Do you always keep fibro and other health issues to yourself?

[Trellum]

I've lost a lot of "friends" too... I've got one best friend and 3 good friends, that's it. The only lyrics of each I talk openly with is my best friend because she just gets it and doesn't get sick of it, doesn't judge me, doesn't try to shove treatment ideas down my throat, and doesn't mind staying in to watch a movie or if I cancel last minute because she loves me no matter what. Thank God for her, I really think I'd lose it if I didn't have someone besides my mom to talk to! Lol nothing against mom, she totally understands too because she has chronic pain issues too but it's mom... Lol

Its lonely tho I must admit. I'm only looking in my mid 20s and really resent having these issues because I can't do anything normal like I used to... I'm really afraid to start dating again too because who would want to put up with this? What guy wants a broken girl? How do you explain it to someone new I your life withoutscaring them off? And iI can't keep pretending 24/7 because it's exhausting trying to put my brave/happy/im fine face on.....

Oh Katie I used to feel the same way about my disease, but you know what? I found someone! He loves me despite the fact I'm not well, because if a man really wants you he will stay no matter what. It's the guys who get easily scared at this kind of things the ones you want to avoid, believe me. I often thought of this like this: Well, if he runs because of something like this, if I was healthy and suddenly got sick later on he'd have just done the same''. Not reliable at all.

So don't worry, you will find the right one! By the way, a lot guy and girls feel insecure as well, even if they are not sick. Some people feel insecure even over the most silly things.

 

[Trellum]

For me it depends who asks, I'm honest with my boyfriend about how I'm feeling, and I share a decent amount with my good friends. I'll tell my coworkers/family if I'm having a particularly bad day, and I always just tell strangers I'm fine. I've learned (like many others on here) that I can't ask strangers how they're doing, or even comment that their dog/baby/outfit/whatever is cute, or a lot of the time I will know far more than I ever wanted to about them. This lesson came to me when I was a cashier as a teenager and told some lady her baby was adorable, and she went into detail about how painful her episiotomy was before telling me to never have kids....luckily I'm not squeamish.

Ouch! That's a severe case of TMI! Some people don't know when to stop, right? I guess after being here for a while and reading this kind of threads you come to realize that most people don't want to hear all that. I found that out a long time ago tho Oh yeah, isn't until they tell you all the things you NEVER wanted to know that you realize that too much info is bad I no longer tell strangers or acquaintances too much. Sometimes I don't tell my boyfriend, unless he asks, but he rarely asks. Works for both.

 

[EHPrybylski]

Being that my nature is to keep things to myself I tend to hide my pain a lot. Part of it is because many people don't believe me. I'm sick of getting either treated like I'm lying or getting pitying attention. I tell my husband when the pain is prohibitive, but typically I don't say anything. I also don't talk about the exhaustion or about the rest of it. It just seems like it's not worth it. Most people don't understand it, and complaining only gets me attention I don't want.

 

[CKinNC]

I hate coming off as a complainer, so I rarely talk about it. I tend to bottle it all up as long as I can until I explode, but I know the pain affects my mood. My husband gets the brunt of it. I work full time, but since it's from home I don't go into details when I don't feel well.

 

[katydid]

Oh Katie I used to feel the same way about my disease, but you know what? I found someone! He loves me despite the fact I'm not well, because if a man really wants you he will stay no matter what. It's the guys who get easily scared at this kind of things the ones you want to avoid, believe me. I often thought of this like this: Well, if he runs because of something like this, if I was healthy and suddenly got sick later on he'd have just done the same''. Not reliable at all.

So don't worry, you will find the right one! By the way, a lot guy and girls feel insecure as well, even if they are not sick. Some people feel insecure even over the most silly things.

Thank you! I really am so glad I found you guys a year ago! I really feel lucky to be a part of such a caring community! You're all so kind, and I really appreciate it so much!