You Don't Look Sick

I've already touched upon cancer awareness, so today I'd like to write about another illness. It's not a fatal condition like cancer or heart disease, but can be just as debilitating.

Fibromyalgia is a condition with an unknown source that creates intense, body-wide pain in the sufferer. Not very well-studied, some doctors classify this condition as muscular, some neurological. No one actually knows how this condition causes pain, or even if it can cause permanent damage to tissues.

Patients suffering from this condition can be managed using medication, though often cure is worse than the illness. And of course, patients suffer from a varying degree of fibromyalgia, from mild to incredibly intense. Some patients can be completely disabled by their pain.

But you wouldn't necessarily know they have fibromyalgia by looking at someone. It doesn't cause any outward symptoms or deformities, but is often accompanied by insomnia and fatigue as well. So while the patient may look to be fine, inside they are worn out.

So next time, maybe you'll think twice before you say, "You don't look sick!"