On this post I describe now living with Fibromyalgia looks like.

Disabled and Disbelieved: People with invisible illnesses still aren’t taken seriously.

We face many mental health challenges than ever before. Today is the last day of May or the last day of Fibromyalgia Awareness month and the exact cause of fibromyalgia is still unknown, yet many factors may trigger the disorder including infections, stress, physical injury, or psychological trauma. Due to the lack of tests and visible symptoms, fibromyalgia is sometimes referred to as an "invisible illness" and is often a diagnosis that is reached by a process of elimination, as other possible causes of pain must first be ruled out; it takes some years to receive a diagnosis.

Living with chronic illness requires a lot of energy, time, and money. The diagnosis of fibromyalgia should come with a cost of living warning label! Seriously! Let’s face it: Living with fibromyalgia is very expensive. Add in the rising costs of inflation and life with chronic illness becomes even harder. As things get more expensive, I can feel the impact on my fibromyalgia and on my quality of life. This chronic illness has cost more than financial loss.When diagnosed and throughout their disease journey, patients are forced to ask themselves not just, “how am I going to live with this chronic, disabling disease?” but “how am I going to pay for it?”. Not only does your health condition impact your finances, but money — or a lack of it — can also play a big role how well you can manage your health.The first thing I did when I returned home after receiving my diagnosis of fibromyalgia was to go online to try and learn as much as possible about this disease. Everything I found described the symptoms just fine, but nothing provided hope for relief. Nor did anything mention how expensive living with this illness would be.The cost of living with fibromyalgia goes beyond finances. Nothing I read at the time of my diagnosis could have prepared me for the high cost of living with fibromyalgia. These costs can really add up and take a toll on not just your wallet but also your mental health, your career, your family life, and your social life.Living without commitments in today's world is a huge challenge. Without reservations, many activities are totally undoable. I continually fight the temptation to make promises on the days when I feel capable. In addition to the cost, I feel plenty sorry for myself when the day comes and I can't attend.Chronic illness is expensive, not just in the traditional sense, but from a physical and emotional stand point, too. Here are some of the hidden costs of chronic illness that I've experienced, in no particular order: Medical Treatments, Inability to Work and/or Needing to Take Time Off Work (Many unpaid day offs or a miserable help from governament), Mobility Aids, Health Products, Comfort Items, therapies, foods and supplements.

Get ready to turn the entire month of May purple! May is Fibromyalgia Awareness Month.

I am one of millions of people living with a chronic illness. In my case it’s fibromyalgia. Living with fibromyalgia is not easy. The peaks and valleys between feeling good and suddenly having a flare-up of symptoms is overwhelming. Sometimes I feel like I lost myself. I feel like I'm kind of gone. Like I've been lost in the mess of life with chronic illness. Like all that I prided myself on is gone. I feel like so much of me has disappeared, has been stollen by chronic illness. And the longer I'm chronically ill, the more I feel like I am losing of my core identity.