

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Feather profile image
Feather
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16 Replies
honeybug profile image
honeybug

Hi Feather 😊🌸🌿🦋

I’m sorry that you are suffering so much. I like your painting and its effective concept. I believe I would be all black now after having this since my twenties and 4 decades of progression.

I hope that you will find relief and be as painless as possible.

Best wishes and take care.

😊🌸🌿🦋🤗💗😘

Feather profile image
Feather in reply to honeybug

Thanks. And I am sorry you are worse. I found drawing my pain was helpful for what it's worth.

honeybug profile image
honeybug in reply to Feather

You’re quite welcome.

Using your artistic skills is a wonderful way of purging. Many an artist express themselves in various forms of art. It is a silent speech via form & color. You have done it so very well.

Abundant blessings.

😊🌸🌿🦋🤗💗😘

YASMINTINA profile image
YASMINTINAFMA UK Volunteer

I wish I could draw like you but my drawings a five year could do better. Excellent way to show in a picture. So if I could draw the back of my body would be black in neck shoulders , length of shoulder blades, calf muscles. The front would be my arms hands knees . If you would like to lock your posts here is a helpful link healthunlocked.com/fibromya... . Be interesting to read or see people’s drawings x

in reply to YASMINTINA

Yes, mine would be all black too. My fibromyalgia pain is bad enough but probably like most of you I have got a multitude of other things too. Love and hugs Lynne xxxc

rosewine profile image
rosewine

What a brilliant thing to do but it brings it home how much pain we are in. I would have black around my thoracic area and bottom back, muscles down arms and legs muscles and around the jaw line a d especially around the left hip area. Another day there would be ankle and foot pain to add to it. I admit to having osteoarthritis as well so so so days especially in the middle of a flare I honestly don't know which ailment is causing what. I think we must have a permanent residual inflammation as sometimes I don't think a particular area is painful but if I haven't touched say when my acupuncturist is looking for the optimum point to put the needle or do acupressure he will press my skin and ouch does it hurt.x

Hazel_Angelstar profile image
Hazel_AngelstarAdministratorFMA UK Staff

Interesting.... I like the use of colour to describe pain.... Not all pain is necessarily black because to me that is full on, constant, intense pain.... Level 10 in a flare. So for me, there is unlikely to be a lot of black. However there may be some red for burning pain, blue for pins and needles, purple for nerve pain etc. Xxx

Feather profile image
Feather

Thanks all, my hope is to give us a chance to show those who don't suffer like doctors or health assessors what it really feels like to have fibro. How else can you see pain than using the 1 person who knows the pain to show the pain. (If that makes sense). So when I was drawing was that I did a body scan and used a colour which match the pain in my head (yellow for inflammation like, red for tearing and blue for cramp like, grey for general non descript pain), that's the colour which was meaningful to me. Then I used white pain to define the intense (10 was no white added, 0 would be white)…

I used a template from the internet for the body image, so not much skills needed. I searched the internet for "Front and Back body outline" for inspiration. There are a few out there which are copyright free, so no need to be an amazing artist.

-Poetic2 profile image
-Poetic2 in reply to Feather

I write. ///Pressure and more like a birth these waves wash over me/ ///

Hazel_Angelstar profile image
Hazel_AngelstarAdministratorFMA UK Staff

I might actually steal your idea, able use it for our local support group meeting... Print off the outlines.... Then provide coloured pens and pencils.... And we can display the pictures as part of our awareness day campaign. Xxx

Feather profile image
Feather in reply to Hazel_Angelstar

That was my thought!! Could I see the outcome? If they are ok with it?

Feather profile image
Feather in reply to Feather

On second thought, I probably shouldn't see it. For what it's worth when I did it, I found using mediums you can layer like pencils, chalk, gouache or acrylic paint was more useful. Pain has layers after all. I am getting over excited about this. Sorry...

Hazel_Angelstar profile image
Hazel_AngelstarAdministratorFMA UK Staff

If we do it I'm thinking of making a display of them.... And more than happy to share pictures x

Feather profile image
Feather in reply to Hazel_Angelstar

Thanks :)

-Poetic2 profile image
-Poetic2

When I finally went to a rheumatologist to confirm my diagnosis, he made me hurt places I was not even conscious, hurt. Realized I had pain I am so used to I don’t even acknowledge it. The residual affect is major fatigue.

Feather profile image
Feather in reply to -Poetic2

Yes, I hear you there. When I had my diagnosis, the consultant asked me where I didn't feel pain, I pointed at my forearms, this is when I realised I had pain there too, it was so annoying so I had been dismissing it since forever.

On the positive side, one physiotherapist got me to do a stretch which really helped me with a form of hip pain which I had since I was a teenager.

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