How is our social life affected?

Today I want to bring up the topic of "social life". It's very hard to have a social life when one is perfectly healthy, but imagine trying to have one when you constantly feel pains aches all over? It's not easy to find someone that is patient enough to understand the perplexitites and complications of this condition on a basic note. Imagine trying to have a real relationship with someone who is healthy and makes plans for the both of you and at the last minute....uh oh....there it is.....I cannot go because "the chronic fatigue" is unbearable and the pains or migraine headaches kick in at the wrong time. God knows if you're taking a number of perscription medications, you can't really drink because of the adverse affects it has with the medications and then again, you don't want the other person to think you're boring, or you're a drag. It's always a catch 22 situation with this condition and unless you find someone who is "real and willing to be able to accept you and love you and (if you're a single mother) your child as well, then you know that it may be worth exploring. Otherwise, these days, if you're not 25 and younger with a pencil thin waist and big breasts with no kids, no one really want to take the time to know you "for who you really are and what you have to offer as a woman with substance". Isn't it sad what this world has succumbbed to between dating in the real world and just trying to "find the right person" for you who will accept you under your circumstances?
Let me hear from you out there please.

Do your friends and family really understand????

Hi all,

Today's topic is; Do your friends and family really understand? I bring this up because many times fibro patients tend to feel "displaced" from thier familiar circle of those people in their lives whether it be good friends and even family. When someone says "I understand". The question becomes, Do you really understand or are you just saying that to basically pretend that you really don't want to go there with me because my new community now, differs from yours.? I have found that many family members also disregard our feelings and tend to sometimes "forget" that we are in a stessful state of mind and body, let alone feel worse when our siblings call us up to just complain about the same things all the time that we've heard over and over again. So when I express my true feelings to someone (even other patients with similar conditions, but not quite to my extreme), Are they really "understanding" without prejudicial judgement or are they just "saying that too sound supportive" because they want to "make me feel like I'm still valued" as I may have once been before my fibro came into my life?.....That's just some food for thought.

Pain and suffering. When is too much too much?

I would like discuss about when and how much is too much pain? I suffer everyday from this disease and also severe chronic fatigue as well. There are days when I can't even get into the shower to wash my hair. When are we ever going to get real relief besides from medications that are originally used for other medical ailments?. Living with pain has to be one of the worst things in the world especially when other's can't seem to understand it becuase we often "don't look the part" or don't look like there's anything wrong with us.