Don’t Touch Me!

Fibromyalgia comes with a form of pain unlike any other type of pain. The pain is very hard to describe and therefore very hard to explain to others that do not suffer from fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is nerve pain that can be felt almost all over the body. Many people have no understanding of the level of pain an individual with fibromyalgia endures while experiencing a flare. We may appear healthy on the outside, but to your surprise we are not.

There are times when I am physically untouchable. No really, don’t touch me! The surface of my skin is in so much pain that it hurts to rub lotion on, put on a pair of pants or a long sleeve shirt. Well this phenomena has a name, Allodynia. Allodynia is a rare condition causing pain, or an over-exaggerated pain, affecting the skin. There are three different types of Allodynia, which I will not go into because I am not a doctor. What I will do is share with you how this possible symptom of fibromyalgia affects me.

Tactile Allodynia is pain caused by someone simply touching me as an act of kindness. This is inclusive of clothing covering the skin, a hug, or the clothing I wear on a daily basis. This particular pain is a reaction to stimuli, or should I say an overreaction also known as hypersensitivity. Tactile Allodynia is associated with chronic fatigue, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, and tempromandibular joint disorder to name a few. Then on the mental health side of things, depression, bipolar disorder, post traumatic stress, anxiety, and panic attacks to name a few are also associated with this phenomena called Allodynia.

There are times when I am touched by another person and I actually scream out in pain. The first reaction of the person that touched me is, “that didn’t hurt, I barely touched you.” My counter reaction is, “how are you going to tell me that didn’t hurt, this is my body.” This exchange happens all of the time because people that do not suffer from this condition simply do not understand, and to add insult to injury they decide to call you weak, dramatic, or soft among other things.

Please understand for those of you “non-suffers” reading this blog… People suffering from this particular phenomena are far from weak, soft, or dramatic. Spend a day in my body and lets see how well you do. After a couple of hours or maybe even a few minutes, you will definitely want your healthy body back. You will probably even think before speaking the next time someone brings to your attention they are in pain.

This pain is real! It is not a cry for attention. It is not me being dramatic. It is a part of my individual chronic illnesses for which there is no cure. I have said this before and I will continue to say it until hopefully at least one person in the lives of the ones suffering understand… We simply want you to understand what we are living with. We know our loved ones can not fix or cure this horrible problem, but understanding us is half of the battle.