A Day In The Life Of Fibromyalgia: Fibro Fog

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Troy Wagstaff

A Day In The Life Of Fibromyalgia Related To Fibro Fog And Humor

I have, for a number of years been a fan of Psych, the TV show. I heard about my daughter and her boyfriend decide to watch the whole series from the beginning to end on NetFlix. After a while I thought that sounded like a good idea. I spent a lot of years watching Psych and reruns so I was fairly sure I would see a lot of familiar shows.

a_day_in_the_life_fog_humorI started watching Psych a month ago and I was astounded at how many episodes I didn’t remember. I’m now on the eighth and last season of Psych and looking back at all those seasons, all I could clearly remember having previously viewed only about twelve. It was like I was seeing it all over for the first time.

Fibro fog is very common among those of us who suffer from Fibromyalgia. It’s frustrating to forget so many things so often. It can even be detrimental in many cases. I ask myself, “how I can be in so much pain and forget to take my pain MEDs?” That always get’s me.

But on the plus side, I can invest money to buy a DVD and know that over time, it will be like watching it for the first, over and over again. When possible, I like to infuse humor. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.

If anyone here enjoys fibro fog raise your hand…no, wait a minute. You might forget to take your hand down.

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Top Five Symptoms Of Fibromyalgia

Posted on September 13, 2015 by Troy Wagstaff

Top Five Symptoms Of Fibromyalgia

Over the past week I sent out several requests for fibro patients to list the five worst symptoms they have with fibromyalgia. After tabulating them here are the results. There is a list of seventeen symptoms. The first ten are not surprising. The top five are, to me a little surprising. I do have vision related symptoms but I was surprised that it was mentioned as much as it was and that it was bad enough to be in the top five.

I am a little surprised the sensitivities weren’t a little higher and I am really surprised migraines wasn’t a lot higher and that there was only one complaint of migraines and no complaints of headaches.

Take a look at these symptoms and see how they compare with your top five symptoms. Feel free to tell me what your top five fibro symptoms are.

5 tops fibro syptoms

1 Pain – 17

2 Fog – 12

3 Fatigue – 10

4 Sleep Issues – 7

5 Vision Issues – 5

6 Stiffness – 4

7 IBS – 3

8 Flu like symptoms – 2

9 Noise Sensitivity – 2

10 UV Light Sensitivity – 2

11 Clumsy – 2

12 Light Sensitivity

13 Migraines

14 Neuropathy

15 Muscle cramps/spasms

16 Nausea

17 Ringing in ears

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The 5 Most Popular Posts Of The Last Two Weeks At Fibro Champions Blog

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Troy Wagstaff

The 5 Most Popular Posts Of The Last Two Weeks At Fibro Champions Blog

last_2_weeks_most_popular_posts

38 Tips To Make Traveling With Fibromyalgia Easier

Coping With Fibromyalgia And Chronic Fatigue – The 10 C’s

10 Things We Would Like Our Pain-free Friends to Know About Us

Not All Fibromyalgia Symptoms Are Fibromyalgia Symptoms

7 Fibromyalgia Awareness Free Graphics Or Memes

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10 Symptoms of Fibro Fog And 1 Known Solution

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Troy Wagstaff

10 Symptoms of Fibro Fog And 1 Known Solution

  1. Forget to take your meds.
  2. Forget peoples names that you should ordinarily know.
  3. Want to use a word but can’t. You know what the meaning of the word is, you can even describe what the word is, but you can’t think of the word.
  4. Short term memory loss.
  5. Forget to read your notes you write so that you wont forget things.
  6. Staring into space before brain “kicks in.
  7. Inability to recognize familiar surroundings.
  8. Lose things easily.
  9. Mind wanders easily.
  10. Lack of concentration.

fibro_fog_10_symptoms

There is not a lot that can be done about the symptoms of fibromyalgia fog. But understanding what the symptoms are to fibro fog is a weight lifted off your mind, providing you can even remember that you have fibro fog 🙂 ha ha.

In another post I wrote about how language arts can help your mind get back some of what fibro fog has taken from you. How to Reinvent Yourself With Fibro . . . Living an Eventful Purpose Filled Life

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84 Possible Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Troy Wagstaff

84 Possible Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Of those who respect fibromyalgia as a legitimate medical condition, most of them associate chronic wide spread pain as the primary symptom. Some also recognized chronic fatigue and fibro fog as additional symptoms. But what many do not realize or appreciate about fibromyalgia is that there are more than 82 symptoms that go along with fibromyalgia, either as a primary symptom or overlapping secondary symptom.

Also consider that many of these symptoms can be unrelated to fibromyalgia and could easily be symptomatic to other types of illnesses or diseases. This list is presented as something to think about and as information you may want to talk to your doctor about.

This list of fibromyalgia symptoms are alphabetically ordered.

  1. Abdominal cramps
  2. Abdominal & Digestive Symptoms
  3. Awkwardness
  4. Bloating & nausea
  5. Bruising or scarring easily
  6. Chronic wide spread pain
  7. Clumsiness
  8. Confusion
  9. Coughing
  10. Cravings for carbohydrate and chocolate
  11. Delayed reactions to physical exertion or stressful events
  12. Depression
  13. Difficulty speaking known words, other language impairments (dysphasia)
  14. Diffuse Swelling
  15. Directional disorientation
  16. Earaches & itchy ears
  17. Fatigue
  18. Fibro Fog
  19. Fibrocystic (lumpy, tender) breasts (as an overlapping condition)
  20. Foot Stiffness
  21. Foot Pain
  22. Free-floating anxiety
  23. Frequent Chronic Sciatica nerve pain
  24. Hair loss (temporary)
  25. Headaches
  26. Hemorrhoids
  27. Hip Pain
  28. Impotence
  29. Inability to recognize familiar surroundings
  30. Insomnia
  31. Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome)
  32. Irritable Bladder
  33. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  34. Light and/or broken sleep pattern with unrefreshing sleep
  35. Loss of libido
  36. Loss of ability to distinguish some shades of colors
  37. Migraine Headaches
  38. Mitral valve prolapse
  39. Mold & yeast sensitivity
  40. Mood swings
  41. Morning stiffness

fibro_symptoms2

  1. Muscle Spasms
  2. Muscle Twitches
  3. Nails that curve under
  4. Night driving difficulty
  5. Nose bleeds
  6. Other family members with fibromyalgia
  7. Pain that mimics heart attack, frequently from costochondritis
  8. Painsomnia – Insomnia directly related to pain disturbances
  9. Panic attacks
  10. Paresthesias in the upper limbs (tingling or burning sensations)
  11. Pelvic pain
  12. Pelvic Pain
  13. PMS (as an overlapping condition)
  14. Poor balance and coordination
  15. Post nasal drip
  16. Pronounced nail ridges
  17. Ringing ears (tinitis)
  18. Runny nose
  19. Sensitivity to pressure changes, temperature & humidity
  20. Sensitivity to noise
  21. Sensitivity to light
  22. Sensitivity to odors
  23. Sensory overload
  24. Sensory Symptoms
  25. Short-term memory impairment
  26. Shortness of breath
  27. Sleep starts (falling sensations)
  28. Specific tissue pain
  29. Specific muscle pain
  30. Staring into space before brain “kicks in”
  31. Stiffness caused by sitting in the same position for a prolonged period of time
  32. Sweats, usually night time
  33. Swollen Hands
  34. Teeth grinding (bruxism)
  35. Tendency to cry easily
  36. Tension Headaches
  37. Tingling Hands
  38. Tissue overgrowth (non-cancerous tumors. lipomas, ingrown hairs, cuticles, adhesions)
  39. Trouble concentrating
  40. Unaccountable irritability
  41. Unexplained weight gain
  42. Unexplained weight loss
  43. Urinary frequency
  44. Vision changes (including rapidly worsening vision)This list is for informational purposes and is not a diagnostic aid. Always consult your health care provider for any diagnosis or treatment of any of the symptoms.

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Not All Fibromyalgia Symptoms Are Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Posted on July 18, 2015 by Troy Wagstaff

Not All Fibromyalgia Symptoms Are Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Most people discover that they have fibromyalgia after a long bout of chronic pain. Then it usually takes a year or more to get it correctly diagnosed. In the meantime and for the next several years they discover additional symptoms of fibromyalgia like chronic fatigue, fibro fog, IBS, chemical sensitivities, dizziness, impaired motor skills and the list really goes on and on.

I’ve heard that there are more than sixty symptoms related to fibromyalgia. I haven’t researched that statement yet but here are a lot of additional fibro symptoms to consider such as Chronic muscle spasms, or tightness, chronic fatigue and decreased energy, Insomnia, waking up feeling just as tired, as when you went to sleep, stiffness upon waking or after staying in one position for too long, difficulty remembering, concentrating, and performing simple mental tasks (“fibro fog”), abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and constipation alternating with diarrhea (irritable bowel syndrome), tension or migraine headaches, jaw and facial tenderness, sensitivity to one or more of the following: odors, noise, bright lights, medications, certain foods, and cold.

Even more fibro symptoms are feeling anxious or depressed, numbness or tingling in the face, arms, hands, legs, or feet, increase in urinary urgency or frequency (irritable bladder), reduced tolerance for exercise and muscle pain after exercise, a feeling of swelling (without actual swelling) in the hands and feet.

not_all_fibro_symptoms_are sympRemember, there are countless more symptoms of fibromyalgia. But here is the point, when you notice a new symptom don’t just assume that it is a fibro symptom, at least get it checked out before assuming anything.

My first example from my decades long experiences that illustrates this concept: I have been having problems recently being way more fatigued than usual. I went the doctor to check it out. It felt a little more than traditional chronic fatigue symptoms. To make a long story short, I found out that my heart rate was hovering in the mid 40’s. Sometimes and low as 40. That can make a person very sleeping. I am currently being monitored by a Cardiologist.

The second example is related to dizziness. Dizziness can be a symptom of fibromyalgia but it, like most of the symptoms of fibromyalgia can by symptoms related t other things. Occasionally I have dizziness with fibromyalgia. In the past I have had a few inner ear infections. I started getting much more dizzy than usual. Went to the doctor to finds out I have an inner ear infection and fluid build up behind both ear drums. I was able to get some Meclizine to help with the dizziness. I was told to take Mucinex to help get rid of the fluid.

Ten days later I went to my doctor again and the fluid was gone behind one ear and the other ear was infected. Got an antibiotic and after three days I am seeing improvement.

If I had not gone to the doctor then I would have got really dizzy and sick and suffered longer than needed.

My third example is that I take medicine for IBS, irritable bladder, anxiety, muscle spasms, to manage fibro symptoms. Always treat the symptoms if they are a part of fibro or not. Chronic pain is more than enough to deal with, manage your other symptoms the best you can.

Troy Wagstaff ©

This is not medical advice. This is for informational purposes and should not be considered medical advice. Consult your doctor for any questions about your health.

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6 Fundamentals Of Coping With Fibromyalgia

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Troy Wagstaff

6 Fundamentals Of Coping With Fibromyalgia

1. Accept the fact that you have it.

2. Accept the fact that, at the present time, fibromyalgia is incurable.

3. Manage the various symptoms as they come upon you.

4. Don’t be afraid to let go of the you, you used to be before fibromyalgia.

5. Look for a new you that you can be in spite of fibromyalgia.

6. Look for the spiritual strength you need to give you the energy to cope with Fibro.

six_fundamentalsIf you can accept the fact that you have fibromyalgia and that at the present time fibromyalgia is incurable you will save yourself a lot of money and a lot of stress. There are people out there that want to make money on peoples misfortune. If you knew, for an absolute fact, that doing a certain thing would, for sure, cure you of the chronic pain, fog and fatigue called fibromyalgia, would you be willing to pay almost any sum of money? I know I would. We can make easy marks for shysters.

Coming to terms with the fact that there are things you can no longer do because of fibromyalgia and that there is no known cure for fibromyalgia, then you can take that stress, and pressure off of you and focus it on dealing with the present, which is you with fibromyalgia.

Most people find out that they have fibromyalgia from chronic throbbing pain and then with differing speeds, other symptoms start to afflict you. Don’t just assume that it is par for the course. Treat each and every symptom that comes your way appropriately with the doctor. The additional symptoms, if left untreated, can become as bad as or worse than the chronic pain.

You’ll find that, like most people with fibromyalgia, you can’t do what you used to do. You should accept that, and take the energy you would spend fighting the fibro disease and apply that energy to becoming something that you can do with the give and take of fibromyalgia.

Often, when you are spending so much energy dealing with the pain of fibromyalgia and the many other symptoms associated with it, you can slide away from the spiritual energy you need most. Keep aware of that possibility and try to keep or get that spiritual energy to help fighting the hated monster, fibromyalgia.

Perhaps there are more fundamentals in fighting fibromyalgia. What have you found to be a fundamental in your fight with this terrible disease?

Troy Wagstaff   ©

This is not medical advice, just my opinion.

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14 Ingredients For Fibro Stew – The Recipe for Fibromyalgia Stew

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Troy Wagstaff

Fibro Stew

The Recipe for Fibromyalgia Stew

fibro_stewIt has long since become a common practice to share recipes online via Facebook, Pinterest and other social media sites. I would like to share with all of you the recipe for fibromyalgia stew. The problem with the recipe for fibro stew is, no one knows what causes fibromyalgia. Researchers do know what the ingredients to fibro stew are. But they don’t know how to mix them, cook them or how high the temperature should be.

But knowing the ingredients of fibromyalgia stew will at least give you a good idea what it tastes like.

1. Chronic Pain

The primary ingredient to fibro stew is wide spread chronic muscle and tissue pain. The element of chronic pain can be as simple as carpel tunnel pain in your wrist to sciatica nerve pain in your lower back and legs. This chronic pain ingredient can pierce deep into the core of your spine and it can cause all kinds of muscle spasms. Chronic pain is the chief additive to fibro stew.

2. Chronic Fatigue

A liberal dose of chronic fatigue added to the stew is very important. This type of chronic fatigue is not the Swiss, French or Mexican type of fatigue, it’s the type of chronic fatigue you feel when you wake up after a good nights rest feeling unrefreshed and worn out. It’s the type of fatigue you feel when you are recuperating from major surgery and your body craves sleep and rest to heal. You can nap and sleep all day long and still feel tired and void of energy.

fibro_stew

3. Fibro Fog

This common part of the recipe, fibro fog, is when you know what words to use, you even know the meaning of the word, but can’t think of the actual word. It’s going into another room to look for your reading glasses only to find them on your head or looking for the car keys while they are in your hand. The ingredient of fibro fog is where you know the answers, it just takes a longer time than usual to get them. With fibro fog you forget what you were concentrating on.

4. IBS

By glancing over this list of ingredients of fibro stew you can clearly see there are a lot of elements to the stew, Irritable bowl syndrome is just one of many elements to the stew. IBS is also served as entree for some people that don’t have fibro stew.

5. Tension Headaches

Don’t confuse chronic fibro pain with tension headaches. While they share a common element, which is pain, they are still different ingredients. When your muscle spasms get so tight they cause your head to ache, then you know you have the right ingredient in fibro stew.

6. Migraines

Migraine headaches are another big part of fibro stew. It has similarities with chronic pain and tension headaches, which is, terrible pain, but it is a separate ingredient to the stew and a unique part of the stew.

7. Depression

Depression is a key element to the mix. Several of these ingredients can be served as an entree or be part of the fibro stew. Depression is just one of the many of elements of fibro stew. It is often served as its own entree.

8. Tremors

Tremors in the extremities are a common additive to the Fibro stew. Sometimes your hands, legs or feet can have such violent tremors that you might loose the food from your fork or spoon. This item can be optional as it is not something that every fibro stew has.

9. Insomnia

It can seem strange that elements of the stew can be as diverse and yet related as chronic fatigue and insomnia, but this list of ingredients can appear to be contradictory at times and that is the nature of this recipe. Don’t question the chronic contradictions in these ingredients, but rather embrace them.

10. Sensitivities

Sensitivities like a sensitivity to sunlight or UV rays are a common element in the recipe of fibro stew along with other categories of sensitivities like noise and chemical sensitivities. Like herbs and various seasonings, the sensitivities can vary according to taste and circumstances.

11. High Sensitivity To Stress

Any chef or health care provider knows that stress, through no fault of your own, is a major component to many medical conditions like high blood pressure, migraines, and fibromyalgia. Use the sensitivity, ingredients according to how your stew works.

12.  Night Sweats

Night sweats are also an optional ingredient, however, it is more common than you might think for a good recipe of fibro stew.

13. Coordination Issues

Some people thing that the coordination issue ingredients are related to other parts of the stew, but it is a surprisingly popular element to the stew.

fibro_awareness_subart

14. Anxiety

Anxiety is another often overlooked, but a big part of fibro stew. It’s not for everyone, but it is a part of a fibro stew of many people. Use accordingly.

There are even more parts to a typical fibro stew. We have only scratched the surface of what goes into the fibromyalgia recipe. There are many factors and other parts to consider when listing all that goes into chronic fibro stew.

As we said at the beginning, we don’t know how long to cook this recipe or at what temperature or in what proportions, but knowing what goes into fibro stew can give you an approximate idea of the fibro stew flavor.

Just as fibro stew is real so are the ingredients. This fibro stew mentions fourteen ingredients. There are more than seventy symptoms. Add to the main ingredients the other ingredients (symptoms) according to what you suffer from and viola, you have a tasty painful fibro stew.

Do you have any other ingredients that are a part of to your fibro stew that you would like to share with us? I’ love to hear them.

Troy Wagstaff ©

This is for informational and entertainment purposes only. This is not medical advise. Consult your health care provider for medical advise.

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The Most Popular Fibro Posts Of The Last Two Weeks

Posted on June 26, 2015 by Troy Wagstaff

The Most Popular Fibro Posts Of The Last Two Weeks

I plan on posting about every two weeks a post of links to the most popular fibromyalgia posts. Since this is only the second time this year that I have done this, this post will have a larger list than upcoming posts.

most_popular_posts_of_the_last_two_weeksFibromyalgia And Depression

This post talks about depression from the standpoint the having fibromyalgia is depressing and that depression is one of many symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Victimization Caused By Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue or other Invisible Illnesses

A victim is someone who has had something bad happen to them, against their will. This article explores that idea in regards to fibromyalgia.

Winner Of The 2015 Visibility Award

CallahanWriter.com was a recipient to the 2015 Visibility Award for an article on my 31 year journey with fibromyalgia and the efforts of the blog to explain one of the biggest invisible illnesses to the public.

IS FIBROMYALGIA THE END OF LIFE AS WE KNOW IT? PART 1

This article asks the question “Is fibromyalgia the end of the life as we know it and then examines the issue in detail which includes a part 2 article and there will be one or two more posts related to this topic.

Review Of The Movie “Cake” and Comments About Chronic Pain

The movie Cake with Jennifer Anniston is about a character with chronic pain. I look at the movie from the perspective of one who has fibromyalgia.

My 31 Year Journey With Fibromyalgia

thirty-one years ago I has mis-diagnoses with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a form of arthritis. This non fiction short story takes you though my journey finally getting an accurate diagnosis of fibromyalgia and eventually the proper treatment for it.

Life With fibromyalgia – More Than Pain, Fog and Fatigue

Explores other aspects of fibromyalgia beyond the common symptoms of pain, fog and fatigue.

Fibro Whatchamacallit

This post delves into the annoying symptom of fibro fog.

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IS FIBROMYALGIA THE END OF LIFE AS WE KNOW IT? – PART 1

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Troy Wagstaff

IS FIBROMYALGIA THE END OF LIFE AS WE KNOW IT? PART 1

This is a perfect example of fibro-fog. I posted “Is Fibromyalgia The End Of Life As We Know It Part 2” before I posted the Part 2 in a series of articles exploring this concept. I guess that’s what you get when you are a patient of fibromyalgia trying to blog about fibromyalgia. Good example of fibro-fog. Ooops.

Is fibromyalgia (fibro) diagnosis the end of life as we know it? The answer is yes. With fibromyalgia, life as you knew it is over. Gone for good, never to return, unless scientists discover an all to needed cure for the disease.

That sounds like a negative thing to say. I agree, it is a negative statement but fibromyalgia is a negative disease. And it is a true statement.

fibro_end_of_lifeThere are many diseases that will kill you. In that sense, fibro is not so bad. Keep in mind, the statement “end of life as we know it.” Fibro is not the end of life, it’s just the end of the life you once knew.

Some well meaning people may say, “you need to be positive, you can beat this but you need to be positive.” I’ve heard those comments directed at me more than once. The thing is, there is no known cure for fibromyalgia, a disease of the central nervous system. I have great hope that science will one day discover it’s origins and come up with a cure or a much better way to treat it than we have now.

I feel like accepting the fact that with fibro, your life is over as you knew it is both a positive thing to say and a cathartic statement freeing you up to adjust to a new life. Within that new life you can be very positive and I hope all of you are positive in your outlook on life.

Having a positive outlook on life, when you are in chronic pain and sick from the many symptoms of fibromyalgia, is hard to do but worth the effort.

Sure you will have some good days and some bad days in your struggle with fibromyalgia but the ebb and flow of fibro is daunting when you don’t know what kind of day you’re going to have when you wake up.

The secret to being positive with fibromyalgia lies in part with accepting the limitations and then work around them. We need to let go of the expectations we had in our old life and create new expectations for our new life under the thumb of fibromyalgia.

Some people say, “I was just diagnosed with fibromyalgia but I am not going to give into it. I am going to fight it and I am going to beat it.” I’ve heard this tune sung by many fibro patients over the years and it is sad because they will use precious energy fighting the wrong battle.

As we all know, energy is a precious commodity to those who suffer with fibromyalgia. We need to use it wisely. I’m talking about both physical energy and emotional energy.

It’s okay to let go of the life you once had, in fact it is important that you do. Then you can focus on how to make your knew afflicted life of fibromyalgia as positive and productive as possible. You can have a positive future in spite of the pain and other terrible symptoms of fibromyalgia. In Part 2 we will look at the ways in which we can let go of life as the way we knew it and embrace the new life with a good attitude and even be successful in spite of all the interrupting symptoms of fibro in our life.

Be sure to follow this blog so you will be notified when the next article is posted to CallahanWriter.com.

Troy Wagstaff ©

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