Poor Amethyst!

I am so impressed with the swift and passionate acceptance of the "Purple Pain Code"! I have seen it popping up everywhere and think we really needed a way to quickly, easily and succinctly identify how we are feeling, in both mind and body. My husband even overheard someone at work saying she was Mulberry today! Okay, fine, maybe he gave her the link to my blog knowing she has Fibromyalgia so that is a bit of a cheat but still! But I am worried I have hurt Amethyst's feelings...and reputation! I have seen more than a few comment that Amethyst is their birthstone and they don't like the negative connotation or they are going to stop wearing some Amethyst piece of jewelry or another and I feel horrible! I think Amethysts are beautiful gemstones and should still be celebrated and embraced, all the more so because their purple richness corresponds with our Fibromyalgia ribbon color. Look at it as yet another way to show our support and spread awareness. Breast cancer survivors don't stop wearing pink, they appropriate it as a way to remind themselves (and everyone else) how far they have come and what they have been through!

All of that being said, I think our pain code is having a positive impact on our pain! I have been noting Fibrates that were stuck in eternal Amethyst day after day are ascending into Mulberry and even a few into Lilac. Perhaps the power of positive thinking, hope and support are all coming together to help lessen the isolation, frustration and misunderstanding that was serving to compound our pain. Suggestions and concern from those that truly care and understand, knowing that YOU ARE NOT ALONE in this madness has brought a bit of brightness, a light at the end of the tunnel, a glimmer of a way out of the abyss that our lives have become... 

The Fibromyalgia Fun House on Facebook has become a safe-haven where we can share information, pain, solutions, frustrations. More than once I have seen light bulbs popping as we find out symptoms that seemed oh so strange suddenly make sense when you find out WOAH, my Fibro-sister has that too! I want to thank all of you for making this happen. For coming together and sharing who you are, your struggles, your journey with us. I did some major work on The Fibromyalgia Crusade this weekend. Boring legal stuff that has to be in place before we can go public with our demands. The exciting part is almost here! So let's keep growing, keep recruiting as many as you can because the sheer number of patients standing together united and strong is what is going to make all the difference in the world. Blessings to each of you!

Thanks for joining,
Leah