Do you hate people with fibromyalgia?
As my written and video blogs attract a larger audience, I meet more and more interesting people. Most of them have fibromyalgia. Some of them love people with fibromyalgia. (They want to find out how to help their loved ones.) And, some of them hate people with fibromyalgia.
This last group is a bit puzzling, but I knew I would hear from them eventually.
When I first realized, four years ago, that my symptoms were a textbook case of this nebulous disease called “fibromyalgia,” I was pissed off.
I did not want to have fibromyalgia.
No one respected fibromyalgia.
If I had to have an icky disease, I at least wanted to have a respectable one.
People respect cancer. Nobody makes fun of you for having cancer.
When was the last time somebody sent hate mail to a cancer sufferer?
Ah, but fibromyalgics get hate mail, and my video blogs occasiionally get nasty postings and comments on them from people who clearly hate those with fibromyalgia.
“You are all fat and lazy.”
“Just admit, you are all drug addicts.”
“You are all hyperchondriacs.”
“You all claim to have this disease, because nobody can prove you don’t have it. You’re a bunch of whining crybabies looking for attention.”
I used to delete these posts. I have the power to remove any comments someone makes on my videos. I can also completely block a user from every posting again. I can also mark them as a “spammer.”
But, I’ve stopped doing that-- I’ve decided to leave the comments up.
There’s one person now who is just on a roll. He keeps commenting on all my videos, but only does it when he is high. He readily admits that he smokes pot, and is currently high, and then goes on and on about how people with fibromyalgia have a drug problem. He has repeatedly accused me of being addicted to prescription painkillers.
Each time, I calmly respond to him, point-for-point, answering each of his “questions,” furthering his knowledge about fibromyalgia.
Today, I informed him that I do not take prescription painkillers. It is unwise for any person with a chronic pain condition to take painkillers. It is particularly unwise for someone with an incurable chronic pain condition, such as fibromyalgia. These medications are not meant for long term use. They will actually lower your pain threshold if you stay on them long term. So, any decent doctor will discourage you from using them long term.
Next time he is high, he posts again.
I don’t mind. I actually find him rather amusing.
He provides me with a nice forum to add additional educational materials to my video blogs, so I just let him rant away in his drug-induced flaming posts against anybody and everybody who has fibromyalgia.
Interesting, though, that there are people out there who hate us that much...
Here is just one of my videos that he has commented on, if you’d like to see a sample of his amusing ranting and raging...
If I ever grow tired of him, I will simply delete him.
“You’re a bunch of cry babies! I hate you!”
Monday, April 7, 2008
