u/Immediate-Hall-1051

Hello! I have a bad habit of scratching my chest and neck as a bit of a self soothing motion, I don’t scratch very hard, but I do scratch very frequently. I’ve been doing it for years, but just over these past few months I’ve been having constant petechiae from it. One side of my décolletage will get red and prickly, so I’ll switch sides, and by the time it fades the other side is all blown up, cycle continues, yada yada. I did a quick search and can’t find anything that isn’t health-anxiety related, but mine is a bit of a different case. I know it’s from the scratching, I know what the little bumps are, but this has been my self regulating strategy for a long time, and it’s very difficult for me to stop.

Normally I wouldn’t really care, I mean it looks like a rash at most, but the placement of it looks really… suspicious. I’ve had a lot of friends asking if it’s a hickey, and I’m worried that it’s an unprofessional look in the workplace. Especially when it looks like a new “hickey” pops up every couple days, where I change my scratch location. I’m wondering if anyone else in this sub has a similar issue, and have any solutions to it? TIA!

Hello! My mother was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia after years of depression and unexplained pain, and I’ve been researching the disease for a few days since. I’ve only met one person who disclosed they had fibromyalgia with me, and they said the only way they could get through the day was forcing themselves to act as cheery as possible, and did not want pity from people. I knew very little about the disease a few weeks ago, but honestly, it sounded like my worst nightmare and a very serious disease that affects your quality of life quite intensely. Now having someone so close to me diagnosed with the disease, I don’t know how to best support her.

My mother has always been a very “follow the beat of her own drum” type person, and where her mood has been so low for a long time, I’m worried that she won’t dedicate herself to treatment. She was prescribed Lyrica, but hasn’t had the prescription filled yet, and my family is unsure if she’s ever going to.

I have been putting some pressure on her to fill the prescriptions for antidepressants and Lyrica, and to start taking them regularly, but I don’t know if that pressure is just making her more stressed. I want to check up on her, but also don’t want to make her feel like I pity her, or make her feel belittled. What are some ways I can connect with her and make sure she is taking her medications?

Also, what are some things I should be aware of from the perspective of someone diagnosed with the disease? I have been struggling with a different autoimmune disease for a few years that really ended up changing my temperament, so I’d like to be aware of things like that so I can be gentle with her. I can read all the studies I want, but nothing beats advice from the people who live with it. Thank you!