When someone asks me how I am doing and I say I didn’t sleep very well…I wonder if they really know what that means.
Do they know that???…
I woke up on my back and I feel like an elephant is sitting on me because I am having a really hard time turning over to my side because I can’t just sit up straight to get out of bed.
When I get to my side then I have to try to get my legs over the side of the bed but the rush of pain going up my legs makes them feel like dead weight.
When I get my legs over then I try to pull my body up so I can sit up but I have no energy to lift myself up.
When I am finally sitting up, I have to stay put for a moment to get the gumption to stand up and it feels like I can’t do it by myself.
When I stand up, all the pain rushes to my legs and back and I have to stand a minute before I walk or I might fall over.
When I start to put one foot in front of the other it feels like each leg weighs a million pounds and I can’t hold myself straight or I may fall down on my knees.
When I finally start to walk, I act like I have two sprained ankles and I hobble until I can walk around awhile.
When I finally can walk normally then my head starts throbbing and every muscle in my body is throbbing just because I am trying to work my body to do a normal movement.
When I try to put the toothpaste on my brush or put shampoo on my hair then I can hardly squeeze the tube and bottle because it hurts to use my hands.
When I try to wash my face or my body then my own touch sends needles into my own skin.
When I try to dry off from my shower the towel feels like a towel of thistles as it goes across my body
When I try to put my socks or a pair of pants on then I lose my balance and try to keep myself from falling over.
When I raise my arms to put a shirt on or to dry my hair then my shoulders cry out to put them back down.
When I sit down to take a little break from getting dressed, my body doesn’t want to get back up so sometimes it is easier to rest standing up.
…And do they know that only about an hour has passed by in my morning and I still have the rest of the day to get through???
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
No Karen we don't think of it that way, so thank you for sharing how it is for those of you suffering with debilitating pain – It puts our issues into perspective, but most of all helps us to have compassion and understanding for what our friends are going through but might not try to tell us. You're a blessing
I have nights when I go to bed, go to sleep, and then wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep. I can totally relate to what you are saying. However, try to explain this to someone who doesn't have Fibromyalgia and they look at you like you have two heads! It's amazing how few people can't get a clue when you explain it to them because they don't have your condition. I had fun trying to explain Fibromyalgia to my brother in a text message. That was interesting, but he understands my pain now and doesn't call me a wimp!