As someone who suffers from a chronic illness, (a debilitating condition called Fibromyalgia that affects my day to day life), I find it very difficult to explain to people about my condition or convince doctors/specialists that it is very much a real condition.

Fibromyalgia can stem from traumatic experiences and affects an estimated amount of 3%- 6% of the world's population, 2%- 4% of people in the US, (2% of the adult population), and 1 in 20 people in the UK, which is 5% of the population. There are about 4 million people in the US with Fibromyalgia and 1.5 - 2 million people in the UK, diagnosed and undiagnosed. There is no cure for FM, so I'm having to shape my life around it.

There are many people out there besides myself suffering with it - as well as many other chronic illness conditions that affect people in similar and different ways. I was even once told by a doctor that it was "all in my head" and I just need to "move about more". Besides all that I also have a possible frontal structural lesion on my brain which affects my mood, personality and mobility alongside other things as well as recently diagnosed epilepsy and arthritis. I also suffer from urinary incontinence - something I'm very embarrassed about.

Below are the symptoms many Fibro sufferers have - however all symptoms vary depending on the person.

Fibromyalgia/Chronic Illnesses symptoms:

Fatigue/Lethargy, (I'm always tired/exhausted. Doing basic everyday things tires me out in a matter of minutes).

Swelling of limbs/joints, (my joints swell frequently - my ankles and my right leg most of all, which renders me unable to walk or move). I also have monoarthritis as, (described as involving one joint at a time- in my case my right leg, which swelled up to a point where I couldn't move it, so couldn't walk and ended up in immense agony so spent two weeks in the hospital).

Heavy limbs, (I feel like I'm dragging myself, as if my body is made of stone).

Constant migraines, (I experience migraines everyday which makes me unable to see straight and I often have to lie down as everything feels like it's spinning. They last for a very long periods of time. My temples throb to the point of feeling like my head is going to explode).

Dizziness, (I often become very disoriented so have to take my time when I stand up or move. I become dizzy very easily, the room feels like it's spinning and I feel very nauseous, which sometimes makes me vomit).

Difficulty to walk/stand for long periods of time, (I have to sit down wherever I am, as my legs give out a lot and I don't have the energy to stand up and take myself to the settee. It's like my body isn't listening to my brain when I want to perform actions, such as standing up).

Difficulty sleeping, (I often procrastinate about going to sleep. I'll be tired,  but the agonising pain keeps me awake all night and then I'm overtired the next day).

Fibro-fog, (sometimes referred to as brain fog. It affects my ability to concentrate, memory deficits- also know as mild cognitive impairment, (MCI), and confusion. It also affects ability to think quickly and efficiently, especially in a distracting environment. As said before, it also affects concentration and feeling alert as well experiencing difficulty to hold a conversation or the ability to access stored language ability quickly and efficiently. Sometimes I can be talking to someone and then forget what I'm talking about, or run out of words in a literal sense and start making nonsense sounds).

Confusion, (during my episodes with epilepsy in hand, I struggle to remember who people are, family members in particular).

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, (this varies from person to person).

Increased sensitivity to pain, (I experience pain on a much higher level that can't even be put into words. It's not even pain - I don't think there's even a word I can put in place of it. I always experience a burning sensation all over my body. It's like my body is on fire, like something is trying to claw its way out. I'm sensitive to touch anyway, which is down to my autism, but now it's escalated to something else completely).

Issues regulating body temperature, (very cold to the point of freezing or very hot to the point of overheating - in my case, I'm always very cold, but occasionally I become very hot to the point of extreme dizziness and nausea).

Muscle stiffness, (my joints lock a lot, which makes it very difficult to stand up or move. It's very painful as well).

Within the chronic illness community, we often are branded as "spoonies". With Fibro, our energy is very limited so we measure it with spoons, (metaphorically, of course). One spoon represents the amount of energy we have. The spoons vary from day to day. Sometimes we can have six spoons, sometimes only three, maybe even seven on a good day. Doing certain tasks can use up a certain amount of spoons. For example, washing my hair uses up three to four spoons, as it really tires me out, leaving me with only a couple of spoons left. I have to be careful with using my spoons and what I use them on, as well as not rushing as I can burn out. It's like spending money in a way - I have to be careful.

Fibromyalgia tends to affect mostly women, (75%-90% of those with FM are women, an estimated 4.8% are men and 2%- 6% are children - most of whom are adolescent girls. As women make up a huge percentage, FM is often referred to as a "women's disease"), more specifically those who are in the thirties, forties and fifties age groups. However, women, such as myself, (I'm in my early twenties), can be affected much earlier on. I've been suffering from the age of seventeen and was diagnosed when I was twenty, when they finally found out the cause. I lost my job due to my condition, attended numerous doctor's/hospital appointments, been in and out of hospital and have to use a stick and a walking frame. I also have a wheelchair if I'm going out and it's a long distance.

I can't leave the house alone, it has to be with my mum, who has helped me so much through this painful journey. I honestly don't know what I'd do without her, she has been my rock through all of this, and has gone above and beyond to get me the care I need. I love her with all my heart. Also, my amazing twin sister has been so great with helping my mum take care of me, another rock in my life whom I love so much.

Fibromyalgia is so much more than just pain. Whenever I try to explain to people about what it is, more often than not, they'll usually make a comment about how their back, leg etc. hurts, thinking it's relatable when it's really not. In all fairness, it isn't really their fault because there isn't enough awareness being raised about Fibromyalgia and numerous different chronic illnesses. There is an annual Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, (12th May), but that's about it, really. My mum has had to go to extreme lengths to get me the help I need and even then it's one step forward, two steps back. 

Ever since I became ill, I've as good as been confined to my home, as I can't go out alone. In turn, this has affected my mental health massively, making me become very depressed and low. I already suffer from depression anyway, (I'm autistic so that kind of maximises it), as well as anxiety and panic attacks. I became so low, I began self-harming, resulting in many scars, both mentally and physically. It was something I felt so deeply ashamed about, something that made me want to hide away from the outside world even more than ever. I even started thinking about death - not in the sense of wanting to die, but just wanting out of my body because it was all too much. My thoughts were borderline suicidal and dark, like I was endlessly falling into a big, black void.

Somedays, I just wanted to fall asleep and never wake back up. Ever since being diagnosed and all the changes to my life and looking back at all the things I used to do, I see a completely different girl to who I used to be and I don't feel like that anymore. Sometimes I feel like I'm failing at life.

However, all the above has made me realise that I can't give up fighting, that I'm not about to take it lying down. I can't let this overpower me. I just can't. This is why I'm starting this petition in the hopes that people alike will see what Fibromyalgia entails for the people whom are afflicted, as well as researching numerous other chronic illnesses. 

Just because some disabilities aren't visible to the naked eye, doesn't mean they're not real, neither are all disabilities the same/look the same - one doesn't have to be confined to or use a wheelchair to be so. Please help me in spreading the word.

Thank you.