Living with any chronic pain condition is not fun and to get support for it from people in the limelight is wonderful. I think this is especially true of Fibromyalgia which still has the stigma of not being taken seriously, by many people, even some in the medical profession. When people are in the process of getting a diagnosis we have to tell them to make sure they go to a professional who believes in Fibromyalgia. You don't have to say that about many other conditions!
So when Lady Gaga began talking about having Fibro it felt like the Fibro community around the world was being given validation.
As we would expect from Lady Gaga she was being outspoken about what it's like to live with this chronic pain condition.
In her 2017 documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two we see her in pain and having ice-packs, massages and medications but it is not explained. After the release of the film Lady Gaga tweeted to her fans: "In our documentary the #chronicillness #chronicpain I deal w/ is #Fibromyalgia I wish to help raise awareness & connect people who have it." 12th September 2017.
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| 12th September 2017 |
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| 12th September 2017 on twitter
In her cover interview for Vogue, in October 2018, Gaga discussed her past trauma and it's affects on her chronic pain. "My diaphragm seizes up. Then I have a hard time breathing, and my whole body goes into a spasm. And I begin to cry," she told the magazine. "That’s what it feels like for trauma victims every day, and it’s . . . miserable. I always say that trauma has a brain. And it works its way into everything that you do."
In the same interview she talked about how people perceive fibromyalgia and other chronic illnesses:
"I get so irritated with people who don't believe fibromyalgia is real. For me, and I think for many others, it's really a cyclone of anxiety, depression, PTSD, trauma, and panic disorder, all of which sends the nervous system into overdrive, and then you have nerve pain as a result," she said. "People need to be more compassionate. Chronic pain is no joke. And it's every day waking up not knowing how you're going to feel."
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| Quote from Vogue 2018 |
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| Quote from Vogue 2018 |
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| Quote from Vogue 2018 |
We hope that Lady Gaga will continue to speak out about Fibromyalgia to help the cause of Fibro. We wish that she would talk about her treatments to help the millions of people who live with it.
See needs to team up with the Fibro society in US and Canada and get REAL support happening. On a daily basis I get atleast someone who wished they were dead to end her sufferings....
ReplyDeleteYES FibroWarrior your suggestion is the best . Maybe we should tweet her. I looked at her twitter account and she seems to now be promoting and connecting with the LGBTQIA lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual or allied community. It's very sad that many people wish to be dead rather than live with Fibromyalgia - this is the nature of pain, feeling unsupported and alone with no hope. It is difficult to feel hope when many people don't even feel listened to by their doctors and loved ones.
DeleteShe's doing brilliantly speaking up and raising awareness, sharing some of her own experiences to educate others & let those struggling with fibro let them know they're not alone, too. "People need to be more compassionate. Chronic pain is no joke. And it's every day waking up not knowing how you're going to feel" - That is so spot on!
ReplyDeleteYes, Invisibly Me, that is my favorite quote of hers too. I wish I could find more about her Fibro journey.
DeleteShe's my hero!
ReplyDeleteCool!
DeleteI bet she gets her pain med filled with no problem at all unlike the rest of us
ReplyDeleteSad but probably true. i had to change drs once because he thought I was making my pain up and would not prescribe anything. So frustrating.
DeleteI was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia by a Rheumatologist in 2000. Pain meds have never worked for Fibro . Not on me.
ReplyDeleteNo problem getting Cymbalta RX filled.
Yes I do understand and am in the same boat, so to speak, as pain meds never really completely take the overall pain of fibromyalgia away for me either.
DeleteI agree positive vibes. No pain meds work for me. Had to have a replacement knee and pain meds failed. Agony. Nothing new for fibro warriors xx
ReplyDeleteYes, unfortuanately I understand as no medications prescribed by doctors has worked for me. Sorry to her the knee replacement was so painful. hope it has settled down now and you are getting about better. I imagine that it takes a while.
DeleteI nelieve mine was from hereditary not trauma. grandmothet and aunt had fibro symptons. they were diagnosed with arthritis. #FibroNeedsACure
ReplyDeleteHi dancergeek7, interesting to hear from you and get your perspective. My mum had arthritis too and also an autoimmune disease. I def. agree with you that #FibroNeedsACure
DeleteFibromyalgia ! It's the feeling that your not taken seriously! When the brain fog comes I really just want to hide! The depression I find the worst! But I try to just take a day at a time and at 69 and just going to ret
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