HOW TO FIGHT FATIGUE?

Really?

I didn't know these things.

I'm sure they will help.

Right.

I read an article and it was about fighting fatigue if you've got a chronic illness. It's kind of interesting to me in a funny sort of way. I'll comment on the points that were brought out in the article because I found some humor in it.

Point number 1: See your doctor.

I've met a number of people who have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia or as in my case, a combination of both. Most of them will say the same thing I do. Our doctors are on speed dial. I don't think seeing my doctor any more than I do will help anything; short of having him move in with me. I think they're actually sick of seeing me.

Point number 2:  Get enough sleep.

I hate to get pissy at this point in the post but one of the markers of a chronic illness like Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue are sleep disturbances. Get enough sleep? Sometimes that's all we do! We sleep and sleep but it's not sleep that restores our bodies or our souls. We can take medication that would knock out a horse but sometimes that isn't even enough to keep us asleep. Most of us would give everything we had to get refreshing sleep; the sleep that allows our muscles and joints to heal. 

Point number 3: Aim for more refreshing sleep.

All I can say is WTF?  Go to bed earlier so I can wake up earlier. Don't watch TV in bed. Plan your evenings carefully. Who wrote this article? Are they on drugs???

Point number 4: Exercise for energy and to help you sleep.

It just keeps getting better and better. The article has a picture of this smiling, happy woman walking like she hasn't got a care in the world. There's not one look on her face that would give anyone a clue that she might have to crawl in the door because the pain is so overwhelming. Now I'm not saying that walking and gentle stretching doesn't help but that picture just really is annoying to me. The kicker of this point is that we shouldn't exercise late in the evening because it might interfere with sleep. Is anyone laughing yet?

Point number 5: Eat well to fight fatigue.

I hate to clue them in but I can eat like a champ and it has ABSOLUTELY no effect on the pain. Again, moderation in all things and as important as diet is you cannot make a blanket statement that this will always fight fatigue. Besides, when you carry the fatigue and pain that most of us do on a daily basis, I say Vive la Chocolat!

Point number 6: Step into the sunlight.

This is to bring to light (pardon the pun) the value of sunlight in setting our internal clocks. Again, I hate to be Debbie Downer but our body clocks are totally screwed up. Stepping out into sunlight isn't going to reset it. Sunlight can help us get valuable Vitamin D which we really need but I don't think it will help in the fatigue department.

Point number 7: Maintain a healthy weight.

I'd love to do this one. This has been the bane of my existence since I got sick. Between the autoimmune Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, the hypothyroidism and the inactivity that pain brings my calorie intake is down to almost nothing and I still don't lose weight. Except for the occasional chocolate binge my calorie intake is under 1200 a day. That isn't bad in anyone's book. I should be skinny. Hey, you tell me..............  Anyone else have trouble with this due to side effects of the Fibro and fatigue?

Point number 8: Manage Stress to fight fatigue.

I will totally agree with this one. Stress is a killer. The problem is these invisible illnesses is that there is fallout. There is a huge economic fallout that accompanies this illness. It's disabling and as hard as we try to keep some normalcy in our lives, it has a huge impact on your ability to make a living. In my case,  it makes a huge impact on my ability to make a living if your income is coming from a high stress environment. There's also relationship fallout. Whether it be from spousal, partner, familial or friends, everything is affected when you don't want to be around anyone. People do not understand and they take it personally. Top it all off from the stress that most people think this is all in your head. Stress????? What do you think??

Point number 9: Try Aromatherapy.

Personally, I like this one but there are people out there that have sensitivities to any kind of odors or smells. For me, I love it.  It does help me and I love the Bath and Body Works instant aromatherapy rollers. I have two that I use. One is Instant Comfort and it's vanilla and chamomile. The other is called Sound Sleep and it's lavender and chamomile. I roll the comfort on my wrists and the lavender on my pillowcase. I don't know if it helps the ability to stay asleep  but it does smell good when my head hits the pillow.

Point number 10: Be good to yourself.

This is so true. We need to realize that there are certain things that we have to accept. Fatigue will be with us no matter what we do. We can manage it and management is so important but until they find a cure flares will always be with us. 

So.....

I will try all these tips tonight.

I'll probably be exhausted from trying them.

But......

Will I be able to sleep?

Probably not.

THE ROADKILL COMPARISON

I don't know why.

Lately, I've been tired.

Roadkill tired.

Fortunately, I haven't had a ton of pain to go along with the fatigue but the fatigue has been off the charts. I wake up and within a couple of hours I'm yawning and having a tough time holding my eyes open.

So I go back to bed.

It feels like someone just let the air out of the balloon. Roadkill. I want to get in the bath but I'm just too tired to do it. I'm also afraid that I'd fall asleep in there. So I'm looking at articles.

Let's see what the experts say......

Point number 1: See your doctor.

I've met a number of people who have chronic illnesses. Most of them will say the same thing I do. I've got the doctor on speed dial. I don't think seeing my doctor any more than I already do will help anything....short of having him move in with me. I think he's sick of seeing me.

Point number 2: Get enough sleep.

I hate to be pissy at this point but one of the markers of a chronic illness is those ever pesky sleep disturbances. Get enough sleep? Sometimes that's all we do. It's not the number of hours that will restore our bodies and souls. It is that we don't descend into full REM sleep. Some of us take enough medication to knock out a horse but sometimes that isn't even enough to keep us asleep.

Point number 3: Aim for more refreshing sleep.

All I can say is WTF? Go to bed earlier so I can wake up earlier? Huh? Don't watch TV in bed. Yeah, right. Good, I can lie there all night and look up at the ceiling. Plan your evenings carefully. Who came up with this stuff? All I can say is, "geez, the sixties were good to you."

Point number 4: Exercise for energy and to help you sleep.

This just keeps getting better and better. Now, I'm not saying that we shouldn't move. It's vitally important. It's just the picture of the woman in this article is just plain annoying. There isn't one clue on her face that gives the reader any clue that she's in debilitating pain and/or fatigue. Did you know that you shouldn't exercise late in the evening because it may interfere with sleep? REALLY?????

Point number 5: Eat well to fight fatigue.

I hate to be a buzzkill here but I can eat a nutritionally balanced diet and it has no effect on the fatigue. Moderation in all things is important but a blanket statement like this means nothing. Sometimes a little ice cream helps the mood!

Point number 6: Step into the sunlight.

This brings to light (excuse the pun) the value of sunlight and the ability to reset our internal clocks. Again, I hate to be Debbie Downer but our body clocks are totally screwed up. Stepping out into the sunlight isn't going to reset it. We need the Vitamin D but I don't think this will help in the fatigue department. Plus, if you live in the desert.....well, you get the idea. Going outside when it's 115 isn't a good idea.

Point number 7: Maintain a healthy weight.

I'd love this one. This has been the bane of my existence since I got sick. I can eat 1200 cals or less and zippo. Nothing comes off. Anyone else have trouble with this?

Point number 8: Manage stress to fight fatigue.

I totally agree with this one. Stress is a killer. The problem with theses invisible illnesses is that there is fallout. There is a huge economic fallout that accompanies chronic illness. It's disabling and as hard as we try to keep some sort of normalcy it hugely impacts your ability to make a living. If your career was a high stress environment you have absolutely no chance of being able to continue.There's relationship fallout. Whether it be from spousal, partner, familial or friends....everything and everybody is affected. People don't understand and take it personally. Stress???? 

Point number 9: Aromatherapy

I do like this one. I know there are people that are sensitive to smells and odors but if it smells good to me, I can deal with it. I love lavender and vanilla and use it on my body and pillows before bedtime. I don't know if it helps but I do like it.

Point number 10: Be good to yourself.

There is a lot of guilt and problems that go with chronic illness. We do need to be good to ourselves. This will be with us until there is a cure so we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves. 

Now that I've done this.....

I'm tired......

Going back to bed..........

Will I sleep?

That's anyone's guess.

THE FIBROMYALGIA SERIES PART L

We're already at....

L?

L - is for lousy. Today, I just feel lousy. I feel drained and devoid of energy. Someone just pulled the plug and it's an effort to take one more step. I even have a hard time typing this post.

L - is for lifeless. Along with feeling lousy and having no energy I'm reminded that right now I also feel lifeless. I need to get up and get moving but right now life is just passing me by. My biggest decision is moving my pillow.

L - is for left out. Everyone is going out. Where are you? Well, if you're feeling lousy, most likely you're on the couch or in bed. Not only do you feel like garbage but add guilt on top of it because you have decided to miss out and stay home.

L - is for log. Because that is just what you feel like. A lousy, lifeless log.

L - is for labeled. We don't like it but it happens. We can be labeled by our doctors as a malingerer or depressed. We can be labeled by our friends and family. I can only hope that one doesn't happen. In the perfect world we should have all the loving support that we need but this world isn't perfect. If you are being labeled by friends and/or family, find a support group that can help you.

L - is for lazy. Which we are NOT. I'd venture a guess that most of us were a true Type A personality that went after everything like our hair was on fire. 

L - is for lament. Because of the above we still miss our old lives. Even though that struggle lessens with time, it is still there. I loved sales. The activity and the high pressure.....I thought I could thrive in that lifestyle.....and I did. Well, I did until my body decided to stage a revolution.

L - is for lucky. Why do I use the word lucky? Because we are. Fibromyalgia might be life changing but, thank goodness, it isn't life threatening. I know people that have cancer and have the stress and fear of chemotherapy. With every treatment they hope and pray that they will be one of the lucky ones that beat it. We should be thankful that what we have isn't as bad as that. I'm not trying to minimize this......at all. It is painful and that pain and fatigue and the 1000 gillion other symptoms that plague us can feel like we can't take one more second. What I am saying is that we need to have an attitude of gratitude because it could be so much worse.

L - is for laughter. Because it truly is the best medicine. Find something to laugh about every single day. 

L - is for light hearted. Along with laughter it will lift your spirits and help you deal with chronic illness.

L - is for leisurely. If your body will allow....take a leisurely walk outdoors and drink in the fresh air and sunshine. If it is raining and the humidity is causing pain off the charts.....make that walk a virtual one!! Remember.....the world is available.....all at the click of a mouse.

L - is for luxurious.

When all else fails......

When the world seems not to understand.....

When it just seems to be too much.....

there is nothing like a luxurious bubble bath.

(if you, by any chance, have a jetted tub.....do not.......

let me repeat once more.......

DO NOT........

use bubble bath with a jetted tub.

just sayin................

THE FIBROMYALGIA SERIES PART Y

We still wish we had our old lives back.
I don't think that ever leaves us.
But we can still have a meaningful one.

Y - is for yearning. Yes, I still struggle with the loss of my career. I loved new home sales, however,  I struggle with it less than I did a year ago. I think we all have that but reality sometimes dictates otherwise. 

Y - is for yawning. I do that a lot. Fatigue is one of the twins (what I like to call pain and fatigue) that plague my life. Like a lot of people with Fibromyalgia, I also have Chronic Fatigue and Autoimmune Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Between all of these ailments I have trouble knowing what to attribute to what. No matter what......I still don't get refreshing sleep and I'm always very tired.

Y - is for yourself.  We must take care of ourselves. Sometimes we feel guilty that we can't do things we may have planned or things that need to be done. We need to listen to our bodies and be good to ourselves. Mentally, physically and spiritually. 

Y - is for yoga. Stretching is good for our body. We need to keep the muscles moving even though it may hurt. Exercise is one of the things that we must do. Yoga, Tai Chi is two ways that we can be good to our bodies and keep it in shape.

Y - is for yield. Sometimes we have to bow to the inevitable. One of the hardest things I had to learn is, "if you push you will pay." I still have trouble remembering that but it is important to yield to your bodies demands. It's tempting to do too much when a good day comes around but it is important not to do too much. (although sometimes it is worth it!!!)

Y - is for yell. There are times we just have to. Fibromyalgia can really piss us off. I say that built up stress isn't good for you so.........when everyone leaves the house......close the door and release all that pent up frustration. I yell at Fibromyalgia a lot. It helps because I don't end up yelling at everyone else!

Y - is for yucky. I hate those days. The twins have taken up residence and all I want to do is curl up in bed cause I feel just yucky, yucky, yucky.

Y - is for yellow. The sun is a beautiful yellow so when the weather allows, go outside and soak up that glorious sunshine. It helps your mood and gives us Vitamin D. Take  a short walk and feel the warmth on your skin.

Y - is for young-at-heart. It doesn't matter how old our body feels and that we creak like a 100 year old person. It's OK because we can still think young. Learn a new skill and keep your brain active. Read, learn technology.....it keeps you young.

Y - is for yummy. .........

Personally?

I like ice cream......

Some is good.....

more is better.....

and too much?

Is just enough.......

IT'S BEEN A BAD DAY

I'm tired.

And it hurts,

And it's not going away,

There are days that I still don't know who I am. It seems to vary from day to day. I mean, I know the basics haven't changed but some traits seem to ebb and flow and I never know what trait is going to appear.

I was going through my closet and it started me thinking. I know....very bad thing to do. I tend to get the past and present confused. I still think that I'm able to run around in 4 inch heels and, at the drop of a hat, get up run around all day long. Maybe I shouldn't have started looking at my shoes.  I always get depressed when I see the beautiful shoes and realize that I can't wear them anymore without pain. Maybe it would be worth the pain to wear them............

Oh, who am I kidding?

The problem is I asked opinions. Should I keep them or give them away? Then I started thinking again and this time I started thinking about me. The me that I was and the me that could be again??

I was always semi-snarky. It's one of my personality traits that I happen to love. I have no patience with my own stupidity let alone others. I'm never rude but in my head I've said all sorts of things that I wouldn't want coming out of my mouth. I'm one of those people that truly enjoy sarcasm; in all honesty, I'm fluent in it. I get frustrated with myself when I can't remember people, places and appointments and I still get impatient with others. Especially when I'm in pain. Pain doesn't turn off an on at designated times. I wish it could. The only thing I'm certain of anymore is when the humidity starts to rise.

So it's back to finding me. The me who loves to laugh. The me who loves the ocean and could think of nothing better than waking up to the sound of the waves. The me who loves the Roadrunner and Yosemite Sam. The me who loves to read and play on computers. The me who loves to go on road trips. The me that finds beauty in nature. The me that loves photography. The me that loves to cook and play in the kitchen. The me that loves movies and television, especially crime dramas. The me that would love to hold hands while walking and talking about absolutely nothing. The me that would love waking up next to my best friend. The me that also has a reclusive side. The me that is confident and self assured. The me that struggles with depression and pain. The me that has Fibromyalgia and doesn't want it to define my life. The me that still struggles with that concept. 

I know that many of us struggle with finding ourselves in the midst of the pain. Pain has blurred the knowledge of ourselves that we used to take for granted. I'm so glad that we can open up to each other with our joys and our fears. We have the cloak of this invisible illness that we wear around our shoulders that gives us a personality all its own. 

This illness wants to suck the life out of us.

And it's a battle every day not to let it do that.

My problem? 

Or one of them.......

I make stupid decisions when I'm in pain.

Oh well.......

I shouldn't look at my shoes.

THE HIGH HOPES OF 2014 PARADIGM

Death,

Destruction,

Chaos.

That's just the tip of the iceberg

Well, it's been one heck of a year and, personally, I am glad to see it go. Life always has its challenges and mine is no different than yours. It's when you live with chronic pain and fatigue that it gets a little tricky. Even in the best of times resolutions are a little tough for me. I start out very enthusiastic and then I seem to forget that I had any. I guess goal setting isn't my strong suit. 

I know I'm not big on follow-up, I'm more of the idea man.

But I think this will work.

Here we go.....

First, I resolve to be a little more accepting of me. I know, I make this resolution every year but I think I need to be reminded of this every year.  OK, so I have limitations and pain kind of reminds me on a daily basis that it's there but.........

Next, I need to be a little kinder to my body. I know that if I push I will pay but I still do it. I want to get things DONE! It's that pesky old Type A personality that has plagued me since birth that keeps coming out but..........

Also, I need to be patient and not make myself crazy because I'm frustrated. I need to stop and think "this too shall pass." No, I'm not going to get my wonderful memory back. It falls under the category of "oh well". I'm going to forget words because this is the nature of the fog.......but..........

I need to stay focused on joy. 

I'm not going to go into some sort of nirvana. That just isn't me. I'm not the type of personality that wouldn't recognize stress if it jumped up and bit them. The idea of acceptance of this thing we call Fibromyalgia, to me, means that I climb in bed and pull the covers over my head and then, that's it, life is over. That I can't do and I won't do.

What I mean is that in the worst of times we need to stay thankful and grateful. We need to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. As tough as it is at times; as overwhelming as the pain can get, as tired as we are, as easy as it seems just to give up, we can't. 

I've seen some pretty dark stuff this year. I've seen what happens when the human spirit doesn't have the will to take it any longer. It tends to put things into perspective. I will never minimize what chronic pain can do and I don't want anyone to think that is what I'm doing. Pain is one tough cookie to deal with on a daily basis and it definitely changes you. As bad as it can get and as rough as it is, I'm saying we need to get through it.

As I've always said,

Fibromyalgia isn't for sissies.

My mantra for this year?

IT COULD BE A WHOLE LOT WORSE.

Because it can.

To all my friends, family and followers.....

I wish for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2014.

God Bless every one of you.

Be kind to each other and, most of all....

Be kind to yourself.

Happy New Year!

Rosemary

THE HOSPITAL, CHRISTMAS EVE AND THE DOCTORS TRIANGULATION

What is it about the holidays?

or just the month of December.

It has been a doozy.

And that is an understatement. There was the loss of a family member and the almost-loss of another. I sat in a hospital (which I hate) for hours on end.....for days.....until the crisis was over. Then a funeral.  That, funnily enough, made things a little bit better. While sad for the rest of us left behind, that funeral was truly a celebration of a remarkable man's life. I can only hope when it's my turn that I will be loved as much.

Then shopping for presents.

I know, I know......I could have done this all online but it seems that I'm a glutton for punishment. I just had to go to the mall. No, that's not quite the truth. I just love Nordstroms. Between Nordstroms and Costco, I'm in heaven. Actually, I admire their return policy. So, I brave all of that and start to wrap presents.

For some reason the present wrapping is worse than braving the mall.

The motions of wrapping presents seem to set me off for some reason. Maybe it's the repetitive motions.....I don't know but by the time I was done, I was done. I am now officially sick of shopping and wrapping presents. That, my friends, doesn't happen very often. 

This year has been bad.

Just bad.

I don't mean about the losses. I don't mean to minimize them...that's not my intention at all. I'm talking about the flares and the pain and the overall fatigue. It just hasn't stopped.

And I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.

It's not just the fibro that's been flaring. I've got quite a few disks from "the accident" that have been acting up. Now the doctor wants to implant a neuro-stimulator that will help mask the pain. I've heard pretty good things about them. The people that do have them think they are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Even the shrink I had to see said they give you a new lease on life.

I know leases and the only ones who win are the landlord. 

And this little baby will surely be the one in charge.

I'm not sure I want a battery operated "thing" surgically implanted. For some reason, it is required to see a psychiatrist before you can be implanted with this device. He found me very well adjusted considering the extent of my back injuries. I mentioned the Fibro and he didn't seem to flinch. Maybe that's a good thing. Well adjusted?? I had to laugh at that one.

But therein lies my problem.

If it was just the back I'd be OK with it, but it's not. It's the Fibromyalgia that concerns me. This will set off a flare. The reason I know this is because every single time I have a procedure done, it takes me months to recover. I have no idea what kind of reaction this will set off. I get poo-pooed by the doctors but it's my body and I know it well. It may help my back but it's going to wreak havoc with the Fibromyalgia.

So what to do?

Oh......and then????

To top it all off?

I got the flu on Christmas.

Let's just add that ol' tiara!

Oh......just one more thing!

I got a flu shot this year.

Oh yeah.....that worked.

THE WINE AND DINE DECOUPLING

I really had to laugh.

Fibromyalgia affects your love life?

Duh.

Is it cold in here?

I've been asked to go to dinner by Mr. Dreamboat. I just can't wait....I've been looking forward to this for so long. I just need to get out of my house! My heart just skips a beat thinking about it...oh wait....is that him or atrial fibrillation?

Anyway.....

The big day is here. I awake to the birds chirping just outside my window. As I open my eyes to the glorious sunshine, I shut them quickly because the light hurts my eyes and bury my head in the pillow. Ow. I moved too fast and the morning stiffness has set in. Like the tin man begging for an oil can fix, I make my way to the coffee maker. 

Great. I mean great! 

I'm really looking forward to it.

Just in case, I put fresh sheets on the bed. Now, I'm so exhausted that I have to lie down and take a short nap. I tell myself that this is good and I'll be nice and refreshed for the evening. I have a lovely lavender spray for the sheets but as the spray wafts through the air, I start sneezing uncontrollably. I'm sure the redness around my nose will go away by dinnertime.

Since dinner is around 7, I figure that I need to start getting ready for the evenings festivities around 3. This will give me plenty of time because it will take that long just to tie my shoes. Did I just say that? OMG, that won't work....I have to put on the torture device called heels tonight. I'll need another nap after I get out of the shower. 

Damn.

I shouldn't have put on makeup yet. Now, I need to fix my mascara again because it's under my eyes after my nap. Crap. I will have to start over. At least I kept my hair in a towel. OK, makeup is washed off and I start over. It's now around 5:30 and I haven't even dried my hair. I hate this part because I have to stretch my arms up to use the round brushes.

Did I really agree to go out to dinner?

I don't look too bad but I'm starting to hurt. 

The stiffness and pain has returned with a vengeance and all I want to do is get in bed. 

Oh, knock it off. 

Just start smiling.

I'm asked if I feel good enough to go.  I manage to say, "oh yeah," with just the slight curl of my lips which look more like a snarl than a smile.

By the time I limp to the car I feel like crap. I pretend to look out the window because if I say anything I might give it away. Once in the restaurant I look at all the happy people and wish I could take a time machine back to before all of this attacked my body. The room sounds loud and the waiter bumps into my shoulder as he approaches the table. That's all I needed. Nothing looks good on the menu but, like the trooper I am, I manage to listen to the waiter blather on about the chef specials. 

I WISH HE WOULD STOP SPEAKING.

I'm tired of the noise, I'm tired of looking at food that I really don't want and I'm tired of the waiter coming by every five minutes asking if I'm OK. 

What really scares me is the look on my honey's face. He's oblivious to the internal war I'm waging and I can just tell that he thinks the evening will last past dinner. He grabs my hands and the pain shoots up my shoulder. My eyes gave everything away. Plans after dinner??

Not only no.

But hell no.

I hurt from sitting in an uncomfortable chair making small talk that I am in no mood to make. We made it through dinner and I think he could tell by the way I flinched as he touched my shoulder that anything else he had in mind for the evening was going out the window.

Now, let's go back to the article. 

Who the heck wants to be caressed when every bone, muscle and fiber of your body is crying out. Even if it's a low pain day, it's AWAYS THERE and touch is difficult. Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue make terrible bed mates. 

If it doesn't hurt...

you're too tired to care.

You just need to read the survey.

CLICK HERE

ARE YOU FRICKING KIDDING ME?

I guess it's true.

All in the way you write the report.

Unbelievable.

I was reading the AOL Home page for news and ended up in the Huffington Post, Healthy Living section.

I can't even believe this.

We are at risk of being labeled a somatic illness. To me, it sets the Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue/ME fight back years. We have enough trouble being believed but stick us in the DSM-5 playbook and every doctor that thought we were being lazy neurotics will feel justified by throwing us a couple of antidepressants and shoving us out the door. 

Every invisible illness is at risk. If you even act, what they interpret, as too concerned about your symptoms or have them disrupt your daily life, you are categorized as having a mental disorder and catastrophizing. Well, that can be anything from chronic pain to cancer.

Victims of PTSD, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, Gulf War veterans, among others, have fought health and human services and the Institute of Medicine. These institutions have ignored research and tried to redefine the illnesses in purely psychological terms.  It has been a long fight and it isn't over yet. It's a ongoing, continual fight.

But get this..........

IN ORDER TO DESTIGMATIZE PEDOPHILIA, (yes, you got that right), the American Psychiatric Association in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, THE DSM-5....distinguishes pedophiles who have a mental disorder as those who act on those desires. The ones who just think about it (no matter how much) do not.

Are they fricking kidding me??????????

I'm going to link to the article here because I want to make sure I get this right. Click on "article."

Get this: "The difference (from the last edition of the DSM)  is you're not automatically saying that as soon as someone has a marked, unusual erotic interest that they have a mental disorder," said Ray Blanchard who co wrote the chapter on sexual disorders in the new DSM."

We have to claw and fight our way to be recognized and these "experts" in order to destigmatize pedophilia give these clowns a pass????????? Why in heavens name should these scumbags not have a stigma attached to this!

ARE THEY FRICKING KIDDING ME???????

Let me get this straight......

If you have anything that isn't evidenced based (yet) you are at risk.

You can be labeled as having a mental disorder.

But sit in front of a computer and look at naked children and desire them....

Unless you act on it......

YOU'RE OK!! YAY!!

What a crock.

And it really pisses me off.

WE CAN'T AFFORD TO BE APATHETIC

Shoulda.

Woulda.

Coulda.

I wonder if technology has been good to us as a society. In one respect we have the ability to be incredibly well-informed. On the other hand, it makes us incredibly apathetic.

Or do we really just not care anymore?

Have we become so well-informed that we are jaded to the process? Is it because we realize that we have no control over the powers that be? I grew up in the 60's and 70's and we believed we could implement change if we were loud enough or organized enough. We cared so much about social issues.  Have we seen so much that we don't believe it anymore? Do we have access to too much information?

That's difficult to believe.

And I don't want to believe it.

There are people that devote their lives to the cause. Their work causes them sleepless nights and subsequent crashes of fatigue, pain and migraines. The people that put together organizations and forums for our benefit do this without thought to themselves. They want a place where we can go for help and to guard us against medical injustices. They hope, beyond all hope, they can get some research money to find out why these illnesses are so devastating to all of us.

They ask one thing in return.

They ask to recruit others to the cause to sign petitions, write letters or just do what you can and if you're too disabled to do anything, ask someone else to help. If we could organize like the gay and lesbian community did for AIDS or like they did for MS it would an incredibly loud voice.  It is so powerful to have numbers of people clamoring for something to be done for them; to get answers and awareness. We have a huge percentage of the population that have been stricken with PTSD, Chronic Fatigue/ME or Fibromyalgia but instead of researching and putting a huge emphasis on it, a huge amount of money is spent on the latest pill for male erections.

I make light of it.

But it's true.

Please visit this website (put the cursor over website and you'll see the link) and read the letter that will be sent. The site also includes the twitter handles so you can tweet as often as possible the link to the letter so that you can bring awareness. We need to bond together because all of the "invisible illnesses" are in the line of fire.

What has happened to the chronic pain and fatigue community? We need to spread the word because we are in danger of our "syndromes" being labeled as psychogenic. We need to stop this in it's tracks. 

Please, even if it's from your bed, please let your feelings about this be known. It all has to do with insurance companies not wanting to pay out and if this can be "controlled" by cognitive behavioral therapy and a couple of antidepressants all the better. 

What will happen when they have their way?

They will shove a couple of antidepressants at us and send us on our way.

On our own and labeled again.

And once again it's all in our head.

And the best part?

They won't have to pay out to treat us.