Burn the Bras!

No woman can say they love all their bras. In fact most women *hate* their bras.

With some women with fibro, especially bustier ladies like me, can not wear a bra.. We have a low tolerance for the discomfort from the shoulder straps. Yes, they dig in for every busty woman, but because we have chronic pain, we tend to feel this sort of thing more keenly.

Bra Straps can Cause Irritation, Redness, Chaffing, Friction, Bruising a^{nd Pain}

The underwire is another deadly aspect of many of the current styles of bras. Yes, the wire end are rubberized to protect us, but they still jab into you. I had one that was so bad that it started ripping through the material. The smartest thing I did with that bra was to remove the underwires.. It was a whole lot more comfortable after that.

^{Underwires Severely Suck}

Sometimes even just the strap around the ribs can be very painful. This goes for sports bras or short tank top styles aswell. I wouldn’t be surprised if that pressure is agitating a form of costochondritis.

^{Bands on Bras Tend to be Worn Too Tight, Mistakingly Thinking it’s Better Support Its Not & it Hurts}

One last thing is that so few women are wearing the proper size of bra. And out size does change. Here is how to measure yourself for a bra:

1. THE BAND: Measure around the body directly under the bust while wearing a bra. Round up to an even number if necessary. For example a measurement of 42″ gives a Band size of 42, but a measurement of 43” + 1”(rounding up) gives a Band size 44
2. THE CUP: Measure around the fullest part of the bust. This is the bust line measurement. The cup size is determined by the difference between the bust line measurement and the frame size.

^{What is the Difference Between Your Measurement Under the Bust and Your Measurement at the Fullest Part of Your Chest}

Could You Handle it? Constant Pain?

Yes, I live in pain every minute of every single day. It is the Nature of the Beast..

If someone tells you they have fibromyalgia or CFS/ME & are pain free, they are wrong. Pain free days do not happen. If someone is pain free they are either lying to you, lying to themselves or they were misdiagnosed.

Like all Fibromites, I have pain every single day. Some days is really great at 1-2/10, but it has been as bad as 8/10 for my kidney stones. Lately, I’m typically at 3 or 4.

The best I’ve been is a 1.. but a zero? No I have zero pain or painfree days.

^{I have Fibromyalgia. I live in sin every day. Yes, Every Single Day}

So, do I wake up in pain? Yes.

Do I walk my dog in pain? Yes.

Do I do groceries in pain? Yes.

Do I write my blog posts in pain? Of course.

Do I exercise while in pain? Ha – tricky one. Yes, if I can do so without triggering a flare.Do I snuggle up & watch TV or movies in pain? Yes.

Do I socialize in pain? Yup, otherwise I’d be a hermit.

Do I participate in personal adult extra curricular activities while in pain? Unfortunately, yes. There is 2 posts about this topic in the works.

Do do my Scouting in Pain? Yes, I do. Only one person in each group has any clue about how I’m doing Raksha 13 & I have become good friends through Scouting & Rainbow I’ve known grade 8 or 9, but through guiding & scouting.

Don’t I take meds to help with the pain? Yes, but he important word there is *help*.

Now think about this.

Would you be able to handle never-ending pain? Knowing that it will never, ever end? That it could flare-up & knock you out with, if you’re lucky, only a moment’s notice??

Could you handle the negative prospects, knowing that most Fibromites do deteriorate? It means you will likely get worse, not better.

How could you handle additional fibro symptoms like debilitating fatigue matched with bouts of insomnia? What about a loss of cognitive function where you can’t remember silly stuff like the phrase “tug-of-war’ during a game of Pictionary with the kids. How about feeling useless cuz you are unable to help your kid with his math homework because you don’t remember how it works – all you can say is the answer is wrong, but unable to explain why, made worse cuz you had a partial scholarship in Mathematics.

What about the other “smaller” symptoms? IBS? Thyroid issues? Sjorgens Syndrome? Sleep impairment? TMJ? Reynauds Syndrome? Muscle spasms or reoccurring ‘Charlie Horses’? Costochondritis? Muscle weakness? Myofascial Pain Syndrome? Migraines? Allodynia (touch sensitivity)? Chemical sensitivities? Light, noise or smell sensitivities? Restless Legg Syndrome? Paraesthesia?

Admittedly, you won’t have all of these all the time, but they can spontaneously come & go without warning. But is that something you can handle, with the never ending pain & fatigue?

Very few friends can identify how much I’m in pain. My bff can usually spot it a mile off. My sister & occasionally my Mom can tell by looking at me.. I have other friends & family who have learned some of the more obvious signs of higher pain levels.

So yeah, I’m in pain, even as I’m snuggled up in bed, relaxing & medicated. I am still in pain. Always.

Could you handle it?