by Marshia Whitman

Created on: July 08, 2008

"Come on! It's just a movie! What's the big deal?! It's not like I'm asking you to go play football or anything."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just too tired today. I washed the kitchen floor this morning and it just drained me completely. Maybe next weekend?"

"Your floor isn't that big. How could it possibly drain you that much?!"

A deep sigh emanates from speaker two and then: "I've explained this to you a few times already. The Fi....."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. The fibro whatever it is. Sometimes I think you're just using that as an excuse to not hang out anymore. You always look fine to me. You even say you're fine most days."

"Oh come on! You know full well what that means!"

"Yeah, I know exactly what it means. It means you never want to do anything. You're just getting lazy. I miss the old you."

The first speaker hangs up the phone and to an empty line the second person mutters, as the heart breaks, "So do I."

The above conversation is a common one. Perhaps not word for word but the sentiments are the same. Those who witness Fibromyalgia often are left baffled by it's method of subjugating the sufferer, at times even doubting the validity of the diagnosis. It doesn't show itself as other illnesses do. Sometimes referred to as the 'dragon within', unless the individual is wheelchair bound, there are generally no outward signs to help prove we are ill. One can not tell merely by looking at us, that we have it. Those who live with it, however, know only too well how loud this illness can scream and just how easily that scream can bring a person to his/her knees.

Fibromyalgia is a neurological disorder in which the brain is convinced that we are being damaged. Constantly receiving pain signals, our muscles don't receive the healing nutrients they need. It can also affect every system in our bodies and is considered a form of arthritis.

Imagine the worst flu you've ever had. Think of how your entire body hurts, you can't think straight, how stiff everything feels. You have trouble breathing, every touch hurts, your dizzy. You're feeling very weak and just want to crawl away and hide until it passes. Now, as it is for many people who live with this, multiply that by five or ten. Now, envision yourself having to function everyday regardless. You have to make dinner, do housework, raise kids, take care of loved ones, go to work, deal with bills, etc. There is no cure for this. I've been doing this for over thirteen years now. I have, after all this time, no memory of what

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