Having watched two friends suffer with fibromyalgia, I too know it is real. Too often you have to have been there to believe. If a disease or illness cannot be found with an x-ray or blood test, many don't beleive it is real.

Tom Cruise stated on national television that women with postpartal depression should just get over it. (I didn't like him before but now...) Having been there, I know how awful it can be to wake up each day feeling total hopelessness. PPD was not recognized or known of in my day. Fortunately, mine was short lived, but I will never forget how I felt.

Carol,
You are so right on target. After our second child's birth, my wife descended into what appeared to be a bottomless black hole. She cried, she knew she was not right, and she could not help it. Her doctor prescribed some medication and asked her to stay on it for 90days. It was an anti depressant and she has been fine ever since.

Also, my friends with fibromyalgia know that it IS real. Hope more people search for understanding of things they know little about.

Carol,

I agree. My mother suffered with fibromyalgia for years. I have friends who cannot even climb the steps in their homes due to the weakness and soreness in their muscles from the fibromyalgia. Calling it 'mental' does a disservice to all those who suffer with a very REAL disease.

As far as Tom Cruise, how the heck would he know about PPD?

Tommy Boy was on Oprah discussing Scientology and was very critical of Brooke Shields for using drugs for PPD. Seems some movie stars are experts on medicine as well as politics.

I have another illness that parallels the same general thought as fibromyalgia, neuropathy. This is nerve damage. It can stem from several things, a more common one is diabetes. I know firsthand of what it can do to one's body!

Like Fibromyalgia, it is an invisible illness. Therefore, many do not believe or comprehend the vastness of what it does. I have lived with pain for 6-7 years with very minimal relief. Medically, there is not much more, if anything, that can be done. Sadly, the nerve damage that has been done cannot be reversed. My physician and I can only hope to stop the progression and hold the line where it stands now.

And as for depression, whether it be PPD or just plain ole depression, it is not good. I have suffered with depression for 15 years. There are some bad days. However, I am thankful for the past several years because there have been more good than bad!

So, there are several illnesses that are "hidden" to the naked eye. In our instantaneous society, if something is not quick and seen, it is not considered valid. However, talk to anyone who suffers from any of the three illnesses listed in this blog and you will hear the horror stories of what like can be like for those people!

Shalom

Keep hanging in there, Darryl. Know that you are loved and cared for by many.

My late wife suffered with fibromyalgia for 15 years. I saw her go from a energetic, vibrant woman to very depressed and disabled. The disease is real, not in your head.

The fibromyalgia lead to depression, not the other way around. As one doctor put it, almost all chronically ill people are depressed. The nature of their existence leads to the depression. I was depressed with how things had turned out and I wasn't the one that was sick!

My wife got lots of comments from friends, family and others who would tell her she wasn't sick, it was all in her head. She just needed to get out more. Her response was that she might be crazy, but there was also something physically wrong with her.

Just becuase you can "see" a disease doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

darryl,
sorry to see that you suffer daily. i hope you receive this in the spirit it is intended. Jesus left us with many great promises.......

Mar 11:22 And Jesus *answered saying to them, "Have faith in God.
Mar 11:23 "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be {granted} him.
Mar 11:24 "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be {granted} you.
you notice the word "say" mentioned often here, i believe we can't choose to "say" what the world says or we can "say" the word of God. our tonques are a creative force, just as God's was in creation
"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light",...... He spoke (or said) it into existence. you have been on my prayer list for quite sometime now and i will continue to lift you up. here is part of a daily devotional i do....................

HEALING

Isaiah prophesied that Jesus himself took my infirmities and carried my sorrows, and by His stripes my family me and were healed. If we were healed, then we are healed.

Sickness and disease, Satan and all spirits of infirmity, I let you know now, you have no hold on our bodies. Every germ and spirit of infirmity that tries to attach itself to our bodies, dies instantly ! You cannot live in our bodies. No symptoms of any kind shall be able to survive on our bodies. Pain, I let you know now, you cannot stay on our bodies.

Every part of our bodies functions normally. Every part of our bodies function the way God created them to function. I say to our bodies “function normally”. All organs are whole , all tissues are thriving, all cells are reproducing normally, all muscles are working correctly. All blood vessel and arteries are open and clear.

Our hearts are strong and beat as they should. Our immune systems function normally. Our digestive systems operate as they should. Every part of our bodies function the way they were created to function. There is nothing lacking, missing or broken.

We walk in divine health. We are not the sick trying to be healed. Father God, you sent your Word and healed all diseases, therefore we walk in divine health. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. Christ redeemed us from the curse of sickness and disease. We walk in divine health daily.

each morning my wife and i read this devotion to start our day off claiming the word of God instead of what we feel or what the world says. as i said i hope you receive this in this spirit i intended it.
grace & peace.

Darryl,
I feel for you.
A very good friend of mine also has neuropathy, and his feet are constantly "on fire". No matter how much doctors try, they have not been able to give him much relief.
Keep hoping, and praying and I will too.

"Sickness and disease, Satan and all spirits of infirmity, I let you know now, you have no hold on our bodies. Every germ and spirit of infirmity that tries to attach itself to our bodies, dies instantly ! You cannot live in our bodies. No symptoms of any kind shall be able to survive on our bodies. Pain, I let you know now, you cannot stay on our bodies."

That is some scary stuff, although I know a lot of people who pray that kind of incantational prayer every day. But you know, I can't find anywhere in the Bible that tells us to pray TO our infirmities and to Satan. The Word tells us to pray to the Lord, about everything. And Isaiah 53:5 refers to spiritual healing through salvation. It doesn't preclude physical healing, but Scripture doesn't guarantee physical healing, either.

I've seen a lot of precious, faithful, believing Christians get really hurt when they prayed these prayers and yet they didn't get well. And others around them told them they needed to pray harder or have more faith or deal with sin in their lives or claim their healing. And they were devastated because they thought they were doing it all right: believing God and these incantations to stay well. But you know what, Scripture doesn't guarantee us physical healing.
What it does say in Romans 8:28, is "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

We need to recognize that God is in control. And that sometimes He does choose to take away our circumstance. And sometimes, He chooses to BE WITH US as we go through that circumstance. And what I have come to fully believe in my decades of living through a lot of tragedy and pain, is God does what will glorify Himself more and show His glory and His love to His children. We have to live with an eternal perspective, and love Him, trust Him and obey Him, because He is always working for our good and His glory. We can't lose sight of that, not ever. A temporary circumstance is nothing in light of eternity.

Jesus prayed to have the "cup removed." God said no, because He knew what it would have meant for all of us. Paul prayed for God to remove the thorn, and God said no, because the thorn was part of God's plan to be glorified through Paul.

Claim God's promises in your life by believing Him and knowing that His Word is true and His love is everlasting, so that no matter what today holds for you, the future is assured. Don't make incantations that attempt to bargain with God and box Him into doing something because you made a daily contract with Him. God is so much bigger than our pathetic attempts to be safe. And from what? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Isaiah 26:3
"You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You,Because he trusts in You."

" That is some scary stuff, although I know a lot of people who pray that kind of incantational prayer every day. But you know, I can't find anywhere in the Bible that tells us to pray TO our infirmities and to Satan. ".........................

C.Fast,
you are entitled to that opinion and i can respect you for that. i prefaced my incantation (your word, not mine) with this "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be {granted} him.Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be {granted} you." so when i pray believing that God is the source of all things and knowing He is sovereign, if i have no doubt of that fact and if i say (not pray as you stated) to satan to take a back seat and hit the road in Jesus name...according to you i am reciting some rote unscriptural incantaion trying to conjure up some spirit...give me a break and some credit my brother in Christ ( i assume ? ). i believe i am following Jesus' edict fairly well when i recite this particular devotion to God ( not to satan as you seem to imply ). so once again Jesus said "what things soever you DESIRE, when you PRAY, BELIEVE that ye receuve them, and ye SHALL have them, so i am taking Jesus at His word and saying what i DESIRE in my life, but according to you i am doing something unscriptural here, please explain where i am unfaithful to execute the word of God in what i've done? i couldn't find it in scripture to ask God to fix my well recently when it quit suppling water, but that fact did NOT stop me from petitioning God for what i DESIRED and that was for my well to be healed.
you imply many things in your response, such as "And others around them told them they needed to pray harder or have more faith or deal with sin in their lives or claim their healing. " you won't find that in my post, what i did say was....... " we can choose to "say" what the world says or we can "say" the word of God", so what i was saying was we choose to talk like the world or we say the word of God. if you have not read "the tongue, a creative force" by charles capps, it is worth the 2 or 3 bucks and you could read it in one sitting.
it is unfortunate that you think my intent or desire was to lead darryl into the abyss with incantations, when truly my intent was to lift him up and give him Hope in the God that i serve.
it would be easy for me to be 'hurt' by your comments or to attack some of the statements you've made but i will refrain in the interest of unity. if you are indeed a brother in Christ, then i commend you to our Lord and Savior Jesus.
in closing, here is another of my daily incantations......................
" Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
Psa 139:24 And see if [there be any] wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

there just may be a possibility that even "i" might be one " who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.", even though i don't adhere to your intepretations.
grace and peace.............

Buz, my comment was not aimed at you in any personal way. I made it clear that I know many folks who pray similar prayers. But apparently you aren't aware of the controversy over the "name it and claim it" and "word of faith" movement within evangelical Christianity? Read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_of_faith. And read Joni Earekson Tada's powerful response to Word of Faith: http://www.forgottenword.org/joni.html. When I first heard about "positive confession" and spoke to Christian friends about it, they immediately shared their Biblical concerns with me. Forgive me if I've offended you by doing that here. But my comment, and my concerns, stand. Peace to you.

c.fast,
i am aware of the ministries that will separate you from you money and your faith by telling you to "name it & claim it". my intent was simple towards my post to darryl, i only wanted to convey that we can claim the worlds claims or we can claim God's claims and in doing one of those we honor God and in the other instance we dishonor Him - that is really all i wanted to state.
i agree completely with you that God "allows" circumstance in our lives and these trials will work to our benefit as we trust God and rely upon His word to nuture us through those times.
i accept your forgivesness ( i admit i was a little put off by what you said ) and extend my forgiveness if i have likewise offended you.
unfortunately neither of the links you supplied yielded any results, but thanks for pointing me towards that info.
perhaps in the future we can find more common ground and be able to compliment one the others faith journey. it seems we are on the same team and it is always nice to have team mates. maranatha...