The F-word

Those of you with Fibromyalgia and other invisible chronic conditions,
(in my case this has happened when mentioning F, CFS, TMS, TMJD,
Multiple Chemical sensitivity, gastric asthma and idiopathic facial pain)
how have you been treated when you mention it?
(both to medical ‘professionals’ and people you know)

You may have heard the following, let’s call them ‘slurs’:

“Ah! Not that F-word again!”
“It’s a dustbin diagnosis”
“It is all in your head”
“That does not even exist”
“I have never heard of it”
“You’re just lazy, start exercising”
“Just don’t think about it! “It’s attention seeking”

and for the grand prize:

“Well, get over it!”

I have heard all of these.
I hope you don’t depend/live/work with someone who says these things to you.
I have long ago stopped trying to explain or defend this and only surround myself with those who do know and have a deeper understanding what it is (mostly inflammation) and how it could/should be treated and specifically aimed at the individual.

If they start with these slurs and you depend on them, they still have no right to treat you this way and if they are medical, one has to question why they are in that position if they are that insensitive and unprofessional. (I’m putting it mildly here)

If they are from your personal life, they should be careful judging a pain they have never endured.
If they are medical and you don’t depend on the person- and if they keep treating you this way, fire them and say you won’t be using their services any longer.

Time to reclaim our health, starting now ❤️