Purple Ribbons for Fibromyalgia: Wrapped In Pain

Photographer/Editor: Pissed Off Pistol
Model/MUA/Stylist/Editor: Me

Fibromyalgia is a debilitating chronic pain disease that causes those that suffer from it to not only have to deal with chronic muscle pain, but other symptoms like chronic fatigue syndrome, TMJ, difficulty with memory or thinking, IBS, joint pain and stiffness, and a lot more.

Diagnosed in 2006, I have had to persevere through many difficulties related to this disease to become the person that I am now. Not only do I deal with severe muscle pain every day, it also causes me to pass out, so I have come to avoid driving as much as possible as well (so I don't pass out while driving and cause an accident), and there are days where I am in so much pain, I can't even get out of bed.

Because of this illness, I frequently makes trip to the local ER: http://tinyurl.com/3lhyggg & http://tinyurl.com/3d7yx2x

Ever since I was diagnosed, I have done everything I can to bring more attention to the condition, in hopes that more understanding will lead to more research and eventually there will be easier ways to manage the pain and other symptoms that patients of this disease deal with every day.

To get an idea of what it's like to have this disorder, which is similar to dealing with some of the symptoms of Lupus, read this story: http://tinyurl.com/33ga8xx

The ideas behind the set were to continue the color purple throughout the set (the color of the fibromyalgia awareness ribbon), and to show that despite the fact that I suffer from this illness, I overcome my disease to take advantage of my hyper-flexibility. The ribbons wrapped around my arms and that I hang from wrap around me like the pain that I deal with every day.

This set has been entered in the "Scantily Clad For A Cause" Contest on Zivity.com, and if chosen as the winner for this contest, the contest winnings will be donated to the National Fibromyalgia Research Association.

Gainesville, Fl is home to one of the leading doctors in Fibromyalgia, Dr. Staud (author of "Fibromyalgia for Dummies"). And in addition to the contest winnings being donated to the NFRA, all of the money that we make off of people's votes will be donated to Dr. Staud directly to help fund his continued research on this painful and debilitating disease.

To see the rest of this set and to vote on it, go here: http://www.zivity.com/models/ChelseaChristian/photosets/23

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