“Tears like Diamonds”

Every time I hear (or read the lyrics of) Rob Thomas’ “Her Diamonds,” tears like diamonds fall from my eyes (or almost do, I’m usually pretty good at holding back tears, it’s a talent).

I learned some time ago that the song is about Rob Thomas’ wife who suffers from a rare, lupus-like autoimmune disease. Clearly, I totally identify with her; while it is not likely that fibromyalgia is autoimmune, it does have the same symptoms of pain that nothing can help.

The song perfectly captures the misery and helplessness of both the pain sufferer as well as her or his loved ones who watch and want to help so badly, but who just can’t do anything.  It becomes a vicious cycle because then the pain sufferer feels terrible for what we’re doing to our loved ones, and empathy cycles.

The song applies very much to what my life has become, but it really brings me back to the pre-physical therapy days, when my loved ones and I suffered so much from such unbearable pain for so long.  The song is cathartic that way.

The song ends with a bit of hope, as it should, where helplessness and misery give way to the relief that eventually comes.  I don’t know about other diseases, but with Fibromyalgia, the unbearable pain eventually lightens and becomes bearable.  Much like the onset of the pain, there might be no apparent reason for its relief, but it does come in time, or so it has in my experience.  The time can range from seconds to months, but the relief comes.  For me, months or weeks have become seconds or days since I’ve been in physical therapy.  Someone should write a song about the miracle of physical therapy.