Fibromyalgia Awareness Day vs. Neuropathy Awareness Week

Last week I was trying hard to figure something out to write about Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, a day that has been very important to me for a long time. But, I couldn't come up with anything to write, call it a loss of words, writer's block, whatever you want, I was frozen. The truth is FM Awareness Day was a big deal to me, every year I would hand out purple ribbons, purple lollipops, and awareness literature to my coworkers on May 12. This year it didn't seem as important because I don't have coworkers anymore. It's funny to me that some people still see me as the fibro girl, and still don't believe fibro is real, and worse think that I'm home because of this "fake" illness. I'd really like to shout at them until they understand that the fibro for me anymore is a non factor. It's a minor factor in my life, in my health, it's not why I'm home.I'd like to remind them that I worked my butt off for years and years with fibro, yes, I missed some when flares hit, but tha was only every few months, most of the time I grinned and beared it. Smiled right through the pain.
Until my hands went on the fritz. This neuropathy is a bitch. I am repeating myself I know, but I will continue to do so until people hear what I'm saying, BELIEVE ME, and stop judging things they don't understand. I went from typing 8-10 hours sometimes 12 a day. Now this little blurb is causing sharp pains in my hands, inflammation will come next, numbness, intense pain, I wonder, is this the reason fibromyalgia gets an awareness day and neuropathy gets an entire week?