A letter to anyone dealing with Fibromyalgia

My fibro brothers and sisters. 

Find out what you CAN do in your suffering. What is your purpose? How can God use you through this fibro and all that you go through in your body. I know fibro is hard yet it is harder when you feel there is no purpose for the pain or with the pain.   

First step is usually grieving over having fibro (which may include being angry that you have fibro and can't do what you used to do)... then accepting you have it and trying to live your new life with it.... that includes having boundaries and pacing yourself and taking care of yourself with the pain and symptoms. 

We pray for a healing yet we do live with the pain and suffering and all the symptoms we deal with in our own bodies... so how are you handling it?  How are your living with this fibro?  And what are you doing through the pain?1¹¹

I know my purpose started 10 years ago when God put it on my heart that we who deal with fibromyalgia need more encouragement, prayer and connecting with other fibro brothers and sisters.  The fibro group I started on facebook was because I was in other fb fibro groups and I saw how little encouragement people were getting and when talking about God and prayer,  other fibro members were bashing their faith. I realized it wasn't a place to feel safe,  and to get their spirits lifted.I know Fibro can cause depression and anxiety and when we are in a place like these groups,  it is hard to mentally feel better.  Although I did meet some people in the other groups and there were positivethings in the groups,  I realized there was a need for a Christian fibro group too. And that's how "Fibromyalgia: Fibro brothers and sisters" group started. 

I know someone who her purpose is to help women in prison ministry. I know others who can spread cheer at their work, like at an insurance company to a dog sitting company.  I've seen others who can't do much outside their home,  yet they pray for others and spread encouraging scriptures or posts in the fibro group that encourages me and others.  I've heard of some that love on their grandchildren.  

See, not every one is the same.  God can use you differently. It doesn't have to be at a job, or even a church. I remember over 10 years ago,  I felt bad because I had to give up ministries I was doing at church because the fibro was so bad and I had to stay home more.  Someone said,  "ministry doesn't have to be at a church. God can use you online too. "   I never would have thought that the ministry of the fb fibro group would reach people all over the USA and all over the world. Through the years, In the fibro group,  I have talked to people in Canada, England, South Africa,  Australia and more countries.... I never thought that would be possible so I continue to thank God for in the internet and Facebook.  

Remember I understand what you go through....I live with fibro too. Find your purpose. 

Here's a link to the fibromyalgia: Fibro Brothers and Sisters group. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/fibroBandS/?ref=share

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Traveling with pain

Here's a little bit of what I did to help me on my travels on a trip I recently took. You may not understand it unless you deal with daily chronic pain. If you deal with pain,  maybe some of this will be helpful to you. 

I went on a trip which was 2 hours ahead of California time. I was getting up earlier each day,  about 4 hours or more than usual.  Some days I felt like a zombie.  Yet there was a couple days I spent time resting. I spent some alone time, just resting, which I needed to keep going. We did  2 weeks of stuff in one week. So I basically had to pack 3 different times for traveling throughout one state.  And I tried to keep eating foods that kept my irritable bowl syndrome in check and didn't eat foods that would cause a fibromyalgia flare up.  My health was good there mostly and yet the humidity caused pain in the mornings. Thankfully hot massage showers took edge off and I kept biofreeze with me. I made sure I had a microwave and fridge in each hotel I stayed at.

I did take an egg crate cushion section that I cut enough to lay my body on, when I go to sleep.   Plus I brought my special pillow with me so that I could be comfortable in each bed.  My pain was so bad with first plane trip,  so on the way back I sat on the egg crate foam cushion which helped a lot.  I had originally packed it on the check-in luggage.  

Both ways I brought a tiny pillow with me on plane to help my back pain and posture. I didn't want any more new pain brought on by not sitting correctly on the plane. 

Plus I brought my regular mypillow with me in check-in luggage. I brought my ice and heat packs too. Each night I used my hot, moist pack that I could microwave to heat up and wrapped it around my shoulders and head. It all helped. I wish I could have traveled lighter but I knew what I needed to make the trip better for my body.  I have learned to do this and I even have a check list I keep in my computer so I know when I go out of town,  I don't forget my important medical stuff. 

Transform pain?

I was reading and something struck me. I know we live in our bodies and that we deal with groanings, burdens, and pain.... but sometimes I forget that our earthly tent (our physical body) so longs for our heavenly dwelling. 

We may deal with physical pain and suffering on earth yet we will be free from all of that when we are in our spiritual body, in heaven, if we are believers of Him,  Jesus. Our spirit may groan and be so desiring of our heavenly bodies.  I look forward to that day in heaven when my physical body is transformed into something new and am grateful, and find peace and joy when looking forward to eternity, forever, when we will no longer have a physical body that feels pain and suffering.

"For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,  because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.  For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Coping with quarantine and health issues

I pray you all are doing alright emotionally because having fibromyalgia or other health issues can be stressful or depressing. Then when you add the quarantine and social distancing too, it can feel overwhelming.

At the beginning of this pandemic where I live, I was overwhelmed...yet I have been doing better. I've been finding ways to uplift my spirits. And I use the techniques I've learned from having fibromyalgia. 

Here's a few tips:

- (Laugh and uplift your mood). 

Find funny videos on utube.

-(Feed your soul and spirit).

I've been Listening to Church online to learn ways to cope through this pandemic and also learn about God 

- (Socialize). Connect with people.

 (The leaders of the Bible Study where I usually attend, are using the Zoom app instead of meeting at their home so we can still chat and discuss Sunday's online service. It is so great to be able to connect and see our friends on our laptop during this time)

 Other ways to connect with people are video chat through messenger, writing emails or cards, texting or calling others. 

- (physical strength). 

Walking, stretching, exercising. Do what you can. this feels like a never engine battle.

- (focus on others)

Sometimes helping others will keep your focus off your pain.  Send a "I'm thinking of you" card, bake for your neighbor, ask a friend if they need something at the store,  or ask them if they need prayer,etc ...

I am a Survivor by Christiana Fletcher

In September of 2019 I tried to commit suicide and ended up on the floor of the hospital. 

For a long time, I wanted to stop the physical and mental suffering I was going through. 

Also a guy at my church who had been manipulating me for months, didn't help. When we became friends, I started seeing red flags yet I felt God wanted me to help him. We were even going to go on some dates, but he never showed up and he told me to never contact him again. I was crushed.

Note: Please be aware that people who are chronically ill are sometimes more vulnerable to manipulative and pathological liars. 

That was the last straw for me. Why was this world so cruel? Why was I suffering since the age of 17 (34 now)?

Because of the emptiness I felt inside due to the hurts I went through, I took every pill in the kitchen and it was no mistake God still wanted me here. I survived.

Let me warn, if you're thinking about doing this, remember the doctors will take away all your medication in the hospital if you try to commit suicide. The doctors will ignore your chronic illness and treat you like a psych patient which is where I ended up next, the psych unit. 

In the psych hospital, God starting touching my heart. I ended up meeting people and we all talked about God most of the time. We did music therapy, karaoke, and I was even asked to sing Lauren Daigle's song "You Say" which touched my heart and I cried. 

I knew this was part of my purpose, to reach people with music even in the hospital. When I went home, it took me months to recover. I was so distraught, yet God turned my anger into feeling sorry for this person that continually manipulated me.  God gave me supernatural, unexplainable peace for 3 days. Thankfully, I could finally sleep. It was definitely a supernatural feeling from God.

From there I had to drag myself from the bottom of the well and rise up. Thankfully I had help due to God helping me.

Ever since then, good things are happening for me. I entered a photography contest online and won, and I was featured in a national fine arts gallery. Plus I sold some photos. I've been writing songs like crazy and sharing them with people. Even a magazine called "She shreds" is even thinking about using me for a piece about chronically ill musicians. 

My nurse practitioner and hematologist are actually discovering what could be the root cause of my illness. They say I need a bone marrow biopsy to confirm it. I have to wait for the biopsy to see what happens 

God is using me through all that I have gone through. Recently I went onto a local campus with college students from Georgia, and ministered to them. I lead two people to the Lord and they accepted Christ. 

I realized that all the life experiences we go through, can and will be used to help others, if you let it.

I wrote songs in the hospital about what happened and here's a link to one of them. 

 https://youtu.be/sxV5njGnxqw

(Used by permission through contact from Christiana Fletcher on Facebook and Messenger 3/16/2020