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What if Wonder Woman had Fibromyalgia?


So I am a huge fan of superheroes. I love all the Marvel and DC shows and films and am loving the new Comic Cool revival that is happening. I was watching Wonder Woman (again) the other night and started to think to myself “What if Wonder Woman suffered from a chronic pain condition like Fibromyalgia?” or “What if Super-girl had Endometriosis?” what then would happen to the worlds they protect? It stands to reason that if these superheroes have heightened strength and powers then if they suffered from a chronic pain condition then the pain and symptoms would be heightened too. Now I know the purists out there will say they are Gods and Aliens and there DNA wouldn’t suffer from a human condition. Well you may be right, however think for a moment that they as a race can suffer from sickness just as we do. Allow yourself to believe that these could be very similar to our illness and conditions we suffer and strive to find cures for. If that were the case then its plausible they could be fighting an internal war along side the war they fight to keep peace on the planet and protect the people who cannot protect themselves. 
I have suffered from Endometriosis for many years now and was diagnosed about 5 years ago. I recently have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and have been battling a bad flare up for a few months now. Some mornings I wake up and can hardly move my body. I am in agony and am so tired because I couldn’t sleep all night. I may have been woken up with intense pain throughout the night and had to take strong pain killers to ease this and try and get some rest. The pins and needles in my legs and arms hurts like hell and my face is numb. My wrists and ankles burn like I have been caught in a blast of pure heat. I feel a nausea so intense that I am physically sick. On days like these I can barely even think about getting out of bed and getting myself ready for a full days work. I drag myself in to the shower and cry because I cant bear the thought of having to put on a smile and act like everything is ok. 
Now I don’t do the most energetic of jobs but I do stand on my feet all day in a very busy environment. I have to be at my best all the time. This may seem like simple things to you but to someone with Fibromyalgia it can wipe them out to the point of exhaustion, meaning when I get home all I can do is collapse in to bed and watch superhero shows until I fall asleep. Im not moaning I absolutely love my job and would be completely lost without it. Watching Wonder Woman made me think if I were a Superhero and woke up feeling like this then the thought of getting out of bed would be impossible. Imagine Wonder Woman waking up with a super heightened Fibro Flare up. She could barely move her legs to stand up and the nausea hits her every time she breaths. She has to get up and get in the shower, pull her aching body in to that super cool but super tight costume. Blow dry her hair in to perfect tousled waves and apply some super stunning make up to ensure she looks 100% when she goes to battle with her enemies. All of this takes ten times longer because she is moving slower than she normally would and has had to stop to be sick a couple of times. She knows she has to keep going because the world is relying on her to protect it from evil gods and alien invaders. 
When she is ready she stands in front of the mirror to will herself to be strong and get on with her day. Her indestructible bracelets are killing her painful burning wrists and her normally lightweight tiara is pushing down on her head giving her a migraine. She works hard to put on a strong face and smile before she leaves the house. 
When Wonder Woman goes to work she battles Gods like Ares the God of War. She catches villains like Doctor Poison hell bent on chemical warfare. Giganta a giantess who wants to transfer her life essence in to Wonder Woman's body. If I had to do this I don’t think I would leave my bed ever! It would seem like an insurmountable task. Now if I am having a hellish day I could take time off work to get myself better and strong again - Wonder Woman cant do that. No one else can cover for her, she needs to be out there protecting us from the villains and gods. I am lucky to have private medical care and the NHS to help when things get bad. I cant imagine being a Superhero comes with a great benefits package. She would have to look and act like normal all day or the villains she fought would pick up on her weakness and use it against her. Pushing herself both physically and mentally through the day to stay on top. She wouldn’t be able to take pain killers or meds that could make her dizzy or slow her reactions, she would have to fight through the pain all the while staying two steps ahead of her nemesis. I imagine she would be so tired and fed up of pain by the end of the day that she would only have energy to eat some ready meal or fast food to fill her hunger before falling in to bed praying for a good nights rest. 
Being a Superhero must be like kryptonite to a girls social life. It must be impossible to keep hold of friendships when you have to cancel nights out last minute because she has to save the world. Trying to be there for her friends whilst hiding a part of herself from them to keep them safe. Add to that a crippling condition that eats in to her life taking away precious moments of energy from her and making it harder and harder to keep plans and have fun with her friends. A condition that slowly takes away all the great moments and replaces them with memories of guilt and sickness. She wouldn’t be able to hold on to friendships let alone a relationship. What guy is gonna say yes to “I want to be with you but I have a secret identity as a Superhero and battle Gods and Villains that takes up a lot of my time. I also have a condition that sucks my energy and leaves me in crippling pain meaning I would probably cancel dates at the last minute and would need to spend a lot of time curled up with a hot water bottle alone”. Not many! I haven’t been able to find one and Im not even a Superhero.
Writing this I see how each and every one of you that suffer from a chronic pain or invisible illness. Each of you that battle an internal villain every day. Who get up and force yourself through the fog and exhaustion to show up. To live your life every day the best that you can while putting on your own super suit to hide your painful identity from your friends and loved ones. You are all
SUPERHEROES 
in my eyes. 

Keep fighting that battle and the next time you wake up with a Super Flare up just think to yourself
 “What would Wonder Woman do?”.

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