Today is an important day for me

And a lot of people just like me. It's National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day.

For those of you who don't know what Fibromyalgia is (and have only seen those retarded commercials for Lyrica) - you can go here for a thorough overview. In a nutshell Fibromyalgia is a disorder that causes chronic pain, all-encompassing fatigue, sleep problems, and many other symptoms which can include irritable bowel and bladder, headaches and migraines, restless legs syndrome (periodic limb movement disorder), impaired memory and concentration, skin sensitivities and rashes, dry eyes and mouth, anxiety, depression, ringing in the ears, dizziness, vision problems, Raynaud's Syndrome, neurological symptoms, and impaired coordination. It is a disorder that I live with every day. Some days are better than others but no day is completely pain-free.

To get a feel for chronic pain, you can take the NFA Clothespin Challenge:

Here is how it works:

1. Place a clothespin on your finger
2. Set a timer for 30 minutes
3. See how long you can bear the pain. Did you leave the clothespin on for 15 minutes? 10? 5?
4. For each minute you adverted that clothespin pain, donate to the NFA-$20 a minute, $10 a minute, $5 a minute...
5. NOW. Imagine this pain forever... This should help you understand what it is like to live with constant pain - but people with FM can't just "remove" the pain the way you can remove that clothespin!

If you are interested in helping? Support the National Fibromyalgia Association. Every penny helps us support FM patients as they strive to manage their pain.