So, by way of Facebook Messenger, I conducted an interview with her to discuss what it is like living with Fibromyalgia.
ABBIE: “What does your particular invisible disease mean?”
OLIVIA: “It includes a vast variety of symptoms, such as joint pain, inflammation, fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, and depression, among many other things. It is a rule-out diagnosis and there is no test to confirm or deny that I have it. Most doctors don’t even recognize it as real, and most will tell patients that ‘it’s all in their head’.”
ABBIE: “Thank you for sharing! What is your biggest challenge with it and how have you overcome it?”
OLIVIA: “I think the biggest challenge is being told that it will limit my lifestyle. I was told college would be impossible. I was told medical school was a bad idea. I was told that I would never have a normal life. I was told that I would always be tired and lack energy. I was told that vigorous activity was a bad idea. I was told that it wouldn’t get better and that it would always get worse.
“But, I ignored that.
“I decided that ‘can’t’ wasn’t an option for me. I’m almost halfway through undergrad. That’s not to say it isn’t challenging, but everything is challenging. I have a normal life. I’m not on medication (which I was promised would never happen).
“I do CrossFit! That’s about as vigorous as it gets. I have defied every odd that doctors threw at me, and it’s the best thing ever.
“God is so faithful, and I just had to trust Him through the process and know that my road to healthy and well would look different than anyone else’s.”
ABBIE: “Thank you, Olivia. What are three things that you wish everyone knew about Fibromyalgia?”
OLIVIA:
“1. I wish people knew that just because we don’t look sick, it doesn’t mean that we aren’t sick.
2. We want to feel normal and full of energy, and, often times, when we can, we take this feeling.
3. We aren’t lazy. We just have minimal energy to use and have to be wise in how we use it.”
No comments:
Post a Comment