Fibromyalgia ~ Interview with Shelly

This is the third Interview of my new series with people who also have Fibromyalgia.

I am introducing to you the creative Shelly. She is also from England like the lovely Alisha from my last Interview. She is 23 years young.

Now let´s start with the interview!

Enjoy reading!

When did you notice that something was wrong, at what age do you think the first symptoms appeared?

From about the age of 13 I’ve always suffered from pain in my knees and ribs, which was put down to many numbers issues.

Normally it takes a few years to get the diagnosis. What was it like for you?

Fairly recently I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia at 23 so it’s been a long time of fighting for answers and trying to find out if it’s Fibro or my other condition.

How was your reaction when you finally got the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia? Were you relieved that your health problems finally had a name?

I was really relieved to finally be able to put a name to it, I was also relieved it was a condition people had heard of and the amount of support that is available.

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What are your symptoms? what are the worst ones for you personally?

My main symptoms are fatigue, brain fog, insomnia, and pain in my joints. The worst symptoms for me are the brain fog as I find it hard to function when I have it.

And the pain in my joints really gets to me sometimes as one of my main hobbies is drawing and when my hand is really bad I struggle to hold a pencil.

The insomnia is really frustrating currently I’m on my tenth day of not sleeping.

What medications are helping you?

At the moment I’m not on medication apart from ibuprofen, I also take CBD oil which has helped my anxiety, I also drink CBD tea which is really calming.

Have you tried alternative treatments? If so, what is your experience?

I use CBD and occasionally have massages. I’m a fan of alternative treatments and will try anything once, I’m currently trying to find out more about essential oils and how they can help me.

What other diseases/side effects do you have?

As well as Fibromyalgia I also have Scoliosis, Syringomyelia which is cysts in the spinal cord, and Chiari malformation which is where the lower part of the brain grows down into the spinal canal crushing the spinal cord.

How do your friends and family deal with it? How do they support you?

My parents are supportive about everything, I’ve lost a few friends through not being able to do certain things and also for being “unreliable” when I have to cancel plans due to a flare-up.

But the friends that have stuck around are really understanding and supportive. I’m really lucky with the support system I have.

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How do you deal with negative comments about your disease? No matter whether they come from friends, acquaintances, or even doctors?

I try not to let other people’s comments get to me as they’re not the ones that live with it and I’m the only one that suffers by going over what’s been said the people who say it probably doesn’t even think of it again.

Do you do any exercises? If yes, what are your experiences?

I really enjoy swimming and always have I also find swimming is the easiest form of exercise for me to do.

What helps you get through bad days?

Bad days can be really hard and sometimes I just have to cancel it and start again the next day, but mostly music, drawing, films and TV help a lot, I have certain films that I’ve seen so many times I don’t have to concentrate to watch them.

Also my family and friends, at the beginning of the whole Covid lockdown situation I struggled a lot with the changes until I created a new routine of every night video calling my friend and rewatching TV shows and movies together.

I also find that planning things for the future helps to keep me focused whether it’s a trip or coffee with a friend.

I know that you love to draw. Please tell me more about it.

I Love drawing I find it’s such a good escape I just put on my headphones and play some music and draw.

Mostly I draw silhouettes from films and TV shows I recently watched.

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During the lockdown, I´ve started to do commissions for friends and family from photos which have been a nice change.

(Yes, Shelly did really draw my awesome furry friend Scotch for me. I love it.)

Do you have a mantra/quote to help you get through bad days?

You’ve got this shit. Just because today is bad doesn’t mean tomorrow will be.

Do you keep a pain diary? If so, what do you write down?

I’ve tried multiple times to keep a pain diary but I always forget to keep it up when I did I kept track of what hurt and how what helped and what I did that day that may have caused it.

Do you have any advice for Fibro newbies / Fibro people?

The best thing I did when I was diagnosed was research things on my own and talk to others going through the same. Also find what works for you everyone is different and everyone deals differently.

Since I have a dog that helps me a lot with my fibro, I’ll just ask. Do you also have a four-legged dog or another animal that helps you a lot?

I don’t have a dog or any pet, unfortunately, but I’d love a dog.