15 Things You've Definitely Said If You Have Fibromyalgia

When you have fibromyalgia, there are a couple things you usually have in common with other fibromyalgia warriors. For instance, you probably know how it feels to be in pain all day...or to wake up after 12 hours of sleep and still feel exhausted.

Today, though, I’m talking about something slightly different than fibromyalgia symptoms. Instead, I’m talking alllll about what life is like with fibromyalgia...at least in terms of things you’ve probably said at least once in your life since your fibromyalgia diagnosis!

So whether you have fibromyalgia and want to feel less alone or you know people with fibromyalgia and want to better understand what they’re going through, keep reading to discover 15 things you’ve probably said if you have fibromyalgia. 

1. “Why am I so tired?” 

Often followed by...“Did I not sleep well? Did I eat something that doesn’t agree with me? Is a fibromyalgia flare starting up?” 

2. “I know I said I could do it yesterday...but I just can’t today.”

Fibromyalgia often makes me feel like a major flake. The truth is, though, our bodies' limits constantly change. Every. Single. Day. So even if I could go on a 3-mile hike yesterday, that doesn’t guarantee that I’ll feel good enough to meet you for lunch a couple days after. And as much as we feel bad for canceling and wish the situation could be different, a lot of times, we have to put our health first.

3. “What works for me may not work for you.”

This goes for “helpful” advice from friends and family (like “I know someone who was healed from fibromyalgia by *insert activity like praying, guzzling apple cider vinegar every day, going raw vegan, doing yoga, etc.*) and advice from doctors and fellow fibromyalgia warriors. Everyone with fibromyalgia is different...and this means effective treatments differ between people too. 

4. “What would not being in constant pain even feel like?” 

A doctor once told me that I may have cried so much as a baby because I was already in pain...so the idea of a pain-free life? Pretty mystical to me - and many other people with fibromyalgia. 

5. “Yes, I am going to bed already/taking another nap.” 

People with fibromyalgia typically need more sleep and recovery time than the average Joe, so if we are spending extra time in bed, know it’s because we really need it and can’t function otherwise. 

6. “I tweaked something somehow yesterday.”

We can do the same workout, the same stretches and get the same amount of sleep and still somehow tweak a random muscle one day and not another. Fibromyalgia is always full of surprises...

7.  “I know I look normal and healthy, but I’m really not.”

One of the biggest challenges with fibromyalgia is its invisibility. But even though we may look “healthy” on the outside, our invisible illness means we’re probably hurting pretty badly on the inside. 

8. “Who took my heating pack?” 

Sometimes, I even take my microwaveable heating pack with me to hotels so I can warm it up in the hotel lobby microwave. Desperate times, desperate measures...

9. “Today’s a good/bad day.”

Another challenge of living with fibromyalgia is how much our pain levels and symptoms can vary by the day (depending on the weather, the food we’ve eaten, how mad the fibromyalgia gods are at us, etc). On the good days, we feel alright and sometimes even like we are “normal” and can conquer the world. But those good days can make the bad days even harder to accept. 

10. “I am sooooooo out of it today.” 

When I have to describe fibromyalgia fog to other people, I compare it to walking through life like a zombie. How bad is it? It’s jumping when you hear popping in the microwave because you already forgot about the popcorn you just put in it. Or asking why your phone can’t locate the WiFi when you just unplugged the modem to reset your WiFi. (And, yes, both of these moments did happen just a few weeks ago...)

11. “Did I take my pills yet?”

Fibromyalgia fog + needing to take certain pills each day = a lot of double checking your pill organizer. 

12. “Sometimes life is really. Not. Fair.”

If you follow my blog, you’ll already know that I try to look for the positives in living with chronic illness. However, I’ve certainly called my mom plenty of times to cry about how it’s “not fair” that going to college, teaching in grad school and just life overall is so much harder for me than my “normal” classmates because of my fibromyalgia. And I sincerely doubt I’m the only fibromyalgia warrior who sometimes breaks down this way. 

12. “Yes, I am finally warm now that I’m wearing four layers of clothing.”

When I wrote one of my most popular fibromyalgia posts to date - 15 Ways You Can "See" My Invisible Illness, Fibromyalgia - I was surprised by how many others related to always being cold...and always bringing an extra jacket because the cold drastically increases your joint pain. 

13. “Whyyyyy do I suddenly feel so cruddy?”

Sometimes, fibromyalgia flare ups come out of nowhere. I’ve drastically reduced my daily pain by making some dietary and lifestyle changes, but I still have nights where I feel run over by a truck.

14. “You have fibromyalgia too!?!” *happy dance*

Even though it sucks to hear that someone else is struggling with the same obstacles you are, meeting someone who can totally understand what life is like with fibromyalgia is pretty dang reassuring. 

15. “I hurt and it was hard...but I did it.”

We might say this after tackling a challenging workout. After dropping the kids off at school. After just freakin’ getting out of bed. Regardless of what challenge - large or small - you just overcome, it’s important to remember that you are a BOSS for doing it even with fibromyalgia trying to drag you down. 

Personally, I think living with fibromyalgia has made me even stronger, better person than I would've been with a “normal” body. It’s taught me perseverance. Patience. How to love a body even when it’s slightly broken. And I hope that you say comment #15 out loud to yourself at least once a week. Because, to be completely honest, living with fibromyalgia is hard, even though some days are better than others. So celebrate your wins. Celebrate when your mind and body do get along. And keep kicking life’s booty!

The Bottom Line of Living with Fibromyalgia 

If there’s one takeaway I hope you get from this article, it’s that life with fibromyalgia has its ups and downs. Sometimes, we find ourselves complaining about a bad pain day or trying (and often failing) to explain how we’re feeling to others. Other times, we feel like Superman (or Wonder Woman) and rejoice at connecting with people who share our unique fibromyalgia “superpowers.” 

At the end of the day, though, fibromyalgia is a part of who we are and many of these comments make regular appearances in our daily life. My biggest hope? That you’ll be saying the latter half of number 15 more and more often in the near future! 

What do you commonly find yourself saying regularly because of your chronic illness (whether it’s fibromyalgia or something else)? Tell me in the comments!