childhood symptoms?

I believe I've had FMS since I was a baby. As I started to read the LIST of symptoms yrs ago, I wanted to cry. These were the things I had been living w/ ALL my life. My family would comment on how different I was from the other children in the family. My sibs all liked to nap during the day and dropped off to sleep at night, before their bedtime. I could never nap and I had the worst time going to sleep at night. I would average about 2-3 hrs a night - and that was just before I would be up for school.

I had/have a hard time staying focused. My teachers would comment how if you only tried harder. I would read and reread everything and sometimes it just didn't make sense. I remember practicing my spelling words w/ my mother all wk long, Thurs night we would go over them again. Come Friday morning, it was if I never even looked at the words. I was told frequently how stupid I was, that certainly helped me to do better.

I enjoyed certain sports when I was a child, but could never lift and throw a basketball. I hated running, always got a 'stitch' in the side.

I had/have extremely sensitive skin. As a baby, my mother couldn't use just any soap or detergent on me or my clothes. I can't be near wool (my DH loves wool) In 7th gr I got a whole body rash that would not go away. The dr figured it was from the starch my mother used on my uniform for school. She had been starching my uniform since Kindergarten, go figure!

about 8th gr I developed eczema, tho nobody knew what it was. My arms, hands, face were always cracked and/or bleeding. I had this for so many yrs. Drs. later told me it was from washing diapers - I didn't wash them in 8th gr.   I finally got rid of that by eliminating milk from my diet. I'm lactose intolerant. My niece never liked cheese or milk, my brother insisted she eat/drink them to be 'big and strong'.  She is petite, lovely and suffered for yrs, w/ eczema til I found out what was causing my problem. She no longer has skin problems. Any kind of petroleum product (Vaseline, etc.) can set me off. In my state we don't pump gas, if they decide to allow customers to do it, FORGET it. I will pay extra to have it done. Gas fumes make my skin break out.

I don't like tags on my clothes, don't like things around my neck, don't care for anything confining - shoes, socks, etc. Yet I need them for warmth, balance, etc. Can't wait to get in the house and take them off. Along w/ my watch and wedding ring. Can't wear them in the house.

When I saw the list I was so happy to finally have an answer to all my questions, it was just hard to get drs to hear what I was saying.

Cat, if you think of more items on that dr's list pls share them. I am very interested.

My 2 sons have certain things like I experienced, my daughter doesn't, thank God.

My hands are tired and my brain, too, so I will leave this list for now.

God bless.  Alice.

snowberry

WOW- Since I found out I had Fibro, I have been looking over my childhood to see where it may have started, so this post really speaks to me.  As far back as I can remember I  have been sensitive to things like seams, tags, wrinkles etc. Never broke out in rashes, they just bothered me so much I couldn't think about anything else until I fixed the problem.  I used to be put to bed at 8pm, but laid awake for hours and hours just staring at the ceiling.  I always got headaches, but Dr could never find a cause.  I know I was scent sensitive, and could hardly bear to be in a car with my mom and sister because of their perfume.  Of course, no one knew about scent/light sensitivities back then, so I think my mom just thought I didn't like the smell, as opposed to it being painful to breath it in.  I also remember the horrible pains in my legs - growing pains - and my periods were always so painful.  I was always very intelligent, scoring VERY high in IQ tests, and so teachers and my parents couldn't figure out why I was only getting average marks in school.  They kept telling me I was lazy, didn't pay attention, etc.  They would tell my mom I should be an honour student, and that put a lot of pressure on me. I often, even when in grade one or so, would forget things at school, or lose things very easily.  I was a very stressed child,always worried about how everyone around me was feeling, who was mad at me, who didn't like me, etc. I remember crying over my dolls when I was really little because I thought they had feelings and missed me when I was gone, or that they were jeaslous if they didn't get to sleep in bed with me. They took turns, so each one got a turn - crazy!  I was also depressed as a child, constantly.  I used to go to bed and wish I didn't have to wake up and go through another day.  I was also constantly worried that I had forgotten something and didn't know it yet, and I was afraid of getting in trouble for something I had forgotten.  I remember reading somewhere that fibro could be caused by a tramatic or stressful childhood.  When I was younger than two, I had been taken from my biological mother several times and placed in foster care, before finally being adopted out to my adoptive family. That might have been hard on me, although I have no memory of that time of my life. I also know that I was given double doses of all childhood vaccines, because the adoption agency could not find proof of my immunizations and had them redone. Later they found my old immunization records, so maybe that had something to do with it. 

I know growing up was a difficult thing for me, and the constant feeling that I was too stupid to do well at anything despite my IQ scores left its' mark on me even into adult life.  I think had my parents known, they would have been less critical and more nurturing.  They wouldn't get angry over bad test scores, but instead encourage me to stick with it and keep trying.  I might have grown up to be a more confident and happy adult.

Now I worry aout my three year old daughter, because she is already showing the difficulty to focus on anything longer than a ten minute cartoon, and she seems to never need sleep. I am already arguing with my husband who sends her to bed sternly at 8:30, and when he is not around I sometimes let her stay up a bit later, as I know what it feels like to not sleep.  Hopefully what we learn can help us raise our children!

Sorry for the long post.