Someone at work asked me about the condition, and I tried my best to light heartily explain. He then asked me a question which put things in a new perspective for me... he asked "What good came with the condition?"
So this is what I'm asking you ...
What good/positives has come of the condition?
I'd love for us to try and see positive sides rather than all the negatives.
we have had this discussed a couple of times and my thoughts are that
have found people that I would not have met otherwise.
Learned lots of new things about medicine and science and legislation
become involved with a great charity
Appreciating life in a different way
Thank you for this response 
How lovely. I defiantly can say that I've also met a lot of people and connected with others because of this.
I agree with Des the Quinn on this. You will meet people either on this forum or elsewhere that are understanding and caring. The national charity fmauk.org can sell you awareness items such as a pen or wrist band which will open up conversations. The benefits to you living with Fibro is what you do to help others understand. If you know a shop / or your works that will take a collection tin then that helps others too! Be a positive ambassador for the cause and you will reap the rewards!
Wow this is a tough question! My life has changed beyond belief in many negative ways and i miss the old me, but i suppose if i had to name a positive it would be to know who actually doesn't care as much as i thought and who isn't there for me - in times of need you get to see the true people and the fake ones, i have had more genuine support from you guys on here than any of my family, and i thank you all for that, but for me i think thats almost made me stronger and given me a bit more fight. When family members see you struggle but dont help and just watch you in despair thats hard, when your kids make comments like oh come on now your just exaggerating - and even your own mum on the phone moans about how her friends are all getting old and moaning they hurt, cant wash their hair and cant get to the loo in time - its just laziness - then asks how are you today? I have learnt to keep it to myself, and be part of this site as you guys are just the best! If i dont say how i feel they cant criticize me for it! So yes my positive is it has made me stronger - hugs to you all xxx
Hi hen- house, you're right about people in tough times. You get to know who actually cares. I've had the worst year of my life and realized that most of my friends were fake. They did not have time for me. I'm thankful to have close family who care. Now I'm keeping myself to myself. There's no point hanging out with fake friends. Don't expect people to understand how you feel. I've had the same problem over the years. It's hard enough to convince the doctors let alone others. There's not enough awareness of these horrible disease. If you suffer from MS or Parkinson people are more sympathetic but if you suffer from fibro you have to explain yourself. You even get comments like " but you don't look ill". I've given up explaining myself to people now. They can think what they like. Talking to people here has been a lot more useful than my fake friends.
Take care x
My life has changed from the better on many levels (I've had fibro 26 years so plenty of time for change)
I've made many new friendships - some in person, others online
I learned reiki and crystal therapy - and I'm now qualified to a level where I can teach others
I've volunteered for charities and community groups - gaining new skills in doing so
I appreciate what I have in my life, and what I am able to
I have learned new hobbies and skills
And so much more that my brain can't think of right now xxx
The only thing I can think about is having time for new hobbies. In my case, painting. Some days it was the only thing that I looked forward to. Now that I'm better I can do other things. X
Hi I was diagnosed about 10 months ago taken a while for me to get on this site but now I think I need to talk to others that understand , I really don’t think anyone unless they have got fibromyalgia do it certainly is a silent condition , during this awful time I have been walking most days 2/3 miles it does seem to help a little with the stiffness dr put me on pregablin doesn’t seem to make much difference anyone in this, so I will try some of your suggestions , you can go on and on talking about it can’t you my worst time is trying to sleep and then getting out of bed is such a struggle sorry to have gone on so much I’m looking forward to hearing from you all x
The secret to survival is not give up even on your worst days. I've had an awful time when I've seriously thought about killing myself from the pain. Somehow I got better. Look after your mental health, surround yourself with people who really care. Keep yourself busy even when you don't feel like it. You'll feel less pain. Have medication that works for you. It's trial and error. I've done all these over the past year. Now I know what to do when things get worse. X
For me personally, I would say that I have learned to appreciate the "little things" in life. The sound of birds singing , the smell of a flower, the warm sunshine on my face, the taste of a nice cup of tea!
also, learning how to relax, with yoga and mindfulness and my knitting.
I have really learned to look for the positives in every situation, because feeling negative about things only makes me feel worse!
thanks for posting such an interesting question
When I wake up from a nightmare, now with my memory being so bad, I’ve forgotten about it before too long instead of it being a dark cloud over me all day. Hmm, really had to think hard about a positive. 🤔
Good question, I suppose I miss the old me as it can be frustrating some days(i have Cfs alongside my fibro) I think speaking here here with people has helped knowing I am not the only one who walks through life each day so many thousands in the same boat, great understanding and empathy, I treasure the good days and value the people who stuck with me xx
I am lucky, my friends have investigated fibromyalgia and are
always giving me advice, such as
when I get a flare up.....rest and
Don’t do anything. They know as
much about it as I do.
So that is one of the good things
For me that I have such good friends
Who understand the condition.
Hard to come up with positives when getting through each day is my only aspiration but the coronavirus lockdown has been strangely good for me. My neighbours & ex have been helpful with shopping; the folk I see when dog-walking chat more (2m apart); the weather has been great & I am already used to self-isolation so everyone else has had to get used to MY routine
Hello to everyone. There are many positives to look forward to in my life but having my diagnoses for fmg after over 15 years of daily headaches, foggy mind, painful legs and arms, poor sleep and horrific tiredness and more - I have been relieved to make sense of it all. I attended my gp rarely but with one or two of the symptoms at a time. Now I realise that it's all connected and I can stop criticising my self for the times when I am unable to manage a flare up. My team have recently changed to 13.5 hour days and I'm struggling - but this shows me that I am learning my limits. Although I am new to this forum, I am learning so much from you all - thank you. I have also learnt not to mention manageable symptoms as the fmg diagnoses is not taken very seriously in my experience.
I don't usually comment but I couldn't resist, I love this question! For me, the best thing that has come from fibro is that my empathy levels have skyrocketed! because having understanding people is so important to me now, I've become a lot more caring myself. Even with things that aren't related to fibro/chronic conditions, I find it a lot easier to step away and not judge.
Return of the prodigal!
Frightened For The Future
Friends and Family don't believe in my condition.
I'm worried
