Odd Socks and Lollipops is primarily a journal of my life as a parent, and the life that I share with my daughter and my husband. And so It seems only natural to collect all of the posts I have written about my recent (early 2016) diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and Joint Hypermobility Syndrome as this not only affects me but the rest of my family too. I wish this page contain happier posts but I am still coming to terms with my diagnosis and I would be lying if I said it hasn’t been extremely difficult.

So… starting at the beginning of my journey here is my first thoughts about my diagnosis… Fibromyalgia – First Thoughts

I didn’t share this post straight away but I am glad that I did share it eventually as it helped not only to write it down but also to share it and get messages of support from others who are going through similar things. A few months later I felt compelled to write about how I was feeling looking forward and what it was like coming to terms with a diagnosis of something which is chronic and never likely to get much better than it is now (random flare ups and good days aside). Fibromyalgia – Where do I go from here?

I have also written about how I feel about how my chronic illness makes me feel on a day to day basis and how suffering with a chronic and invisible illness can make you feel isolated and as though no one understands – Only the Good Days – I am very proud to say that this post was featured on The Mighty, I hope that sharing my posts helps others, and being able to share it with a wider audience on The Mighty really was such an important thing for me.

I will be sharing more of my thoughts and feeling about Fibromyalgia, not only how it affects me, but also some coping strategies and also to share the treatment I am undergoing.  I have taken a Pain Management Course, in the hope it will help me better cope with my condition and relieve some of my symptoms.

Pain Management Course Updates: I intended to write a post after each week, but that didn’t quite happen, so here are all of the posts I have written about the pain management course.

Pain Management Course – Week 1
Pain Management Course Week 2

Pain Management Course Weeks 3 & 4
Pain Management Course – Final Thoughts

I have also written about about the difficulty of living with a Chronic Illness and learning to say no to things. It’s a pretty rambling post but it really helped me to feel better once I had got everything off my chest.

I will be adding posts to this page as I write them – but you can also check the Fibromyalgia Category for all posts which mention Fibromyalgia.

Jenni – January 2017