Fibromyalgia FUNQ: Frequently UNasked Questions About Fibromyalgia
FM is an odd disorder, and Normals generally find it difficult to relate to the enormous list of issues FMers experience. People tend to always ask simple questions like, "how do you feel today?" However, many more helpful questions go unasked.
By the way, I feel about the same as I do every other day, so please stop asking!
Fibromyalgia questions:
- Why do you always take a nap during the day? Doesn't this make it harder to fall asleep at night?
- Why haven't you finished this FUnQ?
Fibromyalgia Answers:
Why are you such a jerk?- The pain causes me to be irritable. I generally try to avoid
direct contact with humans except under the best conditions.
- When the pain is unmanageable, I find it difficult not
to snap at people.
- That expression is largely due to my headache and the pain in
my face, which afflicts each muscle, as well as the underlying bone
and sinus cavities. I don't smile often, because my face just
doesn't want to stretch itself that way. It seems to prefer being
contracted.
- I try to get my face into the most comfortable position, and
I also need to coax my eyes into focusing. I feel pain in every
muscle in my face and sometimes find it momentarily helpful to
rearrange the muscles.
- I am always tired and very uncomfortable, inside and out.
- My ears are overly sensitive. Every sound is loud to me.
Loudness is not just an irritant, it causes physical pain. A bass
beat is like someone boxing my ears. Sharp notes feel like someone
is hammering nails into my ear drums. Whatever volume sounds
comfortable to a Normal is at least 3 times louder than what is
comfortable for me.
- My room is often the quietest and darkest place I can go.
Often, however, I find out outdoors to be a more peaceful setting,
as long as I can keep the sun out of my eyes.
- I just don't feel like it. I am most comfortable lying down
in a quiet place where I can control the light, sound, and
temperature. Besides, I simply don't have the energy to get out more
than once a month. Every hour that I'm spending energy to be
sociable requires several days of recuperation. If I go to, say a
family barbecue, for 3 hours, I generally end up bedridden for
several days and quite hopelessly useless for 3 weeks.
- High impact activities are very stressful for my body. Each
step sends shock waves up my spine. The jarring motion aggravates
pain in my neck and head, not to mention my knees, ankles, hips,
etc, etc.
- FMers experience a condition known as "fibro fog,"
which causes difficulty with concentration and memory. If I don't
finish a task quickly enough, I will forget what I am doing. I often
actually think that I've done something, when in fact I never
finished the job.
- I am very forgetful and easily distracted. My brain begins
each day in neutral. It takes several hours to coax it into first
gear, and it seldom gets to second.
- Pretty much everywhere: head, face, neck, shoulders, chest,
gut, back, elbows, wrists, hands, hips, knees, ankles, feet, toes,
etc.
- The top of my neck, where it meets the base of my skull.
- Every second of every minute of every day, without fail. The
intensity fluctuates, but never goes away.
- I always have a tension and sinus headache, which I refer to
as the "background headache." On top of this, I get
multiple migraines each day. Like the muscle and joint pain, the
background headache fluctuates in strength, but never calms down
enough that it does not affect me.
- In general, it's a lot like having the widespread achiness of
the flu, along with a sinus infection, arthritis, and a toothache,
and then being struck repeatedly with a baseball bat.
- basically everything: sitting up, standing, moving, riding in
a car, riding a bike, any kind of exercise at all, massage,
stretching, bright light, most noise, odors, chemicals, fragrances,
stress, hunger, thirst, lack of sleep, weather changes, wet weather,
cool weather, cold air from air conditioning or fan
- I consider myself to be cold-blooded. Sunlight and heat give
me energy.
- I am a thermophile. My muscles feel looser in hot weather.
Cold makes me feel ill, and increases joint and muscle pain.
- Yes, but only my eyes and not as much as industrial lighting.
I try to keep my head in the shade or wear sunglasses when the sun
is bright. My eyes seem to be oversensitive to light, which
generally makes light appear brighter. This is especially noticeable
at night, when streetlights and houselights appear much larger than
they actually are, taking on a star-like radiance.
- Yes, whatever it is it's much too loud. Lower it to mute and
then tick up a couple notches.
- It feels like a steamroller is squishing my head while
someone is driving nails into my ear canals.
- I do, but that can only do so much. I cannot fight noise with
noise. That only creates an even louder environment.
- I frequently do, but my ear canals are sensitive and always
feel inflamed.
- I can't afford them, and headphones are not extremely
comfortable for ears which always hurt.
- Running away works best. I just try to go wherever there is
the least noise. If that is still too loud, I do put in earplugs and
earbuds, and I wear headphones over those. If it's still not enough,
I bury my head under many pillows.
- I try to avoid fluorescent light. When I can't I look down so
that I don't directly see the bulbs. I apply the same practice to
car headlights and flashlights. Sometimes I end up staring at my
feet until the light has passed.
- My thoughts are easily derailed
- They hurt
- That's anybody's guess. Maybe forever. Maybe since elementary
school when I started having headaches, or maybe since junior high
when other symptoms revealed themselves, or maybe since high school
when the headache became permanent, or since college when I began to
feel sick all the time.
- Yes, many FMers have depression. Which came first is a
chicken-or-egg proposition.
- Yes
- I can't. I would only be able to work about 15 minutes a day,
3 times a week, at unpredictable times. In addition, I would need to
be able to work lying down or reclined with head support. My work
environment would have to be virtually silent with dim lighting, and
I would need to be free from human interaction.
- I can write for 10-15 minutes about 2-3 times a week.
Otherwise, I'm not good for much of anything.
- It hurts, and many people use fragrances, shampoos, lotions,
detergents, or other products which hurt to inhale
- No matter what I do, it is hard to sleep.
- Everything in the world hurts me physically and emotionally
- They are always dry and irritated. They don't like to focus.
They are sensitive to light. It feels like someone is pushing them
from behind.
- The pain and fatigue build up too quickly, and the fog
prevents me from concentrating.
Chances are, you have FMers in your life. If you've had a question on your mind but never asked it, please submit that in the comments.
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