Doctors often focus more on the physical symptoms of fibromyalgia, such as pain, fatigue, and stiffness. However, many people with the condition also have trouble focusing, concentrating, or thinking quickly in everyday situations. In a recent study, women with fibromyalgia ranked so-called ‘fibro fog’ among their five top complaints. Openly discussing these symptoms and how they affect you can help you and your doctor address them. Here are other ways to reduce the impact of fibro fog on your daily life.
Take note of any thinking or learning problems you have. You may want to write down when you experience them—and how severe they are—on a chart or calendar. Share this with your doctor. Together, you may be able to pinpoint what makes your fibro fog better or worse and develop strategies to minimize it.
In addition to easing pain, therapy for fibromyalgia often helps with brain-related symptoms, including depression. Your doctor may write you prescriptions for pain medications or antidepressants. When you have less pain to deal with, you can focus more on living your life and doing things you enjoy. Alternative and mind-body therapies, such as massage and tai chi, also show promise.
Trouble sleeping counts as a primary symptom of fibromyalgia. But the more restful your slumber, the clearer your thinking. Most adults need seven hours of restorative sleep to perform their best. Take steps to reach this goal by keeping a regular sleep schedule. Avoid alcohol and caffeine late in the afternoon and at night. Try to go to bed and get up at around the same time every day. And avoid daytime naps, especially in the afternoon. If you must take them, limit them to one hour.
Moving your body helps ease pain and stiffness—and also may benefit your mind. After working out, you may feel sharper and more alert. Physical activity also improves sleep, if you time it right. Schedule your gym session in the morning or during the day, if possible; working out at night can keep you awake. If you do work out later in the day, aim to finish about three hours before hitting the sack. This gives your body enough time to wind down.
Some studies suggest people with fibromyalgia perform just as well on memory tests that involve one problem at a time as do people without the condition. That means minimizing multitasking could boost your brainpower. Try and focus on completing one task at a time. Along with tracking your symptoms, make a ‘to-do list and update it every day or so to help stay on track. Each time you complete a task, cross it off the list and congratulate yourself. Take it one step at a time.
6. Make changes at work.
Many people with fibromyalgia can continue to work. But there may be times when you struggle with balancing work when you have chronic pain. You might find that working fewer hours or having flexible hours helps you better handle the demands of your job. Or you might need to switch your role to one that plays more to your strengths than your weaknesses.
Have you ever looked at a list of Fibromyalgia symptoms? Looking at these two websites you will see both anxiety and depression listed as symptoms. Here are two reputable websites as proof: Chronic Illness and Chronic Woman
In fact, it seems that fibromyalgia symptoms and mental health are very much linked together. One could say that fibromyalgia is like a spider web, with so many facets (co-morbid conditions) moving out from the center.
Part of Our mission is to ask questions about fibromyalgia symptoms and mental health. This series is to showcase the connection between fibromyalgia symptoms and mental health. Is mental illness, in part, a cause of fibromyalgia? I wonder.
In part 1 of Fibromyalgia & Mental Health, I told you my story read that here. Now, I would like to introduce you to Cathy. She is 20 years old and is fibromyalgia and mental health warrior. I think you will be able to relate to her story and find comfort in her advice.
I had been back and forth to my doctor’s practice with various different symptoms for many years prior to my diagnosis. As a young teenager, I never knew why I was struggling so much and why I had so many different health issues. High school education, college education, and my social life have been affected due to my health since I was 13 years old.
It was when my mum, who has Fibromyalgia, had mentioned to me that the problems I was having were similar to her symptoms. Then I started to think that the illness had been passed onto me.
The first time I spoke about FM at a doctor’s appointment, I was told ‘Oh no, you don’t want that. There was not much more was said about it. I had a blood test and the results came back ok. I was told that it would show up there if I had FM. (later on in life, I found out this was not true).
It took me around 5 years give or take, to be diagnosed. At this point I was telling people I already had FM because I knew as my health worsened, that is what I have.
So at the start of 2018, I made a doctor’s appointment again with my GP, solely to ask him to refer me to a rheumatologist. (As a friend with FM said that is who had diagnosed her). At the appointment, I had to keep reminding the doctor that I was there to be referred to see a rheumatologist and I felt I had to pretty much beg to him agreeing to refer me to see one. He wanted me to just go back on anti-depressants and go back to counseling’.
I kept telling him that I am struggling with the pain and had to be off sick from work and after so many years of struggling, I want to know if I do have FM, so I would like to see a rheumatologist.
He kept coming back to the ‘it’s all in your head’ comments and ‘why would you want to be diagnosed with something like that and I ended up being prescribed Fluoxetine in return for being able to see a Rheumatologist.
I never went back to see the same doctor as I didn’t feel comfortable talking to him again. After telling my mum she told me that she saw the same doctor about 30 years before and he was pretty much the same as her.
I got a letter in the post with my rheumatology appointment which was 5 months away.
The rheumatologist asked me questions about my symptoms and my history. He said that since my mum also has been diagnosed, it had been passed on to me.
After about 15 minutes, he did some physical examinations and turned to me and said ‘Well, you definitely have Fibromyalgia’.
He spoke to me about treatment and he told me that most medication will only reduce pain by about 50 percent if it does at all. I told him I understand that there is not a lot that can be done and he also told me that I do not need to take Fluoxetine anymore as I said it had only negatively impacted my mental health and not eased any other symptom. He assured me that if I don’t feel comfortable taking medication, I don’t have to.
The rheumatologist was very informative and understanding, even though I had come out of the hospital with a diagnosis of a horrible illness, I felt I finally understood why I was different and why I had been so ill for so long.
Most of my time at the doctor through age 14 until about 18 was due to my mental health. I wasn’t going into high school or barely leaving the house and saw multiple counselors who told me I had depression and social anxiety.
I was given antidepressants at a young age. They only ever gave me Fluoxetine tablets which made me feel numb and did not help with my symptoms. I didn’t feel I had any emotion, each time I took them and didn’t feel that specific medication benefitted me. For some reason, I was never offered anything different other than that same medication and to see a counselor. Even at times when I had said I want to try something different. It made me feel like I was just going down the same path, over and over.
The doctor who had referred me to the rheumatologist had also told me I could only be given SSRI antidepressants which I later also found out wasn’t true as I was given tricyclic ones.
At the age of 18, I had seen a counselor again but as I was now an adult, I could only have 6 sessions and that would be it for the time being. I spent most of my time explaining childhood trauma to her, how I had been abused, and constantly talking to her about how I am not being taken seriously about FM. We spoke about my mental health and my emotions. I told her that every time I tried to talk to somebody about suspecting I have Fibromyalgia, whether with a health professional or not, I was dismissed.
After the 6 sessions, she mentioned that my symptoms with my mental health sound like Borderline Personality Disorder and that she thinks I should push on being diagnosed for FM as she thinks it would help me feel better knowing.
I didn’t know much about BPD at this point, but when I researched the disorder, it felt like everything I had been battling mentally.
In addition, I was never able to have a career in the line of work I had studied for or wanted because it would hurt me and make me ill and flare–up. I have worked in many different types of jobs trying to find something to suit me and recently had to leave an office job due to not feeling well enough to continue.
Keeping active has always been important to me, even if it is just a little bit of exercise but when I flare up, it becomes a vicious cycle of struggling to move and even just leave the house and having to wait until I feel I am capable of trying again.
I felt better mentally after cutting the ties with people who didn’t support me
A real friend would not question if my illness existed.
Quality is better than quantity and if friends cannot support you no matter what then they aren’t really your friends.
I have personally come to the conclusion that this is just who I am and I try my best and do as much as I can and that is all that matters. Little positive thoughts like that can make a huge change.
Trying not to push me into doing too much is definitely something helpful when it comes to flare-ups. In the past, I have forced myself to go out and do things that fit people could do, because I felt pressured or I wanted to feel ‘normal’. That is definitely something that made me unwell and gave me flares. I have worked in jobs before where I have pushed my body and mental health to dangerous lengths instead of just giving myself the rest I needed.
It won’t get better instantly but pacing yourself and knowing when to stop or chill makes a massive difference.
I have struggled with my weight being up and down for years but I do notice that when I am at a healthy weight, I feel I can do more and it takes away a bit of that struggle.
Reducing stress and just taking the time to have a deep breath and release the tension can make me feel a little more positive even if just for a short time.
I try to exercise as much as I can and keep active when I am feeling comfortable and well enough to do so. Eating well can definitely change the way you feel mentally or physically but I understand that it can be a challenge and when I get stuck in a cycle of not exercising or eating well it is very hard for me to get out of it.
Most of the time if I am not eating well it is when I have a flare–up and can’t manage to feed myself a proper meal.
Constantly feeling exhausted mentally and not having any motivation can make even simple tasks seem so daunting.
Symptoms of BPD affect me also, like not reacting to most things in a manner that would seem ‘normal’ and feeling emotions so intense really messes me up sometimes.
There isn’t much I specifically do to help when I am feeling mentally unwell. I tend to take lots of rest though as if I am feeling mentally unwell, my FM symptoms tend to be heightened. I do notice that talking to somebody who has felt similar or somebody who will listen even if they don’t understand really helps me feel less isolated.
I do believe that if I am battling physical symptoms, my mental symptoms worsen and vice versa. If I have a meltdown and get stressed then the physical pain can get pretty bad. And causes an FM flare-up.
A lot of the time I feel as though I can be feeling low or anxious because of my fibromyalgia. Living every day with an illness can definitely affect you mentally. I have found that many people with FM may also be diagnosed with a form of mental illness also.
I have tried Amitryptline also for fibromyalgia. The tablets I have for sweating work very well but if they aren’t taken at the same time every day can upset my stomach. Other than that, they have worked amazingly and made me feel so much better about myself. I sometimes do worry about the side effects of medication though.
The meds I have had for fibromyalgia have only been started in the past 6 months and have been low doses. I am waiting for another appointment with my doctor to discuss other treatments as I don’t feel they have made much difference to me.
I have tried CBD oils and vaping CBD which had helped me a lot but unfortunately can be too expensive in the UK to rely on. Also, THC is currently illegal in the UK. So even though consuming cannabis has helped me more than I thought, It isn’t available as medication.
I was in the hospital a few times when I was younger. This was due to mental health and trying to take my own life. As it was years ago, I struggle to remember full details.
I think maybe speaking to a counseller again would benefit me as I like to talk about my issues to somebody but I am not sure how CBT is going to be for me.
I don’t feel as though I will find a method of coping with my health. At the moment, I feel I am just waiting for something to come along that will help me and in the meantime, I am just floating through life.
Mainly due to the fact that the majority of people I have spoken to with FM also struggle with their mental health. Anxiety and depression are a symptom of the illness.
Though I do also believe that my mental health would be better if I didn’t have FM and my physical health would be better if I didn’t have mental health problems.
They both affect my life but I feel coping with one illness would be easier if I didn’t have the other.
I think spreading awareness is a great tool also and social media gives you a platform to do that. You will meet some great people who you can talk to who are going through the same. They can give you tips and suggest things that helped them. Keep yourself open to new ideas.
Remind yourself that it is ok to rest!
Feel free to reach out to Cathy and leave a comment below to show your support.
Is it non-stop pain that lasts a lifetime? Or is it pain that comes and goes?
Do they include more than one pain/symptom?
The answer to all of these questions is YES and NO.
Fibromyalgia flare-ups are difficult to fully define because there are so many varying factors.
Although I began experiencing fibromyalgia symptoms as early as age 10, they didn’t start interrupting my life until my late 20’s. Because the symptoms were so vague and embarrassing, I didn’t see a doctor for them until my early 30’s. There wasn’t a lot of information available when I was diagnosed with fibro in 2003. Nor were there any approved medications, that would happen a few years later. In my 20 plus years of living with it, I have discovered four different ways fibro flares up in my body and how to deal with them.
Let’s take a look!
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Keep in mind that there are far more than four types of fibromyalgiaflares. When you consider how many fibro symptoms there are and all the different combinations that present at the same time, there could be thousands. The four that I have listed below are ones that I experience most often and that also at times, occur on their own.
Muscle flares This flare is best described as muscle soreness. They feel bruised, but there is no visible bruising. At times the pain is wide-spread and at others, it is isolated to one set or particular muscle. It can also present itself as muscleweaknesswith or without pain. When weakness is involved, limbs may feel like they weigh a thousand pounds and have the strength of a wet noodle!
Inflammation flare-ups Flares involving inflammation can occur anywhere throughout the body. Joints, muscles, tendons, organs, etc. Inflammation flare-ups are typically painful. Mobility may be compromised if experienced in the feet, knees, hips, and back. Inflammation in the hands may require the use of accessible toolsin the kitchen. Neck and skull inflammation may trigger bouts of fibro fog and migraines.
Neuropathic flares This type of fibro flare-up creates what I best describe as strange and sometimes horrifying sensations. Examples of these nerve sensations feel like crawling, burning, tingling, and/or numbness in arms and legs. One of the first neuropathic flare-ups I noticed was what felt like burnt patches on my arms, even though there was no visible sight of injury.
Fatigue flare-ups Fibro fatigue is no joke! Many, like myself, often confuse fatigue for tiredness. But unlike tiredness, fatigue isn’t fixed with a nap or proper amount of sleep. Fatigue overtakes your body and body. There may be paininvolved, but it can also be a pain-free experience.
What triggers a fibro flare-up varies as much as the symptoms. However, through journaling, it is possible to find what your most common fibromyalgia triggersare. Some possible fibro flare triggers include
The symptoms you experience will not only vary from others who have fibromyalgia, but they will often vary between flares. You may experience overlapping flares as I did for the first ten years after my diagnosis and wonder if it will ever end. Or you may only experience random flares with relief in between like I have for the past seven years.
The most common symptoms of fibromyalgia flare-ups include but are not limited to the following:
Fibromyalgia flare-ups have no specific timetable. They could pass within a few hours or last for days, weeks, months, and even years. However, with extensive journaling and tracking, it is possible to figure out what your most frequent triggers are. This knowledge can help you address the fibro pressure point that is typically set off before the trigger occurs.
For example, I know that any increase of 10-20 degrees within a day or two will trigger inflammation around my spine and neck. Knowing this, I run extra PEMF treatmentsto those areas to reduce the effect the trigger has on my pressure points. This decreases the amount of pain and symptoms that I would have experienced without treating prior and lessens the duration of the flare as well.
Having an effective fibromyalgia pain management planis imperative! I cannot express this enough. If you are unable to relieve pain or experience restorative sleepmost nights, the odds of shortening the length of a flare are very slim. This is exactly why I was in a continual state of flare for 13 years!
You might think that having a good pain reliever is all you need to survive a flare. While comforting, it is not enough. I had excellent prescription pain–relieversduring my first 13 years. They would block pain receptors and my pain level was lowered. The problem was that they didn’t address what was causing the pain. Another issue I had was while enjoying that relief, I turned into a manic Super Woman hell-bent to catch up on everything I couldn’t do because of pain. The result was an even higher pain level than what I had before treating my pain.
In addition to relieving pain, flare survival typically requires a combination of the following:
Nobody can predict how often a fibromyalgia flare-up will occur. My best advice is to get to know your body, track symptoms, flares, and what does and doesn’t help. This will at the very least decrease how often certain flares are triggered and shorten their duration. The most important thing you can do is to be patient with your body. It needs time to recover and stressing over the flare will only increase your recovery time. Fibromyalgia flare-ups have a mind and agenda of their own, fighting it only makes it worse. It’s better to adopt a comfort and care mindset.
Like you have the flu constantly. Affecting your concentration and memory. And the pain itself is very distracting and tiring. Generally just feeling physically tired all the time. Sometimes worse than others.
Numerous fibromyalgia symptoms come and go. From hour to hour your symptoms change. Often ith little reason. Other symptoms can last for years.
And chronic pain can lead to clinical depression. The symptom of Fibromyalgia includes many symptoms that are common with depression. Sometimes being difficult to separate the symptoms of fibromyalgia and the symptoms of clinical depression.
For me, it makes work very difficult and many people are unable to work. Due to the physical symptoms and clouding of the mind. All the symptoms distract from activities.
Exercise needs to be limited and slowly increased as can be tolerated. Overexertion leads to significant increases in pain and physical and mental exhaustion.
Using medications can add to the confusion. It may be difficult to find the best balance of medications.
Most people with Fibromyalgia have a hard time getting a diagnosis and getting effective support from doctors. GPs will often misunderstand the symptoms. Usually, a diagnosis of arthritis or depression is made. And most of the correct diagnosis comes from rheumatologists.
They are the doctors that are likely to make the diagnosis. And in the case of a diagnosis of depression, a psychiatrist may be able to provide a better diagnosis. The GPs are improving and can now diagnose fibromyalgia better. Or refer a person to a rheumatologist or psychiatrist for a clear diagnosis.
Support groups are great. That is where people can better understand your situation. Even with very strange symptoms. It may be hard to explain to a doctor the feeling of ice or electricity running up and down your limb bones. But most people with fibromyalgia will recognize the terrible sensations.
The shooting pain in your bones, usually limbs, with the sensations of chills or electricity can be one of the most painful symptoms. Usually when your fibromyalgia is really bad.
Depression that may be caused by fibromyalgia also has bad effects on your thinking and concentration. If the mental symptoms are very bad a psychologist could be able to assess your level of functioning.
In addition to chronicpain throughout my body, I am always tired. Sometimes I am so tired that my husband has to help me up the stairs and into bed.
Then, every day around 3:00 – give or take a half an hour – I have to try to live with fibro fog. It’s actually what it sounds like. In the late afternoons, it feels like someone has pulled a gauze bag over my head. I can still see out and I can hear voices, but everything is muted and fuzzy.
I can pay attention to what someone is saying, but don’t quite understand it. And within minutes I’d forgotten what we talked about. I feel confused and “out of it.”
One of the worst changes I have gone through with fibromyalgia is becoming less intelligent. No one seems to talk about this but it’s true. I used to be really smart. I was the major caregiver of our two children ages 5 and 2 with one of them already exhibiting signs of mental illness.
I started a business with no college degree or money and grew it until it was quite successful. I volunteered in our community acting as an election official in various elections. I was the executive director of a community-wide outdoor celebration that attracted about 20,000 people each year.
Today, I would not be able to keep track of all the details, and I would not have the energy to juggle all the people, business needs, and community expectations that surrounded me.
As far as recognizing I had FM – I didn’t. I got sick in 1989 and although I saw numerous doctors – some of whom were specialists – no one could find anything specifically wrong.
Remember, even though FM had been written about in the medical literature for centuries, it was a new medical disorder in 1980. And for that decade, and even longer, it was not accepted as a “true” disorder. Because 98% of FM sufferers are women, many patients were referred to mental health professionals.
Finally, in 1996, I went to see a new rheumatologist. He spent a long time examining me and asking questions. When he finished he said, “You have fibromyalgia.” I had never heard of it. He gave me a brochure and said,
“The good news is, it won’t kill you.”
Wait, what?
No, it won’t kill you; it’s a life sentence with no chance of parole.
I’ve had 30 years to make my peace with fibromyalgia, and I don’t let the various symptoms upset me or cause depression. I don’t talk about it very much anymore. I’ve come to the conclusion that this pain and fatigue aren’t a symptom of something wrong with me that needs to be fixed. The pain and fatigue have shaped the person I am. They are as much a part of me as my heart and lungs are.
The short-term memory loss, insomnia, lack of appetite, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and whatever else I can’t think of at this minute (it’s 3:03 pm and soon the fibro fog will come) define me as much as the color of my eyes and my smile.
I don’t complain about FM symptoms anymore. My husband is doing his best to take care of me and he doesn’t need to put up with a bunch of complaining and whining. If I need to cry about a missed opportunity, I do it when I’m alone.
Fibromyalgia is not only affecting me. My husband, family, and friends are experiencing it second hand through how I act and what I say. Fibromyalgia is miserable. The people around me have their own problems; they don’t need to take on any of mine.
People with fibromyalgia often describe their symptoms as a flu-like infection that doesn’t go away. It leaves you exhausted and unable to think or find the right words (symptoms of fibro fog). Many people with Fibromyalgia are exhausted to the point of collapse. No amount of sleep is refreshing or restful, and often the muscle pain keeps the person from getting any sleep at all. Symptoms can be debilitating and often the patient feels as if they have to push themselves to the breaking point to just do the simplest things.
The pain is unrelenting and is often described as burning, stabbing, radiating, tingling deep aching, or roaming. This pain does not ease with over-the-counter pain medication or other common remedies, and it is often more severe than what normal people feel. For example, if you pat someone gently on the back, it would not hurt them, but for someone with fibromyalgia, a simple hug or pat on the back can feel like being stabbed. The slightest touch is excruciating, for no other reason than the nerves are overly sensitive.
The fatigue is not like the normal fatigue of a person who works hard and gets tired. It is a type of tiredness that lingers for months at a time and never goes away. Doing the simplest tasks, like making a meal, taking a shower, or getting dressed exhaust the person to the point where they feel they must take a nap. When doing regular household chores, they must stop and rest frequently before the task is complete. They have little to no stamina to speak of. The equivalent would be a “normal” person trying to live and function after not sleeping at all for three days.
Like insomnia, tossing and turning (because of pain), waking up several times a night, and a general sense of unrest in the mornings, as if you have not slept at all. The person often can not get through the day without a nap, because they are so tired and don’t sleep well at night. Typical sleep aids do not help. The brain simply doesn’t go into a deep enough stage of sleep to be restful for someone with Fibro. As a result, the person does not dream nearly as much as someone without Fibro.
Being “spaced out” and unable to recall conversations, facts, numbers, or names, despite common “memory tricks“, lists or reminders. Often the person reads at a much slower rate than they are normally used to and comprehend less, or they mispronounce or stumble over words. Often they misspell words because they literally can’t remember how to spell.
Often the stiffness is so bad that the person can’t move very well for several minutes or hours in the morning. Simple stretching does not take the stiffness away. The muscles of the body are constantly tight, despite regular massage and stretching.
These things are a daily occurrence, despite rest and hydration. The most noticeable weakness is often in the arms and hands, and any repetitive activity (climbing stairs, typing, walking, kneeling, bending, lifting, etc.) aggravates and increases muscle pain. Often a person with Fibro can not lift a normal amount of weight that most people would find easy to carry. Their muscles just don’t work right.
Like IBS, heartburn, indigestion, intestinal cramps, diarrhea, and constipation. Gluten intolerance, insulin resistance, and other food sensitivities aren’t always a major concern by themselves but coupled with all the other symptoms, are part of the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. The brain doesn’t send out the right signals to the body to be able to digest and process food properly.
Loud, high-pitched noises, bright lights, sunlight, perfumes or other strong smells, or certain chemicals in foods can cause headaches to worsen. Headaches are common and often feel as bad as a severe hangover, without the fun of drinking. Over-the-counter pain relievers do not help.
Are all part of the neurological component to fibromyalgia’s effect on the body. Someone with fibromyalgia will often fall over, trip over things, or drop items they are holding. The person is not clumsy or stupid or slow. It is simply because the brain misfires and sends the wrong signals to the muscles and nerves. These things happen on a daily basis, not just every once in a while.
People with fibromyalgia often have a hard time controlling their body temperature. The extreme heat of summer or the frigid cold of winter is often much more pronounced for someone with Fibro because they cannot cool or warm their body as well as a normal person. They will get heatstroke or hypothermia a lot faster than someone without fibromyalgia. Ironically, sometimes a person with fibromyalgia may feel like they are boiling to death in below 20 weather, or be freezing cold and shivering in 100 degree summers.
Experiencing Fibro fog can make you feel like you’re lost in a maze. You might feel confused, alone, frustrated, disoriented, bewildered, unclear, and adrift. Fibro fog can also affect your emotional well-being. Being unable to think clearly may make you feel powerless, irritable, and downcast.
Constantly feeling this way can put a damper on your mental health. Having a mental illness can trigger Fibro fog, as can other conditions. Understanding Fibro fog, its causes, and how it relates to mental illness can help you better understand the relationship between Fibro health, mental capacity, and emotional well-being.
Fibro fog isn’t a specific medical condition. Instead, Fibro fog is an “extremely common term used to describe changes that have occurred in the Fibro function over a period of time,” Dr. Christopher Calapai explained. “A decrease in focus, concentration, memory, alertness and word retrieval are all part of the description of ‘Fibro fog.’” Basically, Fibro fog happens when your Fibro doesn’t serve you as well as it can.
Also known as “mental fatigue,” Fibro fog is a symptom of cognitive dysfunction. The type of cognitive decline caused by Fibro fog can vary from person to person, but typically, Fibro fog causes one or more of the following challenges:
Despite what you may think, there isn’t a connection between Fibro fog and age. Teens, adolescents, and young adults can experience Fibro fog while healthy elderly adults can have strong cognitive ability and sharp thinking. When your Fibro is healthy, you can age with your cognitive functionality intact. Even though the Fibro does age, well-nourished Fibro’s can avoid most signs of cognitive decline. Malnourished Fibro’s, on the other hand, experience mental fatigue.
The causes of Fibro fog can be as diverse as the symptoms. But luckily, many of the causes of Fibro fog can be reduced with lifestyle changes, medication, or professional counseling.
Some of the most common causes of Fibro fog include:
Sleep deprivation. When you don’t get enough sleep, you may feel a little bewildered and have trouble concentrating. Poor sleep can also make the Fibro tired, which can make thinking clearly difficult.
Stress. Like poor quality sleep, prolonged stress can also exhaust the Fibro. When your mind is tired, thinking, reasoning, and focusing become difficult. Additionally, chronic stress can increase blood pressure, weaken your immune system, and trigger depression.
Hormonal changes. Hormonal changes can have a significant impact on your memory and ability to think clearly. When estrogen and progesterone increase during pregnancy, many women experience “pregnancy Fibro,” which can make remembering details, focusing on tasks, and concentrating hard to do. Menopause, which causes estrogen levels to drop, can also cause forgetfulness, poor concentration, and cloudy thinking.
Diet. The Fibro needs energy, proper nutrition, iron, and vitamin B-12 to function optimally. A poor diet and low B-12 levels can cause memory loss and hazy thoughts.
Physical inactivity. The Fibro and body work together. When your physical activity slows, activity in the Fibro also slows, which can lead to symptoms associated with Fibro fog.
Medication and certain medical conditions. Occasionally, medication can cause Fibro fog as a side effect. If you suspect this, talk with your doctor. They may be able to lower your dosage or switch out your medication. Medical conditions that cause inflammation, fatigue, or changes in blood glucose levels can also cause mental fatigue. Some of these conditions include anemia, depression, fibromyalgia, diabetes, lupus, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, migraines, arthritis, hypothyroidism, and diabetes.
How you feel and think are intricately connected to the health of your Fibro. As such, mental illness can increase your risk of Fibro fog. Similarly, living with cloudy thoughts and an inability to focus and concentrate can also increase your risk of depression, anxiety, mood disorders, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and other mental health conditions. Scientists continue to study the links between Fibro fog and mental illness, but they have discovered that:
By definition, mental illness is any condition that affects your mood, thinking, and behavior. One of the main symptoms of Fibro fog is an inability to think clearly. As mental health conditions develop, Fibro function changes. These changes prevent the Fibro from working as well as it should, which often leads to Fibro fog. In fact, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and schizophrenia can affect the brain in ways that lead to Fibro fog.
Mental illness and Fibro fog can be triggered by some of the same causes: lack of sleep, poor diet, unregulated stress, and hormonal and biochemical imbalances. Some scientists believe these similar causes may demonstrate a link between Fibro fog and mental illness.
Fibro inflammation is a common thread in both mental illness and Fibro fog. In most cases, Fibro states that produce mental illness also tend to activate inflammation. Likewise, inflammatory responses in the Fibro can cause depression, anxiety, fatigue, and social withdrawal. Ironically, the same inflammatory responses typically manifest in the Fibro as Fibro fog. Inflammation in the Fibro hinders the production of neurons, making neural communication difficult. This is what causes the Fibro to slow down which triggers forgetfulness, lack of concentration, and dull thinking.
Here at Stoneridge Centers, we believe that healthy Fibro’s help us live thriving, healthy lives. Our comprehensive treatment plans can help restore your fibro brain to health. Let us help you get there. Contact us today if you’re ready to overcome Fibro fog and live a healthy, happy, thriving, and purpose-filled life.
Is there a fiber fog? It feels that you’re dazzled by the simplest things, you can’t remember. You have a loss of memory and can’t speak the words you want to say. You find it difficult to concentrate, you can forget little information and even plan. You may feel confused, just as you can’t understand what is being said to you. The concentration and even a lack of vigilance and energies have decreased. It can be deceptive and depressing. This is one of the major challenges that we face every day. It can range from mild questions, such as forgetting the word hairbrush, to serious problems, such as the sense of confusion about why you are in the room first.
You feel that you can’t remember the simplest things. You can’t remember. You have a loss of memory and may not speak the words. You find it difficult to concentrate, you can forget little details and even plans. You may be confused, just like you can’t understand what you’re told. Concentrations have decreased and even energy has been lacking.
It can be frustrating and depriving, even. This is one of the most important problems that we face every day. It can range from mild issues, such as the forgetfulness of the word hairbrush, to the seriousness of the confusion of why you’re in the room. I will speak, have a word on my tongue, I’ll have a simple word, like hairbrush, and can’t say that word in my life! I’ll be talking! Rather, I walked through my room and dressed for the day to finish looking through a book of photos and then proceed out of the room. I watched a picture book and then a book of photos. That’d disturb me to the point of tears, and sometimes still. Time to admit to my psychiatric department. I feel like I go nuts.
1. Three times I’ve left my garden pants, because after watering outside animals I’ve forgotten to turn them off, and they’ve spent 24 more hours. After all the set of washers, if you forget about starting washing, come back to put the dryer in later. Think it’s not done, I’ve returned a call or sent an email. Forget about what I say… it’s so outrageous!!! –haggy
2. I ask my husband to take me something high in the cupboards, for example, by replacing a word for another, but I say the name of that other object while pointing at what I want, if I have a glimpse of another object before asking him. I often ask him the “chair” in my kitchen cupboard that’s high up.
3. My depression is heavily affected by the inability to talk normal. Sometimes I feel like my only meaningful conversations with my 3-year-old granddaughter. -Lisa
4. I’m anxious to talk to people who don’t know me because my talk is quite choppy. I have a lot to pause and think about words or say the words off the wall that are null and void of what I say. I forget about appointments, talks and questions. However, the part which most disturbs me is that my level of intelligence has fallen dramatically can’t concentrate, like simply discovering issues or puzzles, and sometimes my brain can’t do much work. Occasionally, I drive down the highway and panicked, not knowing where I was for a while. I forget where I go and I’m going. My husband had the checkbook and the accounts to take over. I have messed up paying bills and balanced the checkbook too often when I did it perfectly well for years and years. Jessica
5. Once more, I’ll say this too. All of us forget stuff. All of us. Big gap between fibro fog and forgetting. I can easily forget to keep my food list. Like all others, just forgot. Forgetting Fibro Fog has a feeling. A dumb, hazy sensation. A sense of hangover. And I’m beginning to sling out my talk. For the frightening feeling and forgetful thing, I did, I go into panic. My brain tries hard to get to the side of the answer and literally you can feel pressure and hurt. I left the burner last night and decided that Tupperware was a great butter lid on the stove after cooking. -Sammy
6. I start sweating and my body blows and I try to sit in the middle of grooming my horse. I must lie down, not move, no suffering like floating, for around 15 minutes staring straight ahead. All returns to normal after the fifteen. As normal as we get fibro. Margaret
7. The worst thing is what we all share: the failure to find words, to blank in mid phrase and to feel stupid. I agree with that. Curiously enough, I write a lot better than I talk, and for decades I have kept newspapers. I’m so happy that I’ve been affected by many of my long-term memory. During flares, I kept a pain newspaper, a dream diary and so on. I must force myself to write a little nowadays but it helps to have a naked soul and not to make it out loud–Terry.
8. Try to write down things and forget what I write immediately. I’m a cook and have to write on labels what food is and how often I fight to get the food right in front of me. I already write the date several times but forget every time. I have no choice. I’m a cooking assistant. This is so frustrating. So, dumb I feel. – Cory
9. Go to the airport to pick up my daughter and realize I was going in the wrong direction! Times when I can’t figure out how to get there are thousands of times! Words can’t remember, can’t spell when you talk…. –Alexa
10. The most frustrating thing for me is that I cannot follow the word. It’s like I hear it, but it doesn’t work in my brain. Words that are wrong and things that are misread are also frustrating, especially because I like to read and write and have always been very good at them. Forgetting about what I’m doing is something else, but without fiber many people do so, so it’s not just as embarrassing to ask someone to reply.
11. Inthe second year of the tough doctoral program, my chronic fatigue brain fog first hit me, where I was assumed to have excellent memory and skills. I started asking my professors, and even some of my colleagues, if I was part of the programmed, and felt like an impostor. There was nobody talking about chronic tiredness or brain fog at that point, so I felt I just lost my mind. So, a pity.– Rimse
12. Losing the mud-thinking phrase, even the middle word. Put the milk into the wardrobe, cereals in the refrigerator, leave oven for 3 hours, use a calendar to keep track of the new medicine. Increase schedule, daily pills had to be purchased because I forgot whether or not I used medicines. Set an alarm 2 times a day to remind you of medication. -Shannon
13. I could not remember this summer, on holidays at the lake, how to deal with a solitaire game–something I did a thousand times every summer of my life. I had Google. I had it to Google. I sat then crying at the table because I’m new to that symptom and I’m afraid of that. – Kible
14. I work in the hospitality and I literally look at the cash register to make a customer change and I can not make a registry because the fibrofog makes me confused and I only forget what I say in the middle of the sentence. Kelly
15. Oh, I’m just chatting when I need to speak with a repairman, customer service etc. That way, I can’t sound like a jerk on the phone. I could have time to reflect on what I want to say Aimee
16. Phone number mixing up. Often I have to ask people to write me or put their own phone number, l mix the number sequence up tox inconveniently– Amma
17. Because I forget their names, I can’t introduce people. Just like the names of my parents. I forgot my own name. I forgot my own. I had them after flashbacks in particular. It’s awful. It’s awful. My brain goes blank and I forget about talking, saying the simplest phrases or doing things to help me. Things and what’s going on to me, so they could understand, I told my family and good friends. They were awesome, apart from my mother. She is simply not open to it. I’m always not familiar with the date. I’ve got lots of advice. My calendar, my phone notes, lists of things to do. –Cynthia
18. Cooking! I’m on a budget that is very limited. It makes me want to weep when I burn food, because every bit is precious. I continue to forget that I’ve got food on the stove. But I keep forgetting to set it. I’ve got kitchen time. This way, I have ruined many of my favorite pots.– Eva
19. When I couldn’t follow discussions at work, I noticed the fibro fog. I wrote legal papers and supported my colleagues, and I was frightened when I began to fail to understand what people were saying to me. What was happening, I didn’t understand.My fiber symptoms have been getting worse and I can do what I need to do now in order to try and cope with my work I have been retired for 35 years and it was a good choice. My friends and family came to expect my forgetful words, names or places. I can laugh about that now, but still very frustrating. I can laugh about that. –Dolly
20. I think I’ve all had at one time or another. Because of my delayed time of action, I no longer drive. When I stood before my children, I always felt so bad that I could not remember their names completely. Fortunately, now they’re older and they know that Mummy isn’t trying to be funny. At first I thought I was losing my mind literally and went to Doc for Alzheimer’s and Detention to have him check it out (age 45). It wasn’t so bad until then, then it just got worse. I forget what I do when I do. Trying to type this was a frustration exercise and I lose my thoughtfulness and need to continue to figure out what I was speaking about, or write in a word that is not even near the word I want to say. Some days I just want to shout that when I’m with someone, my brain will just go away somewhere. Yes, that’s helpful, when I remember, to know that I’m not alone. Olivia
21. When I speak, I get my words changed. When I tell my daughter, for example, that she has to remove the trash, it turns out that “you have to waste it.” Failure to drive, too. I suddenly feel lost as I don’t know where I am or where I am going when I drive in a familiar area. Forget what I say in the middle of the phrase. I wonder if I said loudly something I thought. –Pritey
22. I find it difficult to follow the easiest directions, for example on the side of a rice box, pasta, etc. I must ask my husband for assistance many times. That never thought, but it did. Sandy
23. Go through the food shop with a list and then don’t know where I’m going and walk– Simi
24. Once my son asked why my bag was in the refrigerator. I looked and it was there, sure enough. I was therefore looking where I kept my bag normally and the milk was there. Couldn’t remember what to call an appliance for a kitchen, it was always called the “garage of dirty meals.” My son asked if the dishwasher was meant to me. Oh, yes, I meant that. Twice, I couldn’t find out where I was suddenly while driving. Nothing looked familiar–not road signs or companies. I could figure it out until something finally got my brain in place.
Over 20 years, I’ve been living in the same city! It frightened me! I’m going to be at my house and just stand because I want to watch TV, but I don’t understand what to do first, and I’m going to want a glass of water. I just got to get to do something, finally. Speak with me loud and concentrate all the time. I often “twist” the words because of “verbal dyslexia” when I speak. For example, knives and forks are turned into knorks and fifes. Fog could turn into foog. I’m using “thingie,” because I can’t remember the word for them, to describe things a lot. I started saying bluntly that I can’t think of the word to the people. So until we get the right one, they’re helpful and say words.
25. Occasionally I can’t remember if I eat and I just realize I didn’t feel wonky. I’m also forgetting when I’m driving home after doing something which takes concentration, like driving to the shop. I have to trust my car pilot at times like that, but it’s frightening! Lavit
Well, let me say what I am confronting when this article is compiled. I forget how many comments I have already listed, I forget about the wording of the person who shares his views. I forget that it has already been covered, while reading the comment, so you may also see a few repetitions of some issues in the article. In the image below, a summary. Please inform us in the comment section when you want to add or share your experience in the list. “Chronicillness.com,” because we found the question on their website, would also be appreciated for the issue.
When
it comes to physical and mental illness, I’m a fairly open individual, but I
may also be horribly reserved, especially with regard to my chronic pain and
fatigue. It’s not because I don’t want to share about what’s going on with me,
but because of that I don’t want people to assume I’m a “whiner” or
“attention seeker.” I’m neither of these stuffs. I’m quite different
Many
people acknowledge that I have fibromyalgia in fact. What they don’t
acknowledge is the truth of what I’m changing. They see on the surface a
positive, stupid, young 25-year-old girl, but they don’t know how much pain I’m
in, or how badly my anxiety impacts my life. I don’t think people really view
my conditions ‘ intensity. I’m going to acknowledge that part of it is my fault
to show only the great elements of my life on social media but showing the
unreasonable aspects will usually come back as attention seeking. I don’t want
to be careful, I want to avoid my circumstances being stigmatized. I don’t want
to pity, I want people to catch these illnesses.
Here is that the reality of
somebody with fibromyalgia:
1- Pain
They don’t take it highly seriously when you tell someone you’re in pain. Sometimes you’re just supposed to have a typical headache or back ache. They don’t realize that your entire body is experiencing pain, stabbing pain, needles, numbness, or typically a feeling of burning. The additionally don’t realize that you might suffer likewise from the consumer products you’re sporting, or the material chair on which you’re sitting. Fibromyalgia folks are sensitive to materials and materials that are certain. Many (including myself) of the United States feel pain in their organs. I had sexual gland pain for years and didn’t know what it was until I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
Our
suffering is usually unsustainable and can cause problems in stuff every day.
I’m usually late to find out once I’m surfing hazardous flare-ups. It appears
despite how soon I get up, it takes half an hour to AN hour for Pine Tree State
to cause my body to get out of bed, my hips square measure latched, and my
fingers ache. Carrying a grocery basket will tighten my hands and elbows, gap
containers are not usually feasible, unit tasks will bring everything out of
you, and the list can also last.
2- Fatigue
Time
to figure out, exhaustion is another excuse, so it’s hard to induce from sleep.
I may have had my life’s easiest sleep, but I’m not going to want to sleep a
wink. Chronic fatigue is one of the most severe symptoms for me. I’m nervous
about driving lengthy distances because of the extremely dangerous fatigue
caused by the sun. I’m working a table job, but at midday I want to do an
exhausting job, and everybody I’d like to attempt to get home and sit down on
the couch. And reasonable luck trying to plan something when working with Pine
Tree State. I’m just going to be too tired to try something. If you’re prepared
to get Pine Tree State to stay with you on weekdays, it’s most probable because
I want your business, despite how tired I am.
3- Brain Fog
That’s
the last symptom I can bit on. To mention the smallest quantity, brain fog
could be a bitch. Completely forgetting a speech, you had yesterday, having to
pause middle phrase as a result of you forgetting what you were spoken in the
language, or stopping your speech altogether as a result of which you can think
of the right words to use. This is often the most awkward fibromyalgia symptom.
It is unbelievably frustrating and sorrowful to feel incompetent. I’m typically
amazed if people judge me because of that. I notice every now and then that once
I write, I can’t even remember how to spell a word. Before clicking the
“send” or “send” button, I check my text messages, emails,
and social media posts several times. Brain fog embarrassment creates most
anxiety in the Pine Tree State. I just wish people couldn’t understand how my
brain operates in general.
Another
popular thing fibromyalgia fighter struggle with square measure here is:
Mental illness as well as depression and anxiety, but not limited to.
Temperature sensitives. Summers, and especially the square of Winters, are typically unsustainable.
Irritable intestinal syndrome (IBS).
Night flashes of sweats / hot and cold insomnia.
Painful and irregular cycles of expulsion.
Balance problems.
Symptoms (earring).
Restless syndrome of the legs.
Rash and diseases of the skin.
It is quite prevalent for individuals with fibromyalgia to be able to fight with symptoms that are totally distinct from others. All square symptoms measure totally differently for everyone, so it is difficult to explain what your square symptoms measure. Inveterately unwell patients seem to understand their unwellness in comparison with experts who are often exhausting when it comes to medicines and covers. We’re beating this along, and we want the people and the favored ones in our life to support and understand.
I hope this will shed some light weight on this terrible unwell. If you acknowledge someone who has fibromyalgia, go and give them a (smooth) hug and lift what you are going to do to help them. The world may imply just being there to focus. Stay Healthizes!
Brain Fog is familiar to everybody with fibromyalgia. It’s a
name to concentrate when you’re having trouble doing a job. You’ll even forget
what you’ve been doing sometime. You will be challenged in many respects by
brain fog. Sometimes I even forget that I must select my kids from college, or
that I must pay bills, or have or have not taken medicine.
I personally thank you for making my life so miserable with
fibromyalgia. I can’t even do my daily work with Brain Fog or remember my
day-to-day duties. In remembering something, my family can’t trust me.
When I was a good individual with a sharp memory, I missed
my ancient life. I never missed any appointments with a physician or parent /
teacher, never late to work, but now it’s all upside down. I need to write down
everything from birthdays to meetings. See how fast your life changes with
fibromyalgia.
I was bumping into one of my close friends yesterday. We
were together in university. Remembering who she is and what her name was took
me nearly 2 minutes. The other very annoying thing about brain fog is how I can
remember all the lyrics of a 90’s song and can’t remember what I had in today’s
dinner. Is not this frustrating.
Before I got married, I had fibromyalgia. My husband had a great deal of support. It’s a whole distinct tale after marriage when we have children. I mean you can’t imagine how hard it is to live with kids and fibromyalgia.
Initially, it feels like I’m going to die very quickly after
the birth of my first baby Tracy. You understand how much you need to take care
of a child with all the feeding and care in the first 2-3 years, and with
fibromyalgia going on its a Colossal Job. Well, I was very backed by my husband
and now our daughter is 5 years old today.
I generally go to the doctor to talk about how I can handle
brain fog and all the other symptoms of fibro. My doctor informed me that
fibromyalgia may cause brain fog, but it is generally mild and not progressive.
Well, I can only tell it’s not soft at all. The term fog seems innocent, but
you’ll feel like you’re living in hell while you’re in it.
Life has altered a great deal now. I must check my calendar
if I have an appointment today or if I miss a major event today. Always
concerned that something significant should not have been ignored.
Another important thing about fibro fog is that it is going
to stop you from gradually thinking. I sometimes know what I want to say, I
can’t just put words to convey my meaning, or I even must change my words
sometimes because I forgot what to say.
Brain fog will always have me in uncertainty, and this will
surely also occur to you. Usually I always attempt to get active while driving
because brain fog can strike anywhere and if I lose a bit of concentration
while driving it will cost a lot.
I understand I’m not alone because a lot of other fibro-sick
people go through brain fog or memory loss every day.
The nice thing about fibro fog is it’s not always present.
First, it will gradually strike you, you’ll feel memory fog or loss, but you’ll
feel better after a while. Your memory will return in the warm summer like a
cold breeze and make you feel nice. I am grateful to God for the fact that my
brain is still functional, its mere fog that causes trouble.
Fibromyalgia doesn’t come alone, it carries with it a range of other diseases or symptoms that make your life miserable. Setting up the fibromyalgia and its symptoms really requires an enormous quantity of energy. Just to be sure, discuss brain fog with your doctor to rule out anything else. But know you’re NOT ALONE IN THIS AND WE ALL IN THIS. Stay Healthizes!
