Doing it Anyway

I want to talk about something I posted on our social media sites this week, because I think talking about the intricacies of living with chronic illness is important. A lot of time, people with a chronic illness or chronic pain will not do things because they know doing things will cause their symptoms to get worse. But you know how sometimes you have to do things even though you know doing it will cause your symptoms to flare? Or how random things will make your symptoms flare up? Or how you get a flare for no reason at all? So... why not occasionally do things that you want to do even though you know you’ll get a flare for doing it? Because as much as I avoid things for fear of making my Fibromyalgia symptoms worse, I also do things even though I know without a shadow of a doubt, I'll pay for it with a flare.

Maybe my inner rebel just never grew up, maybe I'm just determined to not let my diagnosis run my life, but last weekend I said “hell with it, I’m doing it anyway” when I got a chance to do a trapeze day- and I’m not gonna lie, every single muscle hurts and I messed up one of my toes and my symptoms are flaring, but it was such a fun experience and I don’t regret it at all!

I spend my life in pain, and sometimes for me, it’s about doing things anyway- because if I’m going to hurt anyway, flare anyway- I may as well have a few fun stories to tell, right?

Check out this story (including pics of me swinging in the air on my trapeze day) on our Facebook page, and share your own stories of fun things you're proud of yourself for not passing up with us in the comments!

- Heather, Fabulous Fibro-Fighter and FSC Founder