About The Southern Colorado Fibromyalgia Meetup Group

Hi Everyone, my name is Mary, I'm 36 years old, and I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia during September 2006. I've been looking for some time for a local Fibromyalgia support group and haven't been able to find one. Then I found Meetup.com! I decided to make a bold move and cough up the six-month meetup group fee. I hope that others aside from myself will benefit from this move.

I would like to start a meetup group of fellow Fibromites to share tips for coping with the daily challenges of this syndrome. I hate to use the term "Fibromyalgia sufferers" because I believe that suffering is a state of mind, not a state of being. Fibromyalgia pain and fatigue forces us to re-evaluate our priorities, balance our lifestyles carefully, and yes, it can frustrate and limit us from accomplishing everything we want, but it's not a death sentence. We still have a lot of living to do, and Fibromyalgia isn't going to prevent us from making this the best life possible and living up to our potential as human beings.

As you can probably guess, I would really like to keep the focus of this group POSITIVE. Yes, we sometimes need to commiserate and we are allowed. With Fibromyalgia, we have to work a little harder to maintain a positive attitude and love of life. Sharing a sense of connection with others who understand what you're going through, and more importantly, a sense of humor, is *everything* to enriching a life challenged by chronic pain. We can cry, but we also need to laugh at ourselves and with each other!

Meetings will be topic-oriented, with each member encouraged to contribute their experiences related to the topic at hand. The ultimate goal is for each of us to walk away from our gatherings with useful knowledge and feeling uplifted and hopeful, not drained and depressed.

I don't know who coined the phrase, but it couldn't be more true -- If you can't find a reason to smile, try giving one to someone who needs one more (or just as much).

I have not scheduled a meetup yet -- I would like to gauge the response to this group before I commit to scheduling something. (With Fibro I know the dangers of spreading oneself too thin!) Please feel free to join in the group and introduce yourself.

Signed with a warmest welcome, your group organizer...

Mary