VISUALLY DEPICT YOUR JOURNEY WITH FIBROMYALGIA
Fibromyalgia [Fai-bruh-mai-al-juh] pathophysiology results in a musculoskeletal, auto-immune disease
affecting 4% of the worldwide adult population and growing.
Fibromyalgia can effect anyone, at any age, but often attacks the bodily system
at it's weakest after an extended period of physical and/or psychological stress.
This alters the central nervous system. 9/10 diagnosed are women.
Symptoms of Fibromyalgia include chronic, intense, widespread musculoskeletal pain,
memory impairment, daytime fatigue, brain fog and issues regulating mood often leading to anxiety and depression.
Fibromyalgia greatly effects the day-to-day, working lives, relationships
and self-confidence of sufferers, often without an end in sight.
Being heterogenous in nature, Fibromyalgia sufferers often have to contend
with hurdles from the medical industry ranging from misdiagnosis, medical-gaslighting
and symptom over root-cause treatment.
This is why continued research and funding is strongly needed to explore the underlying
pathophysiology and etiology of Fibromyalgia.
affecting 4% of the worldwide adult population and growing.
Fibromyalgia can effect anyone, at any age, but often attacks the bodily system
at it's weakest after an extended period of physical and/or psychological stress.
This alters the central nervous system. 9/10 diagnosed are women.
Symptoms of Fibromyalgia include chronic, intense, widespread musculoskeletal pain,
memory impairment, daytime fatigue, brain fog and issues regulating mood often leading to anxiety and depression.
Fibromyalgia greatly effects the day-to-day, working lives, relationships
and self-confidence of sufferers, often without an end in sight.
Being heterogenous in nature, Fibromyalgia sufferers often have to contend
with hurdles from the medical industry ranging from misdiagnosis, medical-gaslighting
and symptom over root-cause treatment.
This is why continued research and funding is strongly needed to explore the underlying
pathophysiology and etiology of Fibromyalgia.
'Art has the ability to visually portray a battle
so many can not articulate with words alone.'
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Every entry will automatically be placed on this website for permanent show
as every story deserves to be told, we are stronger together and this supports further circulation of each others work. From the submitted entries, 25 artworks will be chosen, exhibited and auctioned aiding exposure, understanding and assistance for the widespread Fibromyalgia community. The chosen 25 artists will then benefit from continued exposure and publication of their practice and story.
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FAQ
How does one contract Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia can lie dormant in the bodily system until the right time to attack.
Current research has shown Fibromyalgia to be one of 66 known strains of the Epstein-Bar Virus.
An invisible illness. 'It doesn't look like you're ill'.
Sometimes an outside image of health is all we feel we have.
Things look good on the outside because we don't want to have the illness affect more of our reality
than it already does. I would explain to others in my life that if I have 20% worth of happiness or energy in the bank
I will step into that and try to expand it. There's just no point talking further about our day to day reality and removing that 20%.
What is currently available as treatment?
Like all auto-immune or chronic illness sufferers, when one is diagnosed, life very quickly starts to revolve around understanding this illness.
Sufferers end up being better equipped than the average GP of the limitations and inefficacy of the medical/pharmaceutical industry and being terrified of misdiagnosis/medical gaslighting.
Therapy/talk therapy is counterproductive to many sufferers. Constantly reliving your fibromyalgia journey is emotionally triggering, draining and debilitating. Feeding the condition itself.
Analgesics, Anti-depressants as pain modulators. Patients have reduced opioid receptor availability
Contracting Fibromyalgia often sends sufferers down a path of alternative medicine. What has been shown to help?
Yoga, Qi Gong, Biomagnetism, Visualisation practices and breathwork
Can Fibromyalgia be cured?
A google search will tell you there is no cure. I have come across who have said to heal their fibromyalgia with Qi Gong,
and 6 months of steroid treatment, though what works for one person is in no way guaranteed to work for everyone which is why more research is needed.
What doesn't help?
As with talking to any individual about a disease or illness they have or live with, I say always do your research
before talking to a sufferer about their condition as you may inadvertently trigger the condition itself.
If you are not sick, regurgitating bandaid-statements such as 'mind over matter' is extremely shortsighted, misinformed and lazy.
Telling sufferers their condition is only triggered by stress also undermines the day to day reality of living with a virus such as Fibromyalgia.
One can experience no external changes before hormones are tripped and a flare up takes place.
Never gaslight or assume to know more about Fibromyalgia than someone who lives with this illness.
Does everyone have the same experience with Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia varies in severity from person to person. Pain intensity and range can vary from back pain to full pain around the body.
How does it affect our lives?
Due to living with chronic pain, sufferers have extreme trouble keeping a job.
What can set off symptoms?
- Food triggers. Certain foods are known to either feed or starve the Epstein Bar virus. These are known as food triggers.
- Hormonal fluctuations including the onset of a menstrual cycle
- Stress
My Experience with Fibromyalgia
Once a perfectly healthy, fit and driven young woman, I contracted Fibromyalgia when I was 26 years old. I was soon travelling overseas to continue a 5-year long research project, when upon discussing the efficacy of safe-sex methods with a friend, she recommended I try the contraceptive rod. The contraceptive rod is… It is placed underneath the skin of the upper arm and periodically releases… determining a 99% chance of avoiding pregnancy and results in the woman not having her period. My friend had experienced minor side effects but enjoyed not having her period for two years as it had allowed her to focus on other things and at that point it sounded like a stress off the table I could use. I personally relegated that this was as far from natural and worked against the intrinsic intelligence of our bodies, however if there were examples of success it was worth a try.
after my body rejected the contraceptive rod which was inserted in to my arm and caused my body to consistently bleed for over 5 months. Try to fathom the reality of an almost 6-month menstrual period and the body and minds subsequent exhaustion and depletion.
As with many contraceptives, one is meant to wait for a number of months for the body to potentially acclimatise, yet as this was not happening and almost half a year had passed, I visited my local GP and repeatedly pleaded for the contraceptive rod’s removal. What I didn’t know was standard practice at the time dictated that the doctor continued to refuse removing the rod from my own body and forcibly insisted I commence a number of courses of the contractive pill whilst still on the rod. I have truly never forgiven myself for not insisting further, but the doctor knew best..
Flooded and overdosed with artificial hormones, my body rejected both and I bled for the majority of 10.5 months until a different person and highly suicidal. Volunteering in a community for then 5 year research project in England
This was the period that released the virus from my system
After that I had immense trouble keeping a job. No employer could roster around periodic and unexpected attacks so I was forced to find alternatives.
Luckily I had my art and I spent the next 1.5 years relying on painting oil portraits and recording an online teaching module for passive income in the event of attacks.
Obviously however, not everyone with Fibromyalgia has this opportunity. Most do not have a talent to fall back on and potentially utilize, they are stuck.
