Puttin' on the Big Girl Panties
So, over the past month and a half I've been dealing with crippling back pain that I couldn't explain. I have fibromyalgia, so that was on the top of the short list of suspects, but it turned out to be a combination of fibro, pleurisy, and a singing technique I was overusing. In short, a perfect storm of bad juju that was comparable to off-and-on labor pains, only it was in my upper back. Over six weeks. Wasn't fun. Pain's an old friend, but one that I like to keep in the closet when company's over. I learned two things very quickly after being diagnosed. The first rule of fibro is not to talk about fibro. It's muscle pain that doesn't result from compromised spinal structure, and therefore doesn't behave the same way as more typical back pain. It's not limited to the back, but that's where it's always been the worst for me. If I talk about it to the average Joe, Joe/Josephine automatically assumes I'm a lazy ass wipe that does...