Friday, January 13, 2012

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.

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