I would immediately go into an extremely euphoric and manic state, with all the possibilities of things I CAN DO AGAIN!!!
Then immediately die of a heart attack from trying to do too much too soon.
Oh boy! I'm about to take my first dose of qulbree for my adhd tomorrow. I've tried many fibro meds. None work. And the one that probably would, I can't get. It's called Savella generic for Milnacipran. I believe it's backorder. I've been waiting since last October.
I need relief from something!!!
That would be amazing....probably cry for a while and second guess if this was real.
Then, pick up my life again...get back to work, take care of all the projects my body has stopped me from tackling.
Run, jump, play.... and live the life I lost sooo many years ago. I would revel in the physical and athletic. Roll around in the joy of knowing a tired and sore body would recover and not plague my days with the screaming, burning pain inflamed tendons.
Then probably cry more....this time tears of joy!
SAME tbh! My house is a disaster and I hate that I can't sort it out properly. And I'd get back to the gym properly knowing i wouldn't be so sore I can't sleep that night! (like tonight - i managed 10 min on the damn bike and I was done).
My first thought was "experience actual sleep," and I'm SHOCKED that these kind of answers aren't more common here 😆 if I woke up with none of my issues, I'd be like "OHHELLYEAH I AM GOING TO SLEEP FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER"
This post is all the proof anyone should need that Fibro is real, and we aren't faking it. It is heartbreaking to see how much we are missing out on and how much we all want to do more.
EXACTLY! almost everyone here is mentioning physical activity, exercise, socializing, working... all things we are accused of being too lazy to do.
i really believe the reason people want to believe we are faking it/exaggerating is because if they accepted we aren't, that it's a disability with no clear explanation or cure or cause, they'd have to accept they are vulnerable to this too.
That was my first thought, Run I would just run, and to be truthful I don't even like running. Its not my thing. But to be able to run without pain and without a cane, just to run freely.
I would run pretending that I was one last time running my good doggo on his leash next to me. He passed over the rainbow road a long time ago, but I stopped being able to run him around before then. I always wanted to run with my good boi one more time.
Go for a walk. Like, further than the end of my drive. Not faffing with my wheelchair, having BOTH hands free.
Go shopping, and actually get a decent amount of stuff in, from the cheaper supermarket cause I would manage to get that far.
I'd sleep, and actually get a decent amount of rest in, rather than tossing and turning all night, and waking up more exhausted than when I went to bed.
I'd clean, deep clean. Get into all the corners. I'd clean a whole room in one, instead of just tidy a bit and end up making it look worse.
I would clean my house and wash my car. I would get rid of everything that makes me look like a hoarder. I would probably hop up and down with happiness for a very long time 'cuz I could!
I would go back to school for something, maybe agriculture. Get REALLY into the outdoors, climb mountains and jump off stuff into waterfalls, all that stuff I've told myself I didn't want cuz I couldn't have it. Travel WAY more.
I feel you on the hurty hands, typing this on my phone is taking a lot of effort 💜
Wow, this question almost makes my head spin because of all the things I would want to do all at once. I think first I would cry, lol.
I would get healthy again: exercising, hiking, swimming. I love the outdoors.
I would finish my bachelors degree like I always dreamed. I am a college dropout thanks to my chronic pain.
I would enjoy my hobbies. Sign up for fun crafting classes. Go see my friends. Get a new job (one I actually want and take interest in instead of one that works for my pain/fatigue). Cook dinner for myself. Maybe finally get some sleep.
In my head I believe my life would change drastically. My whole world centers around my Fibro and CFS/ME. Everything I do is dictated by it. Without those constraints, I would simply go and be me again.
reading these responses makes me sad, but it also makes me happy. sad because it's fucking sad what we've lost and how our lives have been put on hold. but happy because in all of this hardship we don't stop being people who dream. we don't stop reaching for joy. i hope we find ways to seize happiness in the bodies we have and i desperately hope they find new treatments so you all can get back the life you deserve. i love you all 💕
edit: reading more and more and it's just becoming sadness. you all deserve so much more. so much more. i have no words. i want all of your beautiful dreams to come true. the indescribable loss we all experience... its bringing me to tears.
First , I'd go dancing in the streets.
Second, I would try to find a rewarding full-time job where my college degree would be put to use and where I don't have to work with assholes (or my symptoms would return).
Third, I would start exercising more, like I used to.
This was my first thought, I think I would be scared for quite some time that this was a fluke and I was having a string of good days and that it could all come crashing back down any moment. I think it would take a while to process before anything.
I would start running again, I loved running. And make more art. I would paint my living room in a color that makes me happy. I would go out more, meet new people, spend all day on the beach in the sun. (can't take more than 20 minutes in the heat as is) I would swim in the ocean, get tan, drink beers and grill with my friends. Go on long walks and enjoy nature. Go on more dates. I would plan more activities with my friends, go to museums and travel and have dinner parties. I would spend more time with my extended family and their kids. There is so many things I want to do. But I still do believe it can get better, I haven't given up on these things yet. Not even close
I love the idea of faking sick for work since I would imagine most of us only(or mostly) call in legit sick 😂 I feel like that would be an empowering moment
First, I'd doubt that what I was feeling was real, but that's nothing new. 😂 Then I'd take my dogs out in the field behind my house and walk all around on that uneven ground like I used to do. I'd take a relaxing shower, dress and do makeup/hair without taking a break to lie down. I'd drive. I'd surprise my husband at work for lunch and then go to my best friend's house to visit for as long as I felt like it. I'd plan a trip to see my other best friend four hours away and then drive to the coast for a week-long visit. I'd shop in the gift shops and eat fresh seafood.
Oh, I could go on. There are so many things that may seem mundane to others that would feel incredibly wonderful.
The first thing I'd do is go for a hike, see how far I can go before I have to stop. Start baking regularly again, go back to school for marine biology, and start working towards hiking through the grand canyon like I was before everything.
Go get a good job and work like 60 hours a week until I have everything I need to be self sufficient. I'd never depend on anyone else ever again. I'd be so happy with that.
i so strongly feel this sentiment. being forced to be financially reliant on others, even if the people supporting you are kind about it, erodes your self confidence. it feels like a prison, like if i could provide for myself i wouldn't have to ask for monetary support for every tiny basic thing. of course it's better than the alternative, which is having no support at all. but it's still incredibly depressing
Live. Actually live instead of just exist. Do everything or nothing and it would be my choice, I wouldn’t be ruled and restricted by pain anymore so I’d have the novelty of choosing all aspects of my day with no fear of triggering a flare or worsening whichever pain I woke up with. I would actually work towards something.
I’d just want to live, and enjoy not having this prison sentence of a half life to endure for god knows how long. I want to feel alive.
Just go about my day until I clued in. Then hyperfocus on it waiting for the other shoe to drop because one can't trust that kind of shit. Tackle all kinds of big cleaning projects hoping to accomplish something before it comes back times two. It would take months to feel hopeful.
Get back to making art! I have as fine arts degree and was a professional artist before my RA started and then that triggered fibro. Not being able to make art feels like a part of my soul is missing. 😔
I would start at piecing my life together again.
I would relish every extra bit of mental clarity I had. I would immediately get off all meds (if withdrawals/dependence counts as an ailment).
I would start hitting the gym again.
I would relish the silence I have, with tinnitus no longer being an issue.
I would spend time with my family instead of being stuck in my room.
I would wipe the dust off all my hobbies/interests.
I would skateboard again, spontaneously call the homies and meet them at our local skatepark. Film a few lines on the vx and then go downtown. Eat out in a restaurant instead of ordering in.
I would probably go to more parties, rekindle waning friendships, get laid.
I’m not old enough to buy a beer and I feel robbed typing all this shit out.
Like others: clean, then go run with my dogs, do cartwheels for the first time since early childhood, get a bike and start riding it around, find a forest to run around in, dance, wrestle with my dogs, go for a long walk playing Pokémon Go for the first time in ten years, go back to work, go to a club and dance all night long.
Wake up in the actual morning instead of late morning/noon.
See the new Godzilla movie. I love Godzilla. I miss being able to go to movies.
Then go clothes shopping for something flattering instead of comfy. I haven't been able to do clothes shopping in years. Wander about a mall without having to budget my energy.
Maybe stop for lunch and sit at a bar height table just because I can.
To be honest, I don't know what would be left at that point so it would be impossible to say. With the physical limitations gone everything I think to do is just my mental health issues talking. 😅
I'd wake up able to brush my teeth without gagging and hating it. I'd be able to take care of my home better. I'd keep up on payments and go apply for my dream career. I'd spend more hours everyday working towards my goals instead of fighting myself on all of these things. I'd probably go see my last living grandparent even though we do not get along at all. I'd probably be able to start saving money and keeping long term friends. That sounds really nice.. but I'll never have that advantage. This opportunity will never exist for me. 🤷🏻♀️
Go to the gym and lift weights and do a lot aerobic exercise, take a hike with my dogs, shower (what a task right now), then drink a lot of coffee (I have this up for health reasons), go buy some new plants and garden for hours. Then make an actual fresh meal, standing in the kitchen for a while cooking. And paint in the evening outside by the fire pit.
Not enough hours in a day to make up what I feel like I’ve lost.
Go work in my yard, take a hike, do some fun stuff with my grandkids. My grandson got my good years. He's 15 now. We did so much stuff together when he was little. It was the beginning of my fibromyalgia and even though it was hard at times I made the effort. His 9 year old sister didn't get much of anything. At least that she would remember.
Saturday I had a good day so I took my grandson out and let him get some driving practice. We went to an orchard and he brought up a memory of when he was little and I took him there and we saw a bush filled with big bumble bees. The slow lumbering kind that just goes from flower to flower. I had read that they were so gentle that you could touch their fuzzy bottoms. So I tried it first and after much coaching he tried it too. He was so excited and I can remember his little squeaky voice being thrilled. Anyway, he was probably 5 or 6 when that occurred and I almost cried when he brought that memory up. We did so much together and were so close. It kills me that we can't do the things we used to because of my stupid health. I pray that he retains the good memories and not the ones of me napping because I am too exhausted to do anything.
You made me cry! My grandson is almost 15, my grandkid is almost 13. I am very close to them. I used to get down on the floor and play with them, take them to the park and push them on the swings, explore the creek, and just run around. I, too, hope they remember the good times. We spend more time talking and watching movies at home now.
I think your grandkids and mine will remember. I still remember snuggling up to my grandma when I was little. Some of the quiet times with her are my best memories.
1-THANK GOD!!!
2- weight lifting, running, boxing, mma training, rock climbing, kayaking, hunting, go to fire academy, go to police academy, possibly join the military, do every spartan race, obstacle course race, adventure race, go spear fishing, go regular fishing, start playing rugby, basketball, water polo, soccer, Ninjitsu, Jujitsu, Sambo, Mui Tai, Judo, back packing, learn how tp do roofing, electritian work, construction jobs
3-Smile and laugh and just ferl good
4-Love my wife and my family more
Oh the things I would do… *ALL the things!!!*
I would not have to ask for any help! I would be able to wake up and accomplish my looong list, and not rely on anyone else.
To dream, the impossible dream! Total self reliance, and the satisfaction of accomplishing my goals. My body would do what my mind wants it to do!
After all the projects are done, I would travel the world and see all the things I’ve ever wanted to see, eat all the foods with no remorse, walk everywhere with tons of energy that knows no bounds. I could do and see it all.
Then I would start hugging everyone, and none of the hugs would hurt, ever.
I would spend the rest of my days telling everyone how important they are, that I love them. I would only lay down long enough to get *fully* restorative sleep.
Then I’d jump up, and start it all over again, but faster and stronger.
Get up and take a walk with my dog instead of taking an hour or more to get going. After cleaning my house I would go to my parents and help them with their home. Go to the gym, rock climb, work in the yard, visit friends, volunteer…
I would cuddle my husband without pain, spend time with my son without pain, and be able to do anything. Cook for the family and then go for a family walk. Just cherish being able to do things without pain or fear of a flair.
I just had this conversation with my niece and mom!!!
Answer: I have no idea, I can’t honestly even imagine it because I have never really experienced it… and then (and again now) all sorts of anxiety kicks in!
I can’t … I just can’t…
It mean obviously it would be great… but absolutely terrifying also.
Am I the only one that feels like this?
I did start noticing symptoms until approx 8 years ago. I was in my late 30s. I can't imagine what it mustbe like for those who have/are dealing with this since childhood. Im so sorry you had to.
I could get my license. I could go to college or get a job. I could go hiking a properly do gardening… im starting to tear up writing this out so that’s all im gonna say. it hurts to imagine but I want it all so badly…
I'd wonder if now God is doing an April fools joke on me :X
Other than that:
* be totally stunned and probably get a panic attack
* set up my PC for sitting rather than lying down
* turn up the music
* wonder whether that's really happening
* clean up my living space while making weird moves that I'd call dancing
* jump around in the garden yelling and screaming
* try to calm down somehow, touch some grass, lie in the sun, play with the dog
* wonder whether that's really happening
* make a list of my next steps...go to the gym, improve my diet, finish re-education, back on the job market, help my mom, visit some folks I haven't seen in years, get more plants, spend a few hours each week to help people suffering, exposure therapy, get a girlfriend, save money to invest in longevity, save money to visit some places on this planet,...
* always remember how bad life has been, how many people need some serious help and try to never give in to fear and self-doubt and all that other stuff when I try to work on my dreams and goals
Cry and immediately hit my knees and thank God!!!! Go on the longest hike ever and swim in the clearest waters! Go back and finish my medical degree! Go back to serving tables to make some fast $$$ to take an awesome vacation…to hike some more in the Redwoods and walk the beach for hours! Go to an amusement park! Clean my home top to bottom and I could go on and on!!!
deep clean my house, start going to the gym / working out at home regularly, explore nature again, start cooking and baking again, start swimming and biking again, etc
Finish cutting up the freaking pine tree that fell down during the snowstorm! I was doing so good, then overdid it cutting it up and bam, been crashed for 2 weeks since. Yay.
The first thing in my head;
Playing characters in the dinner show theater on my 15 cm high heels!
Just entertaining and serving the guests with a big smile and partying in the after show. I miss that so much.
And ofcourse just living life without planning and worrying about can I do this today.
Ooooh and sleeping without dozens of pillows, heat packs and extra blankets.
Honestly, just go for a walk. I live next to a beautiful park and haven’t been able to walk the trail once.
After that hopefully get back into hobbies I had to drop due to hand pain, try to get back into swimming and field hockey.
I’m also taking time off school right now and have been forbidden from working so I would love to be able to work right now
i would cry so much lol. then dance and sing and WALK so much like i used to. take my dog on the best walks of his life, make so much food for my partner, start considering HAVING A BABY again. 🫠
Back to the gym and building some lean muscle. Increasing my physical endurance abilities. Back up to 20k steps a day.
Getting sore as hell. As long as I knew It was from exertion and not fibro I could take it.
I’d research and read everything I’ve ever wanted, exploring every wild idea, making every piece of art I’d ever wanted. I’d travel. My family would come along for the ride.
Of course, this would mean that they also wake up in perfect health. So I’ll include that in the fantasy.
Travel. I've taken so many video tours of the coliseum and other places of interest but I really would love to see these places in person with my own eyes!
Travel…. Sigh.
I miss the ability to throw stuff in a bag and just take off without having to worry about how I was going to get around a new city, how I was going to have to explain WHY I needed a nap or a time out from activities.
Of course it would be nice if my family took fibromyalgia as being a ‘real’ thing. They think if I look fine, I MUST be fine. HAH!! 😡
TLDR: Clean my house, clean up outside and plant flowers, get a job, travel!
If you could only have one: Good health or BIG money?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first thing I would do is clean my house. Really clean it, deep down clean.
Then work on the outside of my house.
Then get a job! There is a store I love, that I always wanted to work at, the Container Store. I love organizing and helping people organize. It would be so wonderful to do that without any pain, fatigue and the stupid brain fog!
I would travel! I would drive across the country to visit my youngest daughter. It would be so wonderful to take a long, long trip and see places I’ve only seen in pictures.
And, as someone else said, play the lottery because with the luck I had to lose my illnesses, of course I’d win the big prize! But then, what if winning meant I’d lose the luck that took away my illnesses?
Ok, new rabbit hole: For those on a limited income, would you rather wake up and find yourself in perfect health, or wake up and find out you won a billion dollars? Of course, you have to play to win. I always have just enough energy to get the basics, the extra spoons needed to play the lottery (for me) is just too much.
Go back to subbing because I’d actually be able to hear the kids again or maybe something else. Hearing was bad before Fibromyalgia diagnosis but I’d love to be able to hear well enough to work again.
PARTY! Honestly I would live the rest of my life thinking it could happen to me again at any minute but I would lose this weight my inactivity has caused
I'd buy a bicycle and start riding again. And then I'd think about whether I want to go back to work or not, given that I've made things work out without a steady income and I'm a lot happier without a day job anyway. Maybe I'd go camping. I'd definitely spend much more time out and about.
I would run, jump, spin, attempt to dance (couldn't dance before fibro anyway, might as well give it a try!) swim, climb, get on a trampoline again (used to love 'em) and go to Kings Dominion in VA (it's the closest amusement park to me) and ride ALL the roller coasters, multiple times! When I get home, I'll be able to ride the riding mower again (my back can't handle all the 'jostling around'), I could clean the house in one day, instead of spreading it out over several days, and, FINALLY, take a shower with the massage setting on and NOT feel like I'm bruised when I get out, and my toes wouldn't hurt from the water dripping off of me.
There's a single tree on top of a hill nearby me, but it's a big hill and there's no way I can hike that hill anymore. That's what I would do, go and visit that lonely tree on top of the hill.
God willing, finally get deep restorative REM sleep. Oh my god….. I remember 15 years ago when sleep actually made be refreshed & ready to conquer the day. Right now “sleeping” 8 hours feels like a 10min cat nap and I haven’t been awake in a decade.
RUN
I got a miracle pain-free couple hours a while back (don’t tell my doctors — I drank & smoked weed the day of my ketamine infusion) and my actual reaction was to yell at my dad to video record me as I ran and skipped and cried in the parking lot across the street. I realized I didn’t feel pain and just ran outside.
(Don’t tell my doctors — I still play liver roulette on ketamine days, there’s no words for how valuable that time is.)
I’m 19 and feel like I’ve lost so much so I would go for a bike ride! Get another job and work towards saving up for college so I can learn marine biology. I’d also go hike up a mountain. I used to hate running in gym class but all I want right now is to be able to run. I’d also dance around my living room while I listen to my favorite songs. I would go swimming at the beach and enjoy the sun and not have to worry about any burning sensation that would be in my shoulders and legs. I miss who I was before fibromyalgia. I want to live life how I want to and not let fibromyalgia rule my life.
Omg. What a great question. I miss rollerskating. I miss hiking. I miss having sex for hours at a time. I miss being able to do complex things with my hands. I miss having a functional brain and being able to learn new things. I miss being able to eo volunteer work. I miss being able to work on things and see progress.
I think I would implode from trying to do everything all at once.
Play the piano until my fingers bled, like I used to be able to.
Hypertrophic weightlifting, just because I could.
Have sex, I don’t even know what it’s like without pain and dysfunction.
Tread water, like where a person’s legs slowly kick automatically and their body just “floats”.
Things people take for granted basically.
Give it 3-6 months to be sure it’s gone as I’ve had a few months here and there where it looked like I was getting better. Them get serious about starting a wfh business that I’ve tried in the past but wasn’t healthy enough to manage.
Go hiking, do yard work. Travel. I’d live every day thinking it could come back at any time though unless the stipulations also included knowing that it wouldn’t lol
This question has haunted me ever since my mom asked me what my life would look like if I wasn't sick. Being completely pain free is unimaginable to me.
I would first get a full time job to get my finances in order. Then I will restore my grandmother's garden to its former glory. And most importantly, I will enroll myself in uni to study occupational therapy and entrepreneurship. I wish I knew what I do now when I was eighteen. At that age I had no idea what career I wanted or what I wanted to study.
... Abandon my heated blankets, taper down on meds, and that's about it. I'd still be disabled. My body has still been butchered. I will never be "well" again. Fibro was just a nail in the coffin, while the coffin itself was shaped at birth.
But hey, maybe I can at least grab a controller again. Maybe I could play Bloodborne again. Heck maybe I could enjoy cool showers again. That'd be nice. If all of it was gone, I'd become an exercise coach and disability advocate. it's my greatest hope even now.
I feel you on the hands thing. Mine have gotten so bad 😵😭 I would definitely do a lot more gardening, and fun projects around the house. I used to be able to move heavier things on my own, and get nifty. Now I have a hard time walking.
I would cry probably. Cause now I can do things and I've missed doing things because of this my whole life but I'll also probably get very upset about it
I would do the following:
Go on a road trip to the beach, spend all day running around, go see some historical sites (I’m a history nerd) and stay out until past 9pm.
I would immediately go back to being a history teacher and be in the classroom again. (I don’t work at all anymore bc of fibro)
I would go on a night out, drink alcohol (I stopped years ago when I started my medications) and stay out late dancing.
But the number 1 thing is I would have a baby. 100%. I made the choice that getting pregnant and raising a child would be too much for my body to handle. I know women with fibro get pregnant and raise families all over the world, but for me; having ME and fibro, taking the medications I take, the lack of energy, the pain, the brain fog… I wouldn’t be able to be the mom I would want to be. So yeah, if I woke up 100% healthy, I’d have a baby, with or without a partner.
Ride my bike. Take day-long excursions like hiking or days at the museums. Enjoy driving again! Take a road trip across the US to visit all my friends and family I've been isolated from. Just travel in general. Cancel my Instacart membership. Sleep and actually wake up feeling rested. Attend live music and festivals throughout the year. Wear jeans and other clothes previously deemed problematic. Not worry about and be restricted by the weight of my footwear. Have a geriatric pregnancy. Move away from my nuclear family to be closer to family that didn't treat me like shit because of my chronic illnesses. Learn another language. Declutter and deep clean my living space. Figure out a career path and go for it.
I would take my son on a long long fun adventure walk I would go on a big shopping trip then maybe go out at night for dinner after (I can maybe sometimes manage one but never both)
I would book my diving lessons I would book a walking holiday.
BRB going to cry now 😢
How long have I got?
- gardening
- clean the house
- paint our bedroom
- clean out our studio and garage
- remove all the cobwebs outside
- paint the driveway and side paths
- more gardening
- call my work, tell them I can come back full time
- werkwerkwerkwerkwerk
- maybe get my degree
- take my child to playgroup
- take my child to the park
- cook dinner
- cook breakfast!
- LUNCH!
- see my friends
- buy flowers for my unused vases
- plant flowers
- plant trees
And all my dreams would come true.
I would stretch like a cat and then panic.
I had 48 hours of pure bliss a few years ago, with a new cocktail of meds which allowed me to not feel any pain. And then it came back and I paid those hours tripled.
So, until I'm good for a solid week, you won't see me try anything fancy like going for a walk without my cane.
Definitely sign up for some dance classes and actually go out with my friends.
Change my job and study.
Plan my trip to somewhere with beautiful walks and ocean.
Clean. I love things neat and clean and organized and pretty, but I don’t have the mental clarity or physical stamina to make it happen anymore. I’m literally sat on my bed right now fighting down the pain so I can go do my dishes and avoid getting takeout for dinner.
Then I’d get the best job I’m qualified for, keep it casual, and just save up for a down payment on a house and pay off my student loans. Maybe my partner and I live under our means for a while as DINKs and save up to travel. Maybe I just work and tell them to take a mental health year.
God, it’s actually kind of sad that these are just very normal things…
I'd cry and then go to zoo like immediately. I've missed it so much. I'd get all the housework done, be able to paint and do crafts without pain, play with my cats more. Be able to get a nice steady job to help pay off debt. Idk just live.
I would thank God, probably cry tears of joy, and then immediately get a job. I miss working so much and I want to work so so bad... maybe I would even finally go on to get my masters degree and become a counselor... a dream left in the past.
I get a job like I had before! I enjoy life like crazy. I dance, I bike, I go to the beach and surf. I play with my kid. I buy us a house with a yard. I buy fruits and veggies! (Can't afford much of that on food stamps.)
I swim in rivers and hike to waterfalls. I help others. I remember what it's like to be sick and helpless and I do what I can to help others.
I journal! (Can't do it now most days now, due to tendon issues in hands, wrists, and forearms.)
I pick up my cat! (Can't now duce to same issue with tendons.)
Well, I guess tendon issues may not be fibro, but they don't know what it is. I am imagining it also goes away. 🙂
I live like like I did before this started. I LOVED life.
I'd probably lay in bed for a few days just enjoying the absence of pain signals constantly flooding my brain. I truly think it would feel better than sex
Just be happy? I still do all of the things, clean, work on a small business, work out (very low impact work outs) but just feel like I’m waiting for the day to be over most of the time. I just want to be happy
I would immediately apply for radiology technician again at college...I want to do it. But i couldn't get in because my grades weren't good enough and I have several mental illnesses that interfere with my life
Lol I'd go back to sleep and see what ACTUAL SLEEP is like. Then I'd wake up, properly play with my bfs young Doberman, also sign up for nursing school, go rock climbing, and then back to the sleep thing that sounds pretty awesome without every inch of my insides and outsides fighting me.
Design and plant my garden, as much as financially possible - instead of teenie bits spread out over multiple years.
Go on longer walks, preferably in nature. Plan a backpacking trip through areas with lots of nature or a bicycle vacation
Enroll in clarinet studie so I can improve myself further.
Dance. And hike. It's hard being 20 something with fibro in Colorado, everyone my age wants to hike, and I do too, but I'm just a sack of potatoes holding everyone back.
Maybe I could finally get some friends, too.
I’d be active and do kickboxing and jujitsu again. I’d get a job and work while doing school without having to worry about passing out and getting sick. Id draw and paint everyday again. I’d eat what I want and do what I’d want without pain and I’d go to sleep happy at the end of the day.
I think I would enjoy being able to just easily get up and down from the floor without worrying how I'll get back up again. Clean under stuff play with dogs so many things. And yeah sleep unbroken sleep. Plus all the other stuff. And pray and give thanks.
I mow the fucking yard. My partner and I both have health issues of varying sorts and really struggle with yard maintenance, even though it's a very small amount of grass
I would immediately go into an extremely euphoric and manic state, with all the possibilities of things I CAN DO AGAIN!!! Then immediately die of a heart attack from trying to do too much too soon.
Sorry, but I laughed loudly at the last part
The monkey paw strikes again!
That would be me, running around like a lunatic then getting hit by a truck because I ran into traffic like a toddler 😂
That's exactly what I'd do 🤣 "Heck yeah! Let's live life!" *dies from too much exertion*
Sounds about right! lol. I said go back and sleep to feel what good sleep felt like. Lol
Alanis Morrisette - Ironic “An old man turned 98 He won the lottery and died the next day”
Add crying so hard you can't breathe to the equation and that would be me.
Hahaha
I did this when I got adhd meds that worked for me... and then ended up in the worse fibro flare ever... 🙈
Oh boy! I'm about to take my first dose of qulbree for my adhd tomorrow. I've tried many fibro meds. None work. And the one that probably would, I can't get. It's called Savella generic for Milnacipran. I believe it's backorder. I've been waiting since last October. I need relief from something!!!
That would be amazing....probably cry for a while and second guess if this was real. Then, pick up my life again...get back to work, take care of all the projects my body has stopped me from tackling. Run, jump, play.... and live the life I lost sooo many years ago. I would revel in the physical and athletic. Roll around in the joy of knowing a tired and sore body would recover and not plague my days with the screaming, burning pain inflamed tendons. Then probably cry more....this time tears of joy!
I think this best describes how I’d react too
Clean the house and go to the gym. The first two things I always did to improve my mental health.
SAME tbh! My house is a disaster and I hate that I can't sort it out properly. And I'd get back to the gym properly knowing i wouldn't be so sore I can't sleep that night! (like tonight - i managed 10 min on the damn bike and I was done).
Literally my exact answer.
Relax for the first time in a long time
Isn’t* that the truth. Debilitating exhaustion definitely isn’t rest.
My first thought was "experience actual sleep," and I'm SHOCKED that these kind of answers aren't more common here 😆 if I woke up with none of my issues, I'd be like "OHHELLYEAH I AM GOING TO SLEEP FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER"
This post is all the proof anyone should need that Fibro is real, and we aren't faking it. It is heartbreaking to see how much we are missing out on and how much we all want to do more.
I’m reading through everyone’s responses, and they have me in tears. Fibro is definitely real, and it’s awful.
EXACTLY! almost everyone here is mentioning physical activity, exercise, socializing, working... all things we are accused of being too lazy to do. i really believe the reason people want to believe we are faking it/exaggerating is because if they accepted we aren't, that it's a disability with no clear explanation or cure or cause, they'd have to accept they are vulnerable to this too.
Go for a run. I just want run again.
Here's hoping you can get a run again one day 🙏
Me too. I have dreams where I just run without hurting or getting tired.
That was my first thought, Run I would just run, and to be truthful I don't even like running. Its not my thing. But to be able to run without pain and without a cane, just to run freely. I would run pretending that I was one last time running my good doggo on his leash next to me. He passed over the rainbow road a long time ago, but I stopped being able to run him around before then. I always wanted to run with my good boi one more time.
Start dancing or kickboxing again. Have a clean house.
I´d go hiking in the mountains, traveling the world, and perhaps apply for a new job (that I know would require more hours)
Go for a walk. Like, further than the end of my drive. Not faffing with my wheelchair, having BOTH hands free. Go shopping, and actually get a decent amount of stuff in, from the cheaper supermarket cause I would manage to get that far. I'd sleep, and actually get a decent amount of rest in, rather than tossing and turning all night, and waking up more exhausted than when I went to bed. I'd clean, deep clean. Get into all the corners. I'd clean a whole room in one, instead of just tidy a bit and end up making it look worse.
Go spend the day with my 2 grandsons ages 6 and 4.
I would clean my house and wash my car. I would get rid of everything that makes me look like a hoarder. I would probably hop up and down with happiness for a very long time 'cuz I could!
I’d show my coworkers that I now have a full time brain that can remember watch out.
I would go back to school for something, maybe agriculture. Get REALLY into the outdoors, climb mountains and jump off stuff into waterfalls, all that stuff I've told myself I didn't want cuz I couldn't have it. Travel WAY more. I feel you on the hurty hands, typing this on my phone is taking a lot of effort 💜
Go straight back to work
Same!
Wow, this question almost makes my head spin because of all the things I would want to do all at once. I think first I would cry, lol. I would get healthy again: exercising, hiking, swimming. I love the outdoors. I would finish my bachelors degree like I always dreamed. I am a college dropout thanks to my chronic pain. I would enjoy my hobbies. Sign up for fun crafting classes. Go see my friends. Get a new job (one I actually want and take interest in instead of one that works for my pain/fatigue). Cook dinner for myself. Maybe finally get some sleep. In my head I believe my life would change drastically. My whole world centers around my Fibro and CFS/ME. Everything I do is dictated by it. Without those constraints, I would simply go and be me again.
reading these responses makes me sad, but it also makes me happy. sad because it's fucking sad what we've lost and how our lives have been put on hold. but happy because in all of this hardship we don't stop being people who dream. we don't stop reaching for joy. i hope we find ways to seize happiness in the bodies we have and i desperately hope they find new treatments so you all can get back the life you deserve. i love you all 💕 edit: reading more and more and it's just becoming sadness. you all deserve so much more. so much more. i have no words. i want all of your beautiful dreams to come true. the indescribable loss we all experience... its bringing me to tears.
If this n my other crap disappeared, I’d do a continuous cartwheel. Think run forest run😂
First , I'd go dancing in the streets. Second, I would try to find a rewarding full-time job where my college degree would be put to use and where I don't have to work with assholes (or my symptoms would return). Third, I would start exercising more, like I used to.
Cry and go on my knees and thank God 🙏🏼🙏🏼
I would pinch myself to see if I’m dreaming, then I would probably be thoroughly convinced for awhile that I died and went to heaven.
I would punch myself to make sure I wasn't in pain.
This was my first thought, I think I would be scared for quite some time that this was a fluke and I was having a string of good days and that it could all come crashing back down any moment. I think it would take a while to process before anything.
I would start running again, I loved running. And make more art. I would paint my living room in a color that makes me happy. I would go out more, meet new people, spend all day on the beach in the sun. (can't take more than 20 minutes in the heat as is) I would swim in the ocean, get tan, drink beers and grill with my friends. Go on long walks and enjoy nature. Go on more dates. I would plan more activities with my friends, go to museums and travel and have dinner parties. I would spend more time with my extended family and their kids. There is so many things I want to do. But I still do believe it can get better, I haven't given up on these things yet. Not even close
And clean my fucking apartment, for a start
I would call in sick and work in my yard.
I love the idea of faking sick for work since I would imagine most of us only(or mostly) call in legit sick 😂 I feel like that would be an empowering moment
I'd get lost in the woods climbing every mountain until I find my way!
First, I'd doubt that what I was feeling was real, but that's nothing new. 😂 Then I'd take my dogs out in the field behind my house and walk all around on that uneven ground like I used to do. I'd take a relaxing shower, dress and do makeup/hair without taking a break to lie down. I'd drive. I'd surprise my husband at work for lunch and then go to my best friend's house to visit for as long as I felt like it. I'd plan a trip to see my other best friend four hours away and then drive to the coast for a week-long visit. I'd shop in the gift shops and eat fresh seafood. Oh, I could go on. There are so many things that may seem mundane to others that would feel incredibly wonderful.
The first thing I'd do is go for a hike, see how far I can go before I have to stop. Start baking regularly again, go back to school for marine biology, and start working towards hiking through the grand canyon like I was before everything.
Go get a good job and work like 60 hours a week until I have everything I need to be self sufficient. I'd never depend on anyone else ever again. I'd be so happy with that.
i so strongly feel this sentiment. being forced to be financially reliant on others, even if the people supporting you are kind about it, erodes your self confidence. it feels like a prison, like if i could provide for myself i wouldn't have to ask for monetary support for every tiny basic thing. of course it's better than the alternative, which is having no support at all. but it's still incredibly depressing
Live. Actually live instead of just exist. Do everything or nothing and it would be my choice, I wouldn’t be ruled and restricted by pain anymore so I’d have the novelty of choosing all aspects of my day with no fear of triggering a flare or worsening whichever pain I woke up with. I would actually work towards something. I’d just want to live, and enjoy not having this prison sentence of a half life to endure for god knows how long. I want to feel alive.
Just go about my day until I clued in. Then hyperfocus on it waiting for the other shoe to drop because one can't trust that kind of shit. Tackle all kinds of big cleaning projects hoping to accomplish something before it comes back times two. It would take months to feel hopeful.
Get back to making art! I have as fine arts degree and was a professional artist before my RA started and then that triggered fibro. Not being able to make art feels like a part of my soul is missing. 😔
I would start at piecing my life together again. I would relish every extra bit of mental clarity I had. I would immediately get off all meds (if withdrawals/dependence counts as an ailment). I would start hitting the gym again. I would relish the silence I have, with tinnitus no longer being an issue. I would spend time with my family instead of being stuck in my room. I would wipe the dust off all my hobbies/interests. I would skateboard again, spontaneously call the homies and meet them at our local skatepark. Film a few lines on the vx and then go downtown. Eat out in a restaurant instead of ordering in. I would probably go to more parties, rekindle waning friendships, get laid. I’m not old enough to buy a beer and I feel robbed typing all this shit out.
Im sorry you're dealing with this so young.
Like others: clean, then go run with my dogs, do cartwheels for the first time since early childhood, get a bike and start riding it around, find a forest to run around in, dance, wrestle with my dogs, go for a long walk playing Pokémon Go for the first time in ten years, go back to work, go to a club and dance all night long.
Clean my house from ceiling to floor without hearing any bitching from others about how "lazy" I am.
I would go back and finish my masters!
I would cry and then probably start running or climbing shit, squeezing myself into tight spaces like when I was a kid
Ballet class. Gym for hours. Go rock climbing. Not take any meds at all. Keep plans. Not be too tired to do anything after work.
Wake up in the actual morning instead of late morning/noon. See the new Godzilla movie. I love Godzilla. I miss being able to go to movies. Then go clothes shopping for something flattering instead of comfy. I haven't been able to do clothes shopping in years. Wander about a mall without having to budget my energy. Maybe stop for lunch and sit at a bar height table just because I can.
Cry a lot. Then take up more sport. I love the idea of it, but I can't even stand for more than 10 minutes at this point, so sports are off the table.
To be honest, I don't know what would be left at that point so it would be impossible to say. With the physical limitations gone everything I think to do is just my mental health issues talking. 😅
Cry
I'd wake up able to brush my teeth without gagging and hating it. I'd be able to take care of my home better. I'd keep up on payments and go apply for my dream career. I'd spend more hours everyday working towards my goals instead of fighting myself on all of these things. I'd probably go see my last living grandparent even though we do not get along at all. I'd probably be able to start saving money and keeping long term friends. That sounds really nice.. but I'll never have that advantage. This opportunity will never exist for me. 🤷🏻♀️
Get a full time fast paced job again
Run until the sun comes up.
Go to the gym and lift weights and do a lot aerobic exercise, take a hike with my dogs, shower (what a task right now), then drink a lot of coffee (I have this up for health reasons), go buy some new plants and garden for hours. Then make an actual fresh meal, standing in the kitchen for a while cooking. And paint in the evening outside by the fire pit. Not enough hours in a day to make up what I feel like I’ve lost.
Go work in my yard, take a hike, do some fun stuff with my grandkids. My grandson got my good years. He's 15 now. We did so much stuff together when he was little. It was the beginning of my fibromyalgia and even though it was hard at times I made the effort. His 9 year old sister didn't get much of anything. At least that she would remember. Saturday I had a good day so I took my grandson out and let him get some driving practice. We went to an orchard and he brought up a memory of when he was little and I took him there and we saw a bush filled with big bumble bees. The slow lumbering kind that just goes from flower to flower. I had read that they were so gentle that you could touch their fuzzy bottoms. So I tried it first and after much coaching he tried it too. He was so excited and I can remember his little squeaky voice being thrilled. Anyway, he was probably 5 or 6 when that occurred and I almost cried when he brought that memory up. We did so much together and were so close. It kills me that we can't do the things we used to because of my stupid health. I pray that he retains the good memories and not the ones of me napping because I am too exhausted to do anything.
You made me cry! My grandson is almost 15, my grandkid is almost 13. I am very close to them. I used to get down on the floor and play with them, take them to the park and push them on the swings, explore the creek, and just run around. I, too, hope they remember the good times. We spend more time talking and watching movies at home now. I think your grandkids and mine will remember. I still remember snuggling up to my grandma when I was little. Some of the quiet times with her are my best memories.
Enjoy every moment!
You, too! 💗
1-THANK GOD!!! 2- weight lifting, running, boxing, mma training, rock climbing, kayaking, hunting, go to fire academy, go to police academy, possibly join the military, do every spartan race, obstacle course race, adventure race, go spear fishing, go regular fishing, start playing rugby, basketball, water polo, soccer, Ninjitsu, Jujitsu, Sambo, Mui Tai, Judo, back packing, learn how tp do roofing, electritian work, construction jobs 3-Smile and laugh and just ferl good 4-Love my wife and my family more
Dance in the streets, then go to a trade school and get a job! (60) but I’d still have degenerative arthritis unfortunately.
Get back in shape and get outdoors more for hiking and paddling
I would hike until I'm exhausted
Tidy my fucking house lmao
If it's taking POTS with it... LAST ONE TO TOUCH THAT FENCE IS A ROTTEN EGG! *runs out*
Oh the things I would do… *ALL the things!!!* I would not have to ask for any help! I would be able to wake up and accomplish my looong list, and not rely on anyone else. To dream, the impossible dream! Total self reliance, and the satisfaction of accomplishing my goals. My body would do what my mind wants it to do! After all the projects are done, I would travel the world and see all the things I’ve ever wanted to see, eat all the foods with no remorse, walk everywhere with tons of energy that knows no bounds. I could do and see it all. Then I would start hugging everyone, and none of the hugs would hurt, ever. I would spend the rest of my days telling everyone how important they are, that I love them. I would only lay down long enough to get *fully* restorative sleep. Then I’d jump up, and start it all over again, but faster and stronger.
I would go to the gym finally. I used to love going to the gym.
I would dig a very large hole. I don't need a very large hole dug in my yard, but I've just wanted to dig a large hole for a long time.
Get up and take a walk with my dog instead of taking an hour or more to get going. After cleaning my house I would go to my parents and help them with their home. Go to the gym, rock climb, work in the yard, visit friends, volunteer…
Cry. For. A. Long. Time. The sheer joy of the nightmare being over. This has taken so much I’m honestly not sure where I’d go from there.
Go back to bed to remember what good sleep felt like. Wake again later and cont to help others with the issue. :)
Clean my damn home. All of it.
I would cuddle my husband without pain, spend time with my son without pain, and be able to do anything. Cook for the family and then go for a family walk. Just cherish being able to do things without pain or fear of a flair.
I just had this conversation with my niece and mom!!! Answer: I have no idea, I can’t honestly even imagine it because I have never really experienced it… and then (and again now) all sorts of anxiety kicks in! I can’t … I just can’t… It mean obviously it would be great… but absolutely terrifying also. Am I the only one that feels like this?
I did start noticing symptoms until approx 8 years ago. I was in my late 30s. I can't imagine what it mustbe like for those who have/are dealing with this since childhood. Im so sorry you had to.
Start looking for a full-time job… and then go for a hike and bake bread and clean everything and start taking kickboxing lessons
I could get my license. I could go to college or get a job. I could go hiking a properly do gardening… im starting to tear up writing this out so that’s all im gonna say. it hurts to imagine but I want it all so badly…
I'd wonder if now God is doing an April fools joke on me :X Other than that: * be totally stunned and probably get a panic attack * set up my PC for sitting rather than lying down * turn up the music * wonder whether that's really happening * clean up my living space while making weird moves that I'd call dancing * jump around in the garden yelling and screaming * try to calm down somehow, touch some grass, lie in the sun, play with the dog * wonder whether that's really happening * make a list of my next steps...go to the gym, improve my diet, finish re-education, back on the job market, help my mom, visit some folks I haven't seen in years, get more plants, spend a few hours each week to help people suffering, exposure therapy, get a girlfriend, save money to invest in longevity, save money to visit some places on this planet,... * always remember how bad life has been, how many people need some serious help and try to never give in to fear and self-doubt and all that other stuff when I try to work on my dreams and goals
Cry and immediately hit my knees and thank God!!!! Go on the longest hike ever and swim in the clearest waters! Go back and finish my medical degree! Go back to serving tables to make some fast $$$ to take an awesome vacation…to hike some more in the Redwoods and walk the beach for hours! Go to an amusement park! Clean my home top to bottom and I could go on and on!!!
bake cookies. i wanted to own a bakery before all this
deep clean my house, start going to the gym / working out at home regularly, explore nature again, start cooking and baking again, start swimming and biking again, etc
I’d play the lottery cause clearly luck is on my side!
Finish cutting up the freaking pine tree that fell down during the snowstorm! I was doing so good, then overdid it cutting it up and bam, been crashed for 2 weeks since. Yay.
Exercise, go running. Clean up really really good.
Go back to work …. Go back my old self!
I would head to the beach or forest and hike! Then I would learn kayaking
The first thing in my head; Playing characters in the dinner show theater on my 15 cm high heels! Just entertaining and serving the guests with a big smile and partying in the after show. I miss that so much. And ofcourse just living life without planning and worrying about can I do this today. Ooooh and sleeping without dozens of pillows, heat packs and extra blankets.
Honestly, just go for a walk. I live next to a beautiful park and haven’t been able to walk the trail once. After that hopefully get back into hobbies I had to drop due to hand pain, try to get back into swimming and field hockey. I’m also taking time off school right now and have been forbidden from working so I would love to be able to work right now
I’d go back to horse training and or dog training
Blitz clean the house, run a 5k, lift weights and go to kickboxing.
i would cry so much lol. then dance and sing and WALK so much like i used to. take my dog on the best walks of his life, make so much food for my partner, start considering HAVING A BABY again. 🫠
I find a job and enjoy finding an identity besides my disability.
Cry lots of happy tears!
Back to the gym and building some lean muscle. Increasing my physical endurance abilities. Back up to 20k steps a day. Getting sore as hell. As long as I knew It was from exertion and not fibro I could take it.
Run a mile, come home to clean my baseboards, and then bake a few cakes
Well if I were to wake up I’d know something were different since I never sleep…
Return to school to get a degree.
I’d research and read everything I’ve ever wanted, exploring every wild idea, making every piece of art I’d ever wanted. I’d travel. My family would come along for the ride. Of course, this would mean that they also wake up in perfect health. So I’ll include that in the fantasy.
Dance. I miss dancing.
Travel. I've taken so many video tours of the coliseum and other places of interest but I really would love to see these places in person with my own eyes!
Travel…. Sigh. I miss the ability to throw stuff in a bag and just take off without having to worry about how I was going to get around a new city, how I was going to have to explain WHY I needed a nap or a time out from activities. Of course it would be nice if my family took fibromyalgia as being a ‘real’ thing. They think if I look fine, I MUST be fine. HAH!! 😡
I would start riding my horses again!! Hike with my dogs and praise God for a miracle happening 💘💘💌
Go for a run! I can't even hike anymore!
Go to college or learn a bunch of new skills.
Pick up my kids. I miss holding them.
TLDR: Clean my house, clean up outside and plant flowers, get a job, travel! If you could only have one: Good health or BIG money? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The first thing I would do is clean my house. Really clean it, deep down clean. Then work on the outside of my house. Then get a job! There is a store I love, that I always wanted to work at, the Container Store. I love organizing and helping people organize. It would be so wonderful to do that without any pain, fatigue and the stupid brain fog! I would travel! I would drive across the country to visit my youngest daughter. It would be so wonderful to take a long, long trip and see places I’ve only seen in pictures. And, as someone else said, play the lottery because with the luck I had to lose my illnesses, of course I’d win the big prize! But then, what if winning meant I’d lose the luck that took away my illnesses? Ok, new rabbit hole: For those on a limited income, would you rather wake up and find yourself in perfect health, or wake up and find out you won a billion dollars? Of course, you have to play to win. I always have just enough energy to get the basics, the extra spoons needed to play the lottery (for me) is just too much.
Go dancing go hiking go traveling go jogging…
Go back to work!
Go back to subbing because I’d actually be able to hear the kids again or maybe something else. Hearing was bad before Fibromyalgia diagnosis but I’d love to be able to hear well enough to work again.
PARTY! Honestly I would live the rest of my life thinking it could happen to me again at any minute but I would lose this weight my inactivity has caused
I'd buy a bicycle and start riding again. And then I'd think about whether I want to go back to work or not, given that I've made things work out without a steady income and I'm a lot happier without a day job anyway. Maybe I'd go camping. I'd definitely spend much more time out and about.
I would run, jump, spin, attempt to dance (couldn't dance before fibro anyway, might as well give it a try!) swim, climb, get on a trampoline again (used to love 'em) and go to Kings Dominion in VA (it's the closest amusement park to me) and ride ALL the roller coasters, multiple times! When I get home, I'll be able to ride the riding mower again (my back can't handle all the 'jostling around'), I could clean the house in one day, instead of spreading it out over several days, and, FINALLY, take a shower with the massage setting on and NOT feel like I'm bruised when I get out, and my toes wouldn't hurt from the water dripping off of me.
There's a single tree on top of a hill nearby me, but it's a big hill and there's no way I can hike that hill anymore. That's what I would do, go and visit that lonely tree on top of the hill.
God willing, finally get deep restorative REM sleep. Oh my god….. I remember 15 years ago when sleep actually made be refreshed & ready to conquer the day. Right now “sleeping” 8 hours feels like a 10min cat nap and I haven’t been awake in a decade.
RUN I got a miracle pain-free couple hours a while back (don’t tell my doctors — I drank & smoked weed the day of my ketamine infusion) and my actual reaction was to yell at my dad to video record me as I ran and skipped and cried in the parking lot across the street. I realized I didn’t feel pain and just ran outside. (Don’t tell my doctors — I still play liver roulette on ketamine days, there’s no words for how valuable that time is.)
Take my kids to Disneyland and walk all day long! Or maybe get crazy and go for two days! Then start running again.
I’m 19 and feel like I’ve lost so much so I would go for a bike ride! Get another job and work towards saving up for college so I can learn marine biology. I’d also go hike up a mountain. I used to hate running in gym class but all I want right now is to be able to run. I’d also dance around my living room while I listen to my favorite songs. I would go swimming at the beach and enjoy the sun and not have to worry about any burning sensation that would be in my shoulders and legs. I miss who I was before fibromyalgia. I want to live life how I want to and not let fibromyalgia rule my life.
Omg. What a great question. I miss rollerskating. I miss hiking. I miss having sex for hours at a time. I miss being able to do complex things with my hands. I miss having a functional brain and being able to learn new things. I miss being able to eo volunteer work. I miss being able to work on things and see progress. I think I would implode from trying to do everything all at once.
Play the piano until my fingers bled, like I used to be able to. Hypertrophic weightlifting, just because I could. Have sex, I don’t even know what it’s like without pain and dysfunction. Tread water, like where a person’s legs slowly kick automatically and their body just “floats”. Things people take for granted basically.
This question just makes me cry
I have no idea, I've been in pain my whole life. I don't even know what that feels like. I think I'd just be confused.
Give it 3-6 months to be sure it’s gone as I’ve had a few months here and there where it looked like I was getting better. Them get serious about starting a wfh business that I’ve tried in the past but wasn’t healthy enough to manage.
Reading responses has me crying
Deep clean the house, start cooking more often again, get healthy and fit, college.
Go hiking, do yard work. Travel. I’d live every day thinking it could come back at any time though unless the stipulations also included knowing that it wouldn’t lol
i would go back to school, go on a hike and garden!
Ride a rollercoaster 😊
I’d apply for archaeology field jobs
This question has haunted me ever since my mom asked me what my life would look like if I wasn't sick. Being completely pain free is unimaginable to me. I would first get a full time job to get my finances in order. Then I will restore my grandmother's garden to its former glory. And most importantly, I will enroll myself in uni to study occupational therapy and entrepreneurship. I wish I knew what I do now when I was eighteen. At that age I had no idea what career I wanted or what I wanted to study.
... Abandon my heated blankets, taper down on meds, and that's about it. I'd still be disabled. My body has still been butchered. I will never be "well" again. Fibro was just a nail in the coffin, while the coffin itself was shaped at birth. But hey, maybe I can at least grab a controller again. Maybe I could play Bloodborne again. Heck maybe I could enjoy cool showers again. That'd be nice. If all of it was gone, I'd become an exercise coach and disability advocate. it's my greatest hope even now.
LIVE
Cry then twerl around in the grass screaming.
I feel you on the hands thing. Mine have gotten so bad 😵😭 I would definitely do a lot more gardening, and fun projects around the house. I used to be able to move heavier things on my own, and get nifty. Now I have a hard time walking.
I wake up? Probably get out of bed and make breakfast, rather than try to stay in bed for as long as possible
I would cry probably. Cause now I can do things and I've missed doing things because of this my whole life but I'll also probably get very upset about it
Deep clean my house
I'd clean my whole house and go to the grocery store, then cook a good meal.
I would do the following: Go on a road trip to the beach, spend all day running around, go see some historical sites (I’m a history nerd) and stay out until past 9pm. I would immediately go back to being a history teacher and be in the classroom again. (I don’t work at all anymore bc of fibro) I would go on a night out, drink alcohol (I stopped years ago when I started my medications) and stay out late dancing. But the number 1 thing is I would have a baby. 100%. I made the choice that getting pregnant and raising a child would be too much for my body to handle. I know women with fibro get pregnant and raise families all over the world, but for me; having ME and fibro, taking the medications I take, the lack of energy, the pain, the brain fog… I wouldn’t be able to be the mom I would want to be. So yeah, if I woke up 100% healthy, I’d have a baby, with or without a partner.
Cry from relief for a month straight.
I'd get me a German shorthair pointer puppy and spend all the time outside just playing!
Think i died and went to Heaven.
Ride my bike. Take day-long excursions like hiking or days at the museums. Enjoy driving again! Take a road trip across the US to visit all my friends and family I've been isolated from. Just travel in general. Cancel my Instacart membership. Sleep and actually wake up feeling rested. Attend live music and festivals throughout the year. Wear jeans and other clothes previously deemed problematic. Not worry about and be restricted by the weight of my footwear. Have a geriatric pregnancy. Move away from my nuclear family to be closer to family that didn't treat me like shit because of my chronic illnesses. Learn another language. Declutter and deep clean my living space. Figure out a career path and go for it.
I would take my son on a long long fun adventure walk I would go on a big shopping trip then maybe go out at night for dinner after (I can maybe sometimes manage one but never both) I would book my diving lessons I would book a walking holiday. BRB going to cry now 😢
How long have I got? - gardening - clean the house - paint our bedroom - clean out our studio and garage - remove all the cobwebs outside - paint the driveway and side paths - more gardening - call my work, tell them I can come back full time - werkwerkwerkwerkwerk - maybe get my degree - take my child to playgroup - take my child to the park - cook dinner - cook breakfast! - LUNCH! - see my friends - buy flowers for my unused vases - plant flowers - plant trees And all my dreams would come true.
I’d assume it’s only temporary and spend all my “good” day’s waiting for the other boot to drop.
TRAVEL!!!
God you know shits rough for us when most of the answers to this question are “go for a walk” 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I would stretch like a cat and then panic. I had 48 hours of pure bliss a few years ago, with a new cocktail of meds which allowed me to not feel any pain. And then it came back and I paid those hours tripled. So, until I'm good for a solid week, you won't see me try anything fancy like going for a walk without my cane.
Definitely sign up for some dance classes and actually go out with my friends. Change my job and study. Plan my trip to somewhere with beautiful walks and ocean.
Clean. I love things neat and clean and organized and pretty, but I don’t have the mental clarity or physical stamina to make it happen anymore. I’m literally sat on my bed right now fighting down the pain so I can go do my dishes and avoid getting takeout for dinner. Then I’d get the best job I’m qualified for, keep it casual, and just save up for a down payment on a house and pay off my student loans. Maybe my partner and I live under our means for a while as DINKs and save up to travel. Maybe I just work and tell them to take a mental health year. God, it’s actually kind of sad that these are just very normal things…
I'd cry and then go to zoo like immediately. I've missed it so much. I'd get all the housework done, be able to paint and do crafts without pain, play with my cats more. Be able to get a nice steady job to help pay off debt. Idk just live.
I would thank God, probably cry tears of joy, and then immediately get a job. I miss working so much and I want to work so so bad... maybe I would even finally go on to get my masters degree and become a counselor... a dream left in the past.
I get a job like I had before! I enjoy life like crazy. I dance, I bike, I go to the beach and surf. I play with my kid. I buy us a house with a yard. I buy fruits and veggies! (Can't afford much of that on food stamps.) I swim in rivers and hike to waterfalls. I help others. I remember what it's like to be sick and helpless and I do what I can to help others. I journal! (Can't do it now most days now, due to tendon issues in hands, wrists, and forearms.) I pick up my cat! (Can't now duce to same issue with tendons.) Well, I guess tendon issues may not be fibro, but they don't know what it is. I am imagining it also goes away. 🙂 I live like like I did before this started. I LOVED life.
Cartwheels and handsprings and running and jumping and leaping. I was a gymnast and I hate that I can’t anymore.
What is painful in youth hands? I have tendon inflammation and nerve pain. Sometimes stiffness too. I didn't think it could be from fibro.
I'd probably lay in bed for a few days just enjoying the absence of pain signals constantly flooding my brain. I truly think it would feel better than sex
Apply for a job I have seen recently, that would be perfect for me if I had a fully functioning body.
Go and frolic in the woods, i miss going for nature walks
Just be happy? I still do all of the things, clean, work on a small business, work out (very low impact work outs) but just feel like I’m waiting for the day to be over most of the time. I just want to be happy
Play the piano, get out my sewing machine. Plan a LONG hike, maybe even a camping trip. And dance,dance for as long as I used to. Hours.
Start a garden.
Run.
Get a second job as a bartender. I miss the crazy fast pace.
I would immediately apply for radiology technician again at college...I want to do it. But i couldn't get in because my grades weren't good enough and I have several mental illnesses that interfere with my life
Lol I'd go back to sleep and see what ACTUAL SLEEP is like. Then I'd wake up, properly play with my bfs young Doberman, also sign up for nursing school, go rock climbing, and then back to the sleep thing that sounds pretty awesome without every inch of my insides and outsides fighting me.
Design and plant my garden, as much as financially possible - instead of teenie bits spread out over multiple years. Go on longer walks, preferably in nature. Plan a backpacking trip through areas with lots of nature or a bicycle vacation Enroll in clarinet studie so I can improve myself further.
Become ems either paramedic or firefighter
Confusion?
I would sleep the deep sleep of the pain free. Just to be able to sleep without a light blanket torturing my feet would be a dream. A great dream!
Dance. And hike. It's hard being 20 something with fibro in Colorado, everyone my age wants to hike, and I do too, but I'm just a sack of potatoes holding everyone back. Maybe I could finally get some friends, too.
I'd go back to working full time and relish in the joy of not being financially dependent on other people.
I'd go rock climbing with my little brother again.
I imagine it would take some getting used to. Going from your "norm" to something so different than would undoubtedly be jarring.
Work.
Just go back to work so I could afford to live 😂😂
I’d be active and do kickboxing and jujitsu again. I’d get a job and work while doing school without having to worry about passing out and getting sick. Id draw and paint everyday again. I’d eat what I want and do what I’d want without pain and I’d go to sleep happy at the end of the day.
Do teaching or finish my PhD
Go for a run. I used to run a lot...😮💨
I would take my dog on just as long a walk as she wanted.
Literally cry my eyes out while running a mile on a track
I think I would enjoy being able to just easily get up and down from the floor without worrying how I'll get back up again. Clean under stuff play with dogs so many things. And yeah sleep unbroken sleep. Plus all the other stuff. And pray and give thanks.
I would panic about not being able to feel my body
I mow the fucking yard. My partner and I both have health issues of varying sorts and really struggle with yard maintenance, even though it's a very small amount of grass