The Truth About Fibromyalgia – Part 2: The Cost, the Gaslighting, and the Healing Path Forward

In Part 1, we covered the basics: what fibromyalgia is, how many people it affects, new treatments in 2025, and natural remedies that actually help. But if you’ve been living with this condition—or watching someone you love suffer through it , you know there’s a lot more to the story.

Because fibromyalgia isn’t just a diagnosis. It’s a life disruption.

It messes with your money, your mental health, your sense of self, and sometimes your belief in the entire healthcare system. Let’s talk about the part that doesn’t make it into the brochures: the hidden toll of living with fibromyalgia in a world that still doesn’t fully believe in it.

The Financial Cost: When Pain Becomes a Bill

Let’s talk dollars and common sense.

Fibromyalgia is one of the most expensive chronic conditions out there—and most of the costs fall directly on the patient.

According to recent data from 2024 and early 2025:

• The average yearly cost of fibromyalgia-related medical care in the U.S. is between $10,000 and $14,000 per person.

• About 30 to 50 percent of people living with fibromyalgia are unable to maintain full-time employment.

• Prescription medications, therapy, doctor visits, diagnostic tests, supplements, and missed income contribute to an annual national economic impact of over $12 billion in lost productivity.

And here's the thing: insurance doesn’t always cover what actually helps. Try asking your provider to reimburse acupuncture, massage therapy, nutritional counseling, or trauma-informed therapy. Chances are, you’ll be paying out-of-pocket for the very tools that bring the most relief.

If you’re a woman—especially a Black or Latina woman—the financial toll can be even greater. You’re already navigating the wage gap, and now you're managing an expensive illness on top of everything else.

The Invisible Battle: Medical Gaslighting and Misdiagnosis

Here’s the raw truth: for too many of us, the first doctor we see for fibromyalgia symptoms is also the one who makes us feel crazy.

Not misunderstood. Not confused. Crazy.

You’ve probably heard things like:

• "You're just stressed."

• "It’s all in your head."

• "You’re probably just depressed."

• "Try losing a few pounds."

• "You’re too young for all this pain."

• "Maybe you're just sensitive."

Sound familiar?

This is medical gaslighting, and it's one of the biggest barriers to early diagnosis. The average fibromyalgia patient waits two to five years for a correct diagnosis, not because the symptoms are vague, but because doctors are dismissive.

This is especially true for Black women and other women of color, who are statistically less likely to be believed when they report pain.

A 2023 Harvard study showed that Black patients are 22% less likely than white patients to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia, even when presenting identical symptoms.

Let that sink in.

The Emotional Weight: Mental Health and Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia doesn’t just attack your body—it weighs on your mind and spirit.

Chronic pain rewires your brain. It messes with your sleep. It fuels anxiety. It brings depression to your doorstep, especially when you’re isolated and overwhelmed.

According to 2024 data:

• More than 60% of people with fibromyalgia experience moderate to severe depression.

• Over 50% live with generalized anxiety or panic symptoms.

• Many report a persistent fear of being judged, abandoned, or thought of as “lazy” or “dramatic.”

It’s a lonely condition. People around you get tired of hearing about it. So you learn to suffer in silence, cancel plans without explanation, and hide your flare-ups behind a fake smile.

That’s not just painful—it’s exhausting.

The Alternative Therapies That Deserve More Respect

Let’s pivot now to something more empowering—because even if there’s no cure, there is relief. And sometimes, the answers lie outside the pill bottle.

Here are the alternative therapies people with fibromyalgia are turning to more than ever in 2025:

Acupuncture

Yes, those tiny needles can actually work. Studies show acupuncture reduces pain sensitivity, improves sleep, and helps regulate the nervous system over time.

Myofascial Release Therapy

Unlike regular massage, this technique targets trigger points and connective tissue pain. It’s especially helpful for people with fibro who deal with daily body tension.

Infrared Sauna or Heat Therapy

Heat can reduce muscle stiffness and boost circulation. Regular use of low-heat infrared saunas has shown promising results in managing fibro pain and fatigue.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT isn’t just for anxiety. For fibro patients, it can reduce pain-related stress and help reframe fear around flares, fatigue, and self-worth.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation

This is still experimental, but non-invasive devices that stimulate the vagus nerve are being used to reduce pain signals in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Herbal Anti-Inflammatories

Some evidence supports the use of turmeric, ginger, and boswellia. These herbs help reduce low-grade inflammation, which some researchers believe may contribute to fibromyalgia symptoms.

The Diet Piece: Food as Medicine (and Trigger)

There’s no one-size-fits-all fibromyalgia diet, but certain patterns are emerging.

According to recent findings:

• An anti-inflammatory diet high in leafy greens, berries, whole grains, and omega-3s may reduce symptom severity.

• Sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine, and processed foods can trigger flares in some patients.

• A 2024 NIH trial showed that patients following a Mediterranean-style eating plan experienced a 23% reduction in daily pain scores.

Other approaches that show promise include:

• Low FODMAP diets for those with IBS-related symptoms.

• Plant-based diets with limited animal protein.

• Intermittent fasting may reduce inflammation markers and fatigue when done gently and safely.

Tracking your meals in a journal and identifying trigger foods can be more helpful than following any one plan blindly.

Building Your Dream Team: How to Assemble a Real Support System

Managing fibromyalgia is not a one-person job. You need support—and I mean the real kind.

Start With These Four Key Roles:

1. Primary care doctor – Make sure they’re someone who listens and is open to working with specialists. If they dismiss your symptoms or your intuition, find someone else.

2. Pain management specialist – A doctor trained in complex pain conditions can offer both traditional and integrative solutions.

3. Therapist or counselor – Especially one who understands trauma, medical PTSD, or chronic illness.

4. Physical therapist or movement coach – Someone who understands that your body needs gentle progression, not bootcamp-level workouts.

   
   

Bonus: Add These If You Can

• Nutritionist familiar with autoimmune or inflammatory conditions

• Acupuncturist or chiropractor with chronic pain experience

• Online or local fibromyalgia support group

• A “pain buddy” you can text when it gets rough

You’re not meant to do this alone.

Fibromyalgia changes everything—but it doesn’t get to define you.

You are not weak because you’re in pain. You are not lazy because you need rest. You are not broken because the medical system failed you.

You are a warrior navigating invisible battles. And even if the world doesn't understand your condition, you deserve to understand it—and take back control of your health.

There is no perfect formula. You’ll have setbacks. You’ll have days when you want to give up. But healing isn’t about being “cured.” It’s about reclaiming your body, your voice, and your power.

You're still you. Still strong. Still worthy.

And on this blog, we will always speak the truth—even when it's uncomfortable.

Up next in Part 3:

• The connection between fibromyalgia and trauma

• Why it's so common in survivors of abuse and burnout

• How your nervous system holds the key to real relief

• Daily practices for managing flares naturally

• A 7-day fibro reset plan to help you get grounded

If you’ve made it this far, thank you. I see you. I believe you. And I’ll keep writing the things they won’t say out loud—because we deserve to be heard.

– Shalena