Lena Dunham Sees Writing as Reason She Exists Following Fibromyalgia Revelation
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One day prior to her interview with 'Today' show, the 'Girls' star takes to Instagram to address a connection between chronic pain and trauma and to reveal her secret medical condition.

AceShowbiz - Actress Lena Dunham has gone public with her battle with chronic pain condition fibromyalgia.

The "Girls" creator and star has always been open about her health woes, and in a Vogue essay earlier this year, she revealed she had undergone a hysterectomy to combat her lifelong struggle with endometriosis, a medical condition which causes intense pain as the uterine lining tissue grows outside the uterus.

Early on Sunday, October 07, Lena took to Instagram to open up about her secret fight with the "chronic pain" of fibromyalgia, a muscle disorder which can cause fatigue, severe muscle pain, and memory and mood issues.

She noted the "proven connection between chronic pain and trauma", and admitted her fibromyalgia had flared up recently as psychology professor Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified in front of a Senate Judiciary Committee, accusing top judge and U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were both in high school in the 1980s. He vehemently denied the allegations, and two days after an FBI investigation found no evidence to prove Ford's claims, he was confirmed to the Supreme Court on Saturday.

"On the day after Dr. Ford's testimony I awoke with a start at 3am," she recalled. "It felt like every cell in my neck was singing. My ankles and wrists were weak and my fingers didn't do their assigned job. Yesterday (following Kavanaugh's confirmation) I felt like I was suspended in gel, and when I meditated a line of pain zipped from my neck to my foot..."

"This is fibromyalgia," she continued.

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This is a post about chronic pain. I have it. I bet a lot of you do too. Some of us talk about it. Others are afraid to, as it could cost them their jobs or their relationships or their sense of control in a chaotic world. In this way it’s very analogous to sexual trauma. There is also (as @ladygaga so wisely shared this week) a proven connection between chronic pain and trauma. Therefore, a lot of people- a lot of women- find their pain is activated by weeks like this one. On the day after Dr. Ford’s testimony I awoke with a start at 3am. It felt like every cell in my neck was singing. My ankles and wrists were weak and my fingers didn’t do their assigned job. Yesterday I felt like I was suspended in gel, and when I meditated a line of pain zipped from my neck to my foot. I’m sorry if I don’t answer your text or email, or if I can’t show up the way someone else would. I appear to be totally able bodied but it’s complex, and I am just trying to do everything required to maintain a life of joy and service. My work costs everything I have. This is fibromyalgia. It’s little understood and so even though I have a lot of knowledge and support it’s hard to shake the feeling I am crazy. But I’m not (at least not this way!) and you’re not. Your pain, whatever shape it takes, is yours and so it is real. I believe you when you say you hurt. I have learned time and time again how important it is to believe.

Sebuah kiriman dibagikan oleh Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) pada

Lena did not reveal when she was diagnosed with the condition, the same illness Lady Gaga suffers from, but in an appearance on breakfast show "Today" on Monday, she explained she had used writing as a form of therapy to help pull her through the tough times, particularly over the past two years as her personal problems worsened.

"I think that were I not a writer, I would have no way to understand the complexity, and the challenges, and the darkness of the experience of being human, particularly being a human woman at this time in history and this country (America)...," she said.

"I've always grappled with my physical health, I've always grappled with my mental health, and so to have writing as a way to dig deeper, express myself and connect to other people, it truly is the reason that I exist."

Lena also reflected on her period of transition, insisting dealing with her issues in the public eye has helped her mature.

"I can't lie and say that the last couple years have been easy, and some of that has been because of my own behaviour," the 32 year old shared. "I've grown up and I've developed in the spotlight for better or worse, and I've also dealt with the challenge of my own body turning against me, and so it's been a time of tremendous loss and tremendous change.

"I always thought when people said like, 'With loss comes a lot of gain and a lot of power,' I always thought that was BS (bulls**t), but it turns out it's true - there's a lot that I've also gotten and I've gained a great sense of community because I've been able to write about my experience and other women have reached back to me (sic)."

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