What I Wish People Knew About Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia

By Marissa (she/her) Virginia, United States

I start my typical day like everyone else: I wake up, get out of bed, get dressed, and head out the door to work. However, there are countless little steps in between that I have to modify because of my conditions: Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia.

This happens all day, every day. In the morning, the smallest tasks that people take for granted, like taking care of personal hygiene, can be difficult for me. I never know how my body is going to feel on any given day, so I’m constantly having to submit to my energy levels and adjust how and when I do everyday tasks.

Swelling, joint and muscle pain, stiffness, nerve pain, migraines, muscle spasms, numbness…this is just a short list of the different symptoms I have every single day. I currently maintain two jobs (one full time and the other one day a week), attend church three times a week, am an online full time college student, am in charge of half the household bills, and have a social life as well. Many times, a simple day out shopping can force me to have to stay in bed for up to a week.

What people don’t see is how many hours a week are actually spent coping with these illnesses and trying to find ways to deal with the symptoms. Sometimes, I have to lay with a heating pad, wear an eye mask for migraines for over an hour, and go from sitting up to laying down in an instant because symptoms constantly come and go.

What I would like people to learn is that a “normal” everyday life for them can be detrimental to those of us who have chronic illnesses.