People who suffer from chronic diseases like fibromyalgia need support—both practical and emotional—from their friends. They offer help when their disease is flaring up or a shoulder to cry on when it all feels like it’s too much. Unfortunately, the opposite often happens and patients find friends who were once close have slowly fallen by the wayside.

MORE: Nine possible causes of fibromyalgia to discuss with your doctors.

In this article for themighty.com, writer Tressia Demaskie talks about how she’s lost contact with many friends and even some family members over the years due to her fibromyalgia. Demaskie explains that often people are willing to help out with people who have short-term illnesses or terminal illnesses, but the longevity of most chronic illnesses means that people tend to get bored or choose to ignore the fact that you’re ill because the symptoms aren’t necessarily visible.

For all the friends that she’s lost, Demaskie has come to realize that the ones who are still very much in her life are the true friends and certainly the ones worth keeping. Read more about friendships and fibromyalgia here.

MORE: Eight fibromyalgia facts you’re probably unaware of.

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