Topic: Medical Care
Don't Question, Just Accept
Fibromyalgia and CFS Patients are endlessly portrayed as emotionally broken people who need to be psychologically fixed, whose illnesses are simply the physical manifestation of their emotional dysfunctions. Good luck at finding the rare arcticles, studies, and books which don't portray these patients in a negative light to some extent or another. Fibromyalgia and CFS online and print literature often contains Cogntive Behavioral Therapy-style advice and is rife with psychotherapy lingo, with a heavy emphasis on coping and acceptance. Both are used in relation to Fibromyalgia and CFS versions of "The Five Stages of Grief", and in terms of helping all these emotionally dysfunctional Fibromyalgia and CFS patients fix their defective personalities which supposedly either caused their illnesses or greatly contributes to their symptoms and the severity of their conditions. Many of these acceptance and coping-skills related articles and book excerpts use similar, or even the exact same words and phrasings, all to relate the same message- If you have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and/or CFS it's because you're emotionally damaged goods and need emotion-based fixing in order to heal. "Heal" being a term used mostly in a psychological sense, as the symptoms of these illnesses are supposedly caused by traumatic "body memories" which bring physical pain to their "victims".
Unlike other physical illness and medical condition treatment protocols, Fibromyalgia and CFS treatment protocols, beyond the insomnia and chronic pain treatments, are often largely based upon dealing with feelings and emotions. It's all about stress, fear, anger, feelings of wrongness or badness, poor self-worth, feelings of inadequacy, feeling maligned by others, being out of touch with oneself and one's thoughts, feelings and needs, having boundary issues, lacking trust, needing validation from the wrong people, and other touchy-feely stuff which needs to be treated with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, postive affirmations, support groups, various other self-help methods like self-hypnosis and guided imagery, and standing up to the bossy people in one's life. Unfortunately, this somewhat resembles the Stuart Smalley skits from Al Franken's stint on Saturday Night Live, with Stuart's trademark affirmation: "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Smalley
You Spin Me Round Like A (Broken) Record Baby...
From "Fibromyalgia Lesson 3: Coping: the psychological aspects” at Suite101.com:
Learning Acceptance
Accepting fibromyalgia is similar to coping with the death of a loved one. It starts with denial. As happy as we were to get a diagnosis at last, we start thinking that maybe it's wrong. This can't be the way it's going to be from now on! We all go through it – although not everyones experience is identical....
We need to move to the final stage - acceptance. Accept our limitations and see what we CAN do despite them...
Raise your self-esteem. Fibro victims tend to be over-achievers. We have had unrealistic expectations of ourselves all of our lives. It's time to get real. Set some new goals. They don't need to be large- just realistic. http://www.suite101.com/lesson.cfm/16603/16/2
From: "Acceptance for Living With Fibromylagia":
How Acceptance Can Help With Managing Your Illness
A chronic illness like fibromyalgia (FM) changes your life. It can be hard to accept those changes, especially when it means giving up things you care about.
When you're adapting your life to chronic illness, it's normal to go through a grieving process, just as if someone close to you had died.
The final phase of the grief cycle is acceptance. Some people confuse "acceptance" with "giving up," but acceptance actually is a means of looking at your situation realistically so you can set reachable goals.
http://chronicfatigue.about.com/od/copingwithfmscfs/a/acceptance.htm
From BellaOnline's Fibromyalgia and CFS Newsletter Archive:
The word "grief" is usually used in connection to losing a loved one in death. However, grief can occur as the result of other unfortunate events such as the end of a relationship, the loss of a pet, loss of hopes, dreams, and plans for the future. To persons living with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, loss is a way of life. It's more than accepting the diagnosis and the loss that we experience initially, but the losses that follow throughout our lifetime. We may find ourselves grieving repeatedly.
Although responses to loss are as diverse as the people experiencing it, certain stages are common. Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross identified and named the Five Stages of Grief. Knowing these five stages can sometimes help through the grieving process, and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Most people may experience all five stages, but they may not experience them with the same duration, in the same order, or with the same intensity....
Acceptance
The final stage is acceptance. You have to accept the loss, not just try to bear it quietly. We come to the realization that our former self is gone, and that it's not our fault that we got sick, and that we didn't do this to ourselves. Seeking the good that can come out of the pain of loss will lead to finding comfort and healing.
We may have gone through all of the above stages and in many cases once before getting to acceptance. We may even experience these stages after every loss that we have while living with fibromyalgia and/or chronic fatigue syndrome. Even when we reach the acceptance stage, it does not mean that we no longer get sad about our losses from time to time, but the sadness no longer overshadows us and does not keep us from functioning normally most of the time. Over time, the intensity of the sadness generally diminishes, and we learn how to cope. http://www.bellaonline.com/newsletter/fibcfs
From the “Fibromyalgia: After the Diagnosis...” article:
You've just heard the words,"You have fibromyalgia." How do you feel? Some of you are elated. After years of pain and uncertainty and visits to multiple doctors, often wondering if "they" were right and maybe you really do have serious psychological problems, you finally have confirmation that you have an actual illness. There is a real name for your suffering. Others of you are stunned and frightened. You've just been told you have a disease for which there is no cure. You feel like some of your worst fears are coming true. With dozens of unanswered questions churning through your mind, you wonder what--if anything--the future holds for you. Both reactions are perfectly normal. Regardless of your initial reaction, the question remains...what next? What comes after the diagnosis?
Once you have been diagnosed, you will begin a journey that will lead you through five stages. These stages are very similar to the five stages of grieving and death identified by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Although fibromyalgia (FM) does not cause loss of life, it does bring about a loss of our former lifestyle. It is both normal and necessary for you to grieve any significant loss....
STAGE 5- Acceptance/Re-Evaluation
Acceptance is not resignation. It is understanding -- understanding that your life will be different, but that different can be better; understanding that you can accept your pain without becoming your pain; understanding that your life can still have a positive and productive purpose. At this stage, it is time to re-evaluate your life and your lifestyle.
http://www.fmaware.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6313
From the article, “How I Created a Good Life with Fibromyalgia”:
During the early years, I went through a kind of death, the loss of the person I was before FMS. I began with denial....
...To deal with the anger, despair and depression I was experiencing, I started therapy, which helped me come to terms with all the negative emotions I was having along with my FMS...
By 1998 I had attained what I call conditional acceptance. It took me seven years to reach this stage. I found a good balance of activity, rest, exercise. I learned stress avoidance and stress reduction techniques. I evaluated my life in all areas and chose exercise, activities, relationships, and stress reduction techniques that supported my feeling as well as possible. Based on my experience of having symptom reduction, rather than symptom erasure, I decided to focus on a coping strategy. ..
Reframing My Thoughts
It became very clear that a positive attitude was crucial if I was going to attain acceptance and peace with my illness and my life. I finally learned that how I perceive myself and my chronic illness can greatly affect my quality of life. One way was by reframing my thoughts. Reframing is a term used in psychology to mean learning to look at something from a new perspective. Taking a situation, and looking at it in a different way, can help one accept and embrace that situation and give it a positive spin.
I taught myself this skill. For example, I took the idea "I am so tired today. I don't think I will ever feel energetic again" and reframed it as "I am tired today. But from my past experience with fatigue, I know that I will feel good again, after giving my body the rest it needs." The thought, "My pain is awful and it's never going to get better" became "Yes, the pain is strong today, but the last time it was this bad, it did get better."...
Benefits of Acceptance
I have learned that there are many benefits of acceptance of my FMS. I take better care of myself. My health is a top priority. When I feel better, everything in my life works better. My life becomes more predictable, less of a roller coaster ride. With proper exercise, rest, and activity pacing, I am giving my body the gift of healing. My body relaxes when I'm not fighting with it, and I feel better.
I also have more confidence in myself and in dealing with people. By accepting my illness, I feel less of a need to explain, rationalize, and fret over what others think.
http://www.cfidsselfhelp.org/library/how-i-created-a-good-life-with-fibromyalgia
From: “The Mystery of Fibromyalgia and How Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Can Help”:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy can assist the fibromyalgia patient to identify stressful triggers that exacerbate pain. This may involve examining family struggles, exploring inner-conflict, and working with core, self-defeating assumptions that affect thinking and behavior. Teaching the patient mindfulness meditation as a way of relaxing the sympathetic nervous system is beneficial...
...There is a tendency for fibromyalgia patients to distort reality by focusing on negative perceptions to the exclusion of the positive. Helping the patient and family to accept physical limitations is a necessary component to successful treatment.
Fibromyalgia patients can easily get enmeshed in a cycle of pain and associated emotional symptoms. It is the goal of cognitive-behavioral therapy to assist the patient in coming to terms with his disorder and making plans to manage it. This is accomplished through acceptance and teaching the patient positive ways of thinking about his condition and multiple ways of treating it.
http://leavingthebubble.blogspot.com/2009/01/mystery-of-fibromyalgia-and-how.html
Daily Strength's Fibromyalgia forum- thread “acceptance, do we ever truly accept?” webpage:
http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Fibromyalgia/forum/3422237-acceptance-do-we-ever-truly
From the Fibromyalgia Facts and Symptoms- “Coping With Fibromyalgia” webpage:
When faced with a chronic condition especially one that involves a lot of pain it is inevitable that your emotions will run amok. Taking control of your emotional life involves learning emotional coping techniques. You will more than likely go through the stages of grief when faced with a condition such as fibromyalgia. You will grieve the relatively carefree life of "before the diagnosis". You may feel anger, despair, and even depression over the prospect of what your life will be like now that you have the diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
The stages are just like those one goes through dealing with death. You will go through a refusal or denial of the condition, anger or feeling like it is unfair that you have been dealt these cards, and then you will decide that bargaining or promising that you will be a better human being if only the condition will go away only to discover that the condition is here to stay and then the depression sets in and you may decide to just give up, and eventually you will come to the place called acceptance. Once you have navigated your way through the stages you will reach a place where you can start to come to terms with your diagnosis. Seeking the help of a professional counselor may help you to deal with the stages and face your emotions. Sometimes medications can help to ease the discomfort and pain, as well as the depression that may encompass you. Support groups are wonderful tools for being able to cope with your emotions.
http://chronicfibromyalgiatreatmenttips.com/coping-with-fibromyalgia.php
“Fibromyalgia Attitude Adjustments” tips, from the Fibromyalgia Life Tips website:
http://fibromyalgia.lifetips.com/cat/58409/fibromyalgia-attitude-adjustments/
“Accepting Fibromyalgia and Moving Past It: Patients Share Their Coping Strategies” webpage from Health.com:
http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20188802,00.html
Selected quotes from the book “Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: 7 Proven Steps to Less Pain & More Energy” by Fred Friedberg Ph.D, a practicing clinical psychologist and CFS patient, who uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques to treat the symptoms associated with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:
When you do actually assert yourself, give yourself both the right to your feelings and the right to personal time. You may experience mixed feelings during these assertive exercises- possibly at every step of the way- because this level of forwardness may seem to conflict with the person that you wish to be. But remember, that person, who strives to be all things to all people, is also an overstressed, overburdened, and- at the core- unhappy person. (p. 98)
People suffering from CFS or FM may experience a variety of jarring negative emotions-including anger, grief, discouragement, worry and guilt. Coping with the emotions...can not only help improve your day-to-day well-being, it can also aid your overall improvement-particularly when these coping skills are well-learned. And without the burden of these negative emotions, you'll have a greater chance to enjoy positive feelings. (p. 101)
You probably experienced large doses of guilt even before you became ill. If you hold yourself to perfectionistic high standards- standards that rarely can be reached- the guilt of not doing enough may be a persistent theme in your emotional life. And if your sense of self-worth comes from helping family, friends, and others, not helping- or not being able to help- can produce intense feelings of guilt. (p. 106)
...Any bad relationship that is a major part of your life- whether it be with a spouse, significant other, sibling, or parent- can be detrimental to your healing. Dysfunctional relationships create an array of negative emotions, including anger, hurt, anxiety, guilt, and depression. These emotions will stress your fragile physical being and worsen your symptoms (p. 116)
Excerpts from the November 2004 article “A holistic approach that turned up trumps” by Patricia Redlich, which appeared in the Irish newspaper- the Independent:
MICHAEL Kelly is an old-fashioned clinician. The way doctors used to be. He reads his patients...
When he talks about the mind in the matter of fibromyalgia, then, he is not holding up an accusing finger, but merely dealing in the obvious. The mind and body are one, in sickness and in health, and healing. So why should it be surprising that the cause of the condition should lie in the head or heart or personality, rather than in the muscles, or connective tissue, where the often excruciating pain of fibromyalgia resides?
...Michael Kelly has a deep respect for the human spirit. He knows it doesn't confine itself to mere emotional expressions of distress. The body can suffer too, quite terribly, when the heart is disturbed...
...Theirs is a disorder, and Michael believes its origins lie in a spiritual deficit - my words, not his, for he fears it sounds too metaphysical.
He talks instead of a driven personality, different from male workaholics, to do with women who effectively prostrate themselves in the service of their chosen task.
Dr Kelly describes women "cocooned in a state of constant misery" and believes the misery was always with them, and only manifest now that they can no longer put in the relentless effort. He's trying not to sound like a pop psychologist, he explains, and goes on: "These are women who don't seem to have any real sense of self. Their chosen path of attempted perfection, be it career or domestic goddess, is their only persona. They feel good only from doing good, never from just being. And you can feel their agitation, an internal distress which drove them always, and now threatens to annihilate them."
I tell him it's the brownie-point syndrome, the endless hope that if we earn enough, by trying hard enough, we'll be liked, loved, appreciated, accepted, allowed exist, breathe even. Which is why he is right that this isn't just workaholic behaviour, even though these young women are high career achievers. Workaholics settle for career success, job acknowledgment, status. The women are seeking the right to be alive, are driven by the terror of personal disintegration if they can no longer perform. Many of us have been that soldier. We know.
“...There's no external solution, it's an inside job. My patients have to undergo psychological change, in terms of their attitudes to themselves and to others," Michael continues.
All he can do by way of helping is tell them the truth. Which is why he's brought out a second edition of his book Fibromyalgia, Fatigue and You. In it, amongst other things, he's attempted to spell out some paths to that much-needed personality change. I don't argue with him about that, but ask instead how a driven personality can end up with terrible physical pain. The exhaustion I can understand. Alcohol addiction I could expect. But how does the pain come about? Dr Kelly has an explanation.
"Women who end up with fibromyalgia operate on the basis of unrelenting internal distress, chronic worry, all-pervasive anxiety, and suffer as a result from lack of restorative sleep, that sleep phase most necessary for refreshing the body, and mind. They're exhausted, but keep going, pushing themselves, and create a vicious circle as sleep further deteriorates. Their pain threshold then sinks, and sensory messages from the muscles travelling back to the brain register as pain. Lack of physical fitness, specifically aerobic fitness, adds to the problem, presumably because more muscles become involved in sending pain signals, sleep worsens, the brain doesn't get to produce the happy hormones, or endorphins, it creates during exercise, and the body becomes even more sensitised."
Is there hope, I ask?
"My patients feel like freaks. That's so sad, because the suffering in fibromyalgia is so real. It helps a lot for them to hear the story, to see it written down. They feel better, and heartened about taking some tentative steps towards change.
"And it's great to see the metamorphosis, to witness a woman blooming, as she leaves fear behind." http://www.independent.ie/national-news/a-holistic-approach-that-turned-up-trumps-486456.html
From the Psychology Today article “Is It All in My Head? With diseases like chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, what you believe about your illness influences how sick you become.” by Melissa Schorr:
Wayne Katon, whose research focuses on depression, anxiety and somatoform disorders, makes the case that stress and anxiety play a primary role. In his view, personality doesn't just create a hospitable environment—it's an integral part of the diseases. He believes that the initial injury or illness is almost irrelevant. What really matters is the interpretation and emotional reaction. Patients develop what he calls "catastrophic cognitions": beliefs that if they start to get back to their activity, they will damage themselves further.
According to Katon's clinical observations, patients with chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia tend to be highly driven overachievers unaccustomed to feeling any loss of control. When injured or sickened, those who decide that the pain or illness has overwhelmingly and permanently damaged their bodies come to feel victimized and unable to cope. Learned helplessness sets in, and patients can find themselves perpetually depressed and inactive. "They have trouble getting back to that old lifestyle, and what sets in is depression, " Katon suggests. "In our modern society, for proplr who have driven themselves, fatigue becomes a palatable way out of a difficult existence."...
Fear of further damage and disability may keep patients from trying to get back to an active life. "Whatever caused this impairment is probably not what's keeping it going," Katon says. "What's keeping it going to a large extent are the misbeliefs about getting back to an active lifestyle."
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=20050503-000002&page=1
From the “Fibromyalgia in Children” webpage:
Therapy can also help the fibromyalgic child cope with tension and/or stress in more healthy ways. Many children with this condition don’t know how to manage their stress and are often high-achievers who try to do too much. They are also hard on themselves and may be prone to other self-esteem related problems too. Some studies have shown that therapy, specifically of the cognitive-behavioral type, can help improve fibromyalgia symptoms in some children. Therapy can also help to alleviate the anxiety and depression symptoms which often accompany this disease....
What Causes Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is generally an elusive disease. I know from personal experience that not many people seem to understand much about it. I include many medical professionals in that group. There are several theories on the causes of FMS. First, there seems to be a prevailing belief that a trauma such as a car accident triggers the disease. Other traumatic events that may lead one to develop this disease include sexual or physical abuse and alcoholism.... http://health.learninginfo.org/fibromyalgia-children.htm
Quotes from the book, Recovering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Guide to Self-Empowerment (Chapter 12: "Using Your Illness as a Teacher")” by William Collinge, Ph.D.:
People with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) often find that the syndrome directly challenges all that their lives have stood for. Many have found that to make it through this existential crisis, they have had to find a way to fit this illness into the overall fabric of a meaningful life...
Psychologists have long been interested in what they call the secondary gains, or benefits, of illness. There are two ways in which illness can be beneficial. One is when it serves to rescue or remove us from unacceptable or unwanted circumstances. The other is when it brings us unexpected insights or discoveries which enrich our lives and advance our growth....
It is certainly worthwhile to examine whether the illness is bringing relief from some otherwise unacceptable circumstance. If this is the case, then you may not be pursuing your recovery program with full commitment.
Our focus here, however, is on the other kind of benefit-one which, for many patients, has been totally unexpected yet greatly appreciated. CFS has served as a teacher and an opportunity for personal growth. As you have no doubt found, this disease can force you to re-evaluate your values, purposes, and whole way of life. Various people have described this illness as a wake-up call or a two-by-four over the head. Perhaps a more sophisticated term is to call it a "pattern-interrupt." This is a term used by hypnotherapists to describe something that interrupts or changes old, unconscious patterns of living or acting, and makes room for something new and better to happen....
CFS forces you to change your relationship with yourself. One of the most common discoveries is that we can actually pay attention and listen to ourselves much more deeply than ever before. Some experience this as listening to inner guidance. Others describe it as listening to the body, as trusting yourself, or as accepting yourself. Consider Tina's story:
"Getting sick was the best thing that ever happened to me. It was what it took for me to really. . . make major changes. I don't think I would have done it otherwise. My body just had to stop me. I wasn't paying enough attention to my life, my stress, my job, and my unhappiness to do anything about it, until I got so sick that I literally could not do anything and had to stop. After that, everything changed...
A similar experience is reported by Christy, who states: "I am actually grateful that I got sick, for what I have learned has been that valuable to me. It taught me to slow down and listen to myself. It also taught me that I will never work for money again, only for something I like to do. Money will come, but my job will never run my life again. I will do things that bring me joy."...
Another aspect of this transformation is the obvious shift in attitudes toward self-care. A high degree of vigilance needs to be developed which involves paying attention to your needs on a moment-to-moment basis. Maintaining your sense of balance or integrity becomes a real priority in daily living...
Tremendous strides in self-acceptance are very common for people who have been through CFS. The syndrome forces people to acknowledge and accept their vulnerability and their limitations. In the process of doing so, there very often is an overall shift toward greater self-acceptance....
Self-acceptance also involves acceptance of aspects of your self that were previously denied or discounted, such as your wants and needs. Debbie had previously taken an attitude of self-denial, self-sacrifice, always putting others' wants and needs before hers. This would happen not only in family life but with friends as well. Her belief now is that "My wants and needs are valid, and I say what they are. I may not always get it right now, but I no longer wait for someone else to give me permission or encouragement to have what I want or need."...
One of the ways that we add to our suffering is in our nonacceptance of what is true now. Our denial of the truth of our circumstances postpones our acceptance of, and our working with, the present. Energy is consumed by our struggle to hold on to the past, which is impossible and prevents us from living fully now.
One consequence of this for many people with CFS is depression. I refer here to the depression that can arise as a result of our appraisal of our circumstances, not as a result of the chemical changes from the disease process. The antidote to this kind of depression is acceptance of what is true now, and letting go of our fixed ideas from the past about how things should be.
http://www.prohealth.com/library/showarticle.cfm?id=4187&t=CFIDS_FM
Quotes From: The Psychological impact of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Coping strategies" an article by Dr. Mark J. Shaw, the author of “Beat Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”. Dr. Shaw portrays the emotional aspects of a Fibromyalgia and CFS diagnosis as rather bleak- a life of social isolation, filled with fear, anger and resentment, with ostracism and rejection by loved ones, and a complete lack of understanding by those who don't suffer from these conditions:
I will say from the outset that I believe this is one of the worst afflictions that can strike any person, at any age and at anytime....
...At a time when you need the most support in your life, often, people are turning their backs and walking away or muttering under their breath. It is a frightful condition.
There is no point disguising the reality which is, I'm afraid to say, that you will lose a lot of friends and colleagues along the way to the monster that is Fibromyalgia and CFS.
It is NOT possible to explain this condition to people who have no experience of it either by having suffered, or through having a particular medical interest in the area. They WILL NOT understand what, or to what extent, you are suffering. Again, I'm afraid this is the norm. Accept it as such and you will not then be personally offended by acts of prejudice....
If you had no knowledge about Fibromyalgia and CFS what would your reaction be to someone else developing these symptoms?............ You see? Its human nature, it's cruel isn't it?...
Concentrate on yourself and try not to dwell morbidly over the people that you have lost already. Those that do not stand by you, and there will be some, are what we term fair-weather friends...
Fibromyalgia and CFS will create emotional havoc for you and for your loved ones. This is normal.
Becoming chronically ill is very much like a bereavement. The losses and emotions involved are very similar. Giving up works means not only that you lose income but you also lose status, friendship and a purposeful role in life....
Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome can create a fear of rejection by others even when there is no evidence of this happening. I mean, who wants to be around someone who is like this, we say to ourselves.
....our self esteem is based on what others think of us, and usually that is based on what we "do" or "how we play" , or "what we say", generally how we interact with other people. As we take to "doing less", "playing" less and generally interacting "saying" less, then our self esteem plummets along with our health.
We are worried about the future; the dark shadow of uncertainty is round every corner....
I do advocate counseling and support groups. You will need to find someone who has specific knowledge about the emotional effects of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue, again a good doctor should be able to put you on the right path, there are also Fibromyalgia and CFS support groups based in most cities and towns across the US.
Once you have found a good support group you will also find good counseling. http://www.submityourarticle.com/articles/Mark-Shaw-1444/fibromyalgia-9108.php
Anyone who is diagnosed with a life-altering medical condition is naturally going to experience periods of adjustment which can come in many forms. Of course educating friends, family and colleagues may be a necessary aspect of this adjustment for any illness which is new to the members that patient's familial, social and career circles. The concept of fair weather friends and others who are too self-absorbed and can't be bothered caring about other people when they're experiencing hardships in their lives is nothing new either. Everyone in their course of their lives has to deal with such individuals whether they are family members, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, classmates, or neighbors. Dr. Shaw's hyperbole filled piece could unnecessarily frighten newly diagnosed patients into believing they're about to be abandoned by just about everyone in their lives, and that none of their family, friends, and colleagues will be capable of understanding them. Considering Fibromyalgia and CFS have symptoms in common with various illnesses, including Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Lyme Disease, Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies, and AIDS, it's bizarre that Fibromyalgia and CFS are painted as completely “unique” illnesses symptom-wise and are supposedly not understandable to everyone who doesn't have either or both of these conditions.
