Lena Dunham suffers from fibromyalgia.
Lena Dunham
The 32-year-old actress took to Instagram on Saturday (06.10.18) to reveal she suffers with the chronic condition which causes pain all over the body as well as fatigue and body stiffness, and spoke about the links the illness has with "sexual trauma".
She wrote: "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."
And the 'Girls' creator even thinks her pain was triggered by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's testimony against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, accusing him of historical sexual assault.
She continued: "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."
Lena then urged her followers who also suffer with the pain to tell themselves they're not "crazy", and said she "believes" it when people say they're hurt.
She said: "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."
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