Groups > A Friend In Need - Chronic Pain & Fibromyalgia

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Group admin:: Carol Ray
Created:: August 23, 2008
: 47 Members

Group Tags:

chronic pain, fibroymalgia, osteoarthritis, health, mental health, body & mind

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Symptoms of Fibro

Posted: Aug 23, 08 3:12pm

I'm sure this isn't a complete list but it gives you a lot of the ones that are very common.

GENERAL

____Fatigue, made worse by physical exertion or stress

____Activity level decreased to less than 50% of pre-illness activity level

____Recurrent flu-like illness

____Sore throat

____Hoarseness

____Tender or swollen lymph nodes (glands), especially in neck and underarms

____Shortness of breath (air hunger) with little or no exertion

____Frequent sighing

____Tremor or trembling

____Severe nasal allergies (new allergies or worsening of previous allergies)

____Cough

____Night sweats

____Low-grade fevers

____Feeling cold often

____Feeling hot often

____Cold extremities (hands and feet)

____Low body temperature (below 97.6)

____Low blood pressure (below 110/70)

____Heart palpitations

____Dryness of eyes and/or mouth - Increased thirst

____Symptoms worsened by temperature changes

____Symptoms worsened by air travel

____Symptoms worsened by stress

____Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar attacks)

PAIN

____Headache

____Painful Menstruation

____Tender points or trigger points

____Muscle pain

____Muscle twitching

____Muscle weakness

____Paralysis or severe weakness of an arm or leg

____Joint pain

____TMJ syndrome

____Chest pain

GENERAL NEUROLOGICAL

____Lightheadedness; feeling "spaced out"

____Inability to think clearly ("brain fog") -

____Seizures

____Seizure-like episodes

____Syncope (fainting) or blackouts

____Sensation that you might faint -

____Vertigo or dizziness

____Numbness or tingling sensations

____Tinnitus (ringing in one or both ears)

____Photophobia (sensitivity to light)

____Noise intolerance

EQUILIBRIUM/PERCEPTION

____Feeling spatially disoriented

____Dysequilibrium (balance difficulty)

____Staggering gait (clumsy walking; bumping into things)

____Dropping things frequently

____Difficulty judging distances (e.g. when driving; placing objects on surfaces)

____"Not quite seeing" what you are looking at

SLEEP

____Hypersomnia (excessive sleeping)

____Sleep disturbance: unrefreshing or non-restorative sleep

____Sleep disturbance: difficulty falling asleep

____Sleep disturbance: difficulty staying asleep (frequent awakenings)

____Sleep disturbance: vivid or disturbing dreams or nightmares

____Altered sleep/wake schedule (alertness/energy best late at night)

MOOD/EMOTIONS

____Depressed mood

____Suicidal thoughts

____Suicide attempts

____Feeling worthless

____Frequent crying

____Feeling helpless and/or hopeless

____Inability to enjoy previously enjoyed activities

____Increased appetite

____Decreased appetite

____Anxiety or fear when there is no obvious cause

____Panic attacks

____Irritability; overreaction

____Rage attacks: anger outbursts with little or no cause

____Abrupt, unpredictable mood swings

____Phobias (irrational fears)

____Personality changes

EYES AND VISION

____Eye pain

____Changes in visual acuity (frequent changes in ability to see well)

____Difficulty with accommodation (switching focus from one thing to another)

____Blind spots in vision

SENSITIVITIES

____Sensitivities to medications (unable to tolerate "normal" dosage)

____Sensitivities to odors (e.g., cleaning products, exhaust fumes, colognes, hair sprays)

____Sensitivities to foods

____Alcohol intolerance

____Alteration of taste, smell, and/or hearing

UROGENITAL

____Frequent urination

____Painful urination or bladder pain

____Prostate pain

____Impotence

____Endometriosis

____Unexplained Hematuria (blood in the urine)

____Decreased libido (sex drive)

GASTROINTESTINAL

____Stomach ache; abdominal cramps

____Nausea

____Vomiting

____Esophageal reflux (heartburn)

____Frequent diarrhea

____Frequent constipation

____Bloating; intestinal gas

____Decreased appetite

____Increased appetite

____Food cravings

____Weight gain (_10___ lbs)

____Weight loss (__5-10__ lbs)

SKIN

____Rashes or sores -

____Eczema or psoriasis

OTHER

____Hair loss

____Mitral valve prolapse

____Cancer

____Dental problems

____Periodontal (gum) disease

____Aphthous ulcers (canker sores)

COGNITIVE

____Difficulty with simple calculations (e.g., balancing checkbook)

____Word-finding difficulty

____Using the wrong word

____Difficulty expressing ideas in words

____Difficulty moving your mouth to speak

____Slowed speech

____Stuttering; stammering

____Impaired ability to concentrate

____Easily distracted during a task

____Difficulty paying attention

____Difficulty following a conversation when background noise is present

____Losing your train of thought in the middle of a sentence -

____Difficulty putting tasks or things in proper sequence

____Losing track in the middle of a task (remembering what to do next)

____Difficulty with short-term memory

____Difficulty with long-term memory

____Forgetting how to do routine things

____Difficulty understanding what you read

____Switching left and right

____Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you speak

____Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you write

____Difficulty remembering names of objects

____Difficulty remembering names of people

____Difficulty recognizing faces

____Difficulty following simple written instructions

____Difficulty following complicated written instructions

____Difficulty following simple oral (spoken) instructions

____Difficulty following complicated oral (spoken) instructions -

____Poor judgment

____Difficulty making decisions

____Difficulty integrating information (putting ideas together to form a complete picture or concept)

____Difficulty following directions while driving -

____Becoming lost in familiar locations when driving -

____Feeling too disoriented to drive

Tags:

fibro, fibromyalgia, symptoms, chronic pain

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14 Comments // 5 Members

DianeA2Z

Posted: Aug 23, 08 6:15pm

That's quite a comprehensive list! The only thing I could add to that is restless leg syndrome. Oh, and this isn't a symptom but a coping technique: you have to have a sense of humor, even if it's a morbid sense of humor.

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Carol Ray

Posted: Aug 23, 08 6:44pm

I actually got that off another site I belong to and didn't even realize RLS wasn't on there. I suffer from that so bad I bruise myself at night and my son is developing it now.

And I agree on the sense of humor for sure!

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KathyArlene

Posted: Aug 24, 08 3:13pm

I can say that through the years I've had most of your list... before I was diagnosed everyone thought I was just trying to get attention.

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Carol Ray

Posted: Aug 24, 08 3:44pm

Yes I know what you mean and even now not many people really understand. My worst was the doctors telling me it was all in my head...uhmmm no doc it's not in my head it's all over my damn body!

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DeesignerArt

Posted: Nov 7, 08 1:07pm

Carol Ray, I am so glad you posted this list. There are so many things that I never associated with fibro. And this list makes me seriously consider that I had this even when I was a teenager, just not as advanced as now. I found something that works for my mild RLS. Don't laugh. I didn't think it would work when I tried it, either. I put a bar of soap under my sheets at the bottom of my bed. I haven't had RLS since!

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Carol Ray

Posted: Nov 7, 08 1:32pm

Sweetie I'd try just about anything once...I'll have to remember this. That list came from a group I'm in on MySpace actually and it's excellent...so much more they know now than when we were younger for sure.

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Glitter

Posted: Nov 13, 08 2:00pm

Wow! I've never seen a list this extensive and I've had fibro for a long time. It's encouraging and discouraging at the same time. I thought a lot of my symptoms were because I was aging before my time. Fortunately, or unfortunately, everything I'm wrestling with is on this list! And now I'm pretty convinced that at least one of my daughters has fibro as well! Thank you for having the insight to share this with us!!

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