Fibromyalgia Symptoms - Fibrofog

This is the first in what I hope will be a series or articles on specific Fibromyalgia symptom definitions. This post is about Fibrofog. Fibrofog is a cognitive issue that is present in a significant number of people that have Fibromyalgia. It can range from being mildly annoying such as forgetting where you put certain items , all the way up to debilitating. There have been documented cases where people have such difficult concentrating that they cannot hold down a job or drive a car, with at least one documented instance where a lady suffering from FibroFog found herself unable to concentrate while driving. One time, she even ran through a red light.

Some symptoms of Fibrofog include:

• Short term memory loss
• Difficulty remembering where you put things
• Difficulty remembering plans
• Difficulty with language, including trouble holding conversations, understanding conversations, and expressing thoughts
• Difficulty finding the "right" word to use in conversation
• Trouble remembering simple numbers
• Transposing letters and numbers
• Trouble concentrating and focusing
• Trouble retaining new information

Dealing with Fibrofog is done through a number of coping techniques such as:

• Making notes - This helps you get a thought more firmly in your mind.It also provides a a reference in the event that you forget something.
• Getting sleep - Sleep helps the brain concentrate and people with Fibromyalgia are notorious for not being able to get restorative sleep. Your doctor may be able to help with this. Getting a sleep study done to determine whether or not you have sleep apnea may help as well.
• Exercise - Yes, I know that xercise can make you feel worse or at the best, REALLY tired afterwards, but if it can be tolerated, moderate physical activity can help clear the fibro fog. Talk with your doctor about an exercise program that is right for you.
• Break things down - How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time... Breaking things down in to smaller chunks avoids a sense of overload and can help one maintain a certain level of focus.

Hopefully this post will help with the understanding of the symptom of Fibrofog and potential ways to help counter it.

Memory Issues

It has been said that memory issues are a component of Fibromyalgia (FM). That bears itself to be the case with me. As a result of my increased memory issues, I would like to start logging issues/instances so I have a reference.

There are times when my mind seems to be in a fog. I go through a period of decreased ability to concentrate, decreased event recall, and an inability to multi-task. When this fog sets in, I experience problems with short and long term memory and difficulty in finding the right words to use. I have also noticed that my attention span is deminished during this time.

My wife has mentioned that I've had conversations with her of which I have no recollection. This is a very scary component of FM for me as it seems that I am losing my mind on occasion. I often wonder if my memory issues are the onset of Alzheimer’s or some other related issue.

My incidents of cognitive issues last sometimes for hours for some symptoms and days for others. During these times, my mind is in a haze.

There are also times that short-term memory loss seems to be tied to the amount of pain and fatigue that I am going through. It's a very frustrating issue that compounds what I am going through with dealing with FM.

Hopefully, by logging what I am going through, it can benefit me or someone else who is dealing with this.

New Year, New Post

Well, it's been almost a year and it seems like my intentions of posting regularly oft go astray. Between work, trying to exercise and family life, I am exhausted.

Anyway, Happy New Year. May this year bring little pain and must promise to your life.