Are these symptoms common with fibro?

Yes--I have many of these. Never one to have nightmares but started having very vivid dreams that I thought were due to meds. I had migraines for years and for at least 2 years before fibro dx they were constant. One of my meds got rid of them completely. Have you been dx w/fibro?

Many of these are very familiar..

At times loud music or loud restaurants are fine with me...but if i am going into a flare loud sounds and noise can get me on edge..

I react strongly to weather changes, so the east coast is tough this month..

I have sensitivity to some smells, like strong perfumes or household cleaners, give me headaches...and dizziness..

No on the spelling.. I grew up playing every kind of word games and an avid reader..i have not heard of that at all with people i know who have fibro..

When my vit d was low i was more confused and forgot more things , as well as getting pretty weak from it...those are all improved now since my d is in a normal range.

I think we can pain almost anywhere, but if a pain feels different to you , should be checked out..we can be too quick to say oh thats just fibro.. I get fibro symptoms in the chest wall..when i was much younger my dr had me go to the ER for this , now i use heat or topical pain relievers and wait it out with some meds..it comes and goes...

Good luck in figuring your symptoms.they can be confusing and change over time. Lj

Raven -

I never seem to manage short posts. In my own fashion, I was curious to compare what you had written to what I'm dealing with. I categorized everything and put the items under the categories with notes of what I have seen. A dot at the beginning is for a category. I left your numbers for your items so they could trace back. ** are my comments. The usual disclaimer - I am not a doctor. This is what I have seen and I can't get a decent Rheumy, so take everything with a grain of salt. If anyone disagrees with me, please comment. I just wanted to give you a full answer to what you brought up. :)

• Consistent with what I have seen with Fibro
1. Pain in muscle and bones (not joints). Feels like aching, burning, stabbing, and pulling.
** I get all of this plus joint pain
2. Memory problems: Most of the time I have better memory than most people, but sometimes I have false memories that I swear really happened. I also forget the word i'm trying to say and I feel like the word is filed in the one folder and I can't quite find it. I also have trouble focusing a lot.
** Fibro fog - I get all of this
5. Blurry Vision: When I go to the eye doctor he tests my eyes and tells me with my glasses or contacts I should be at 20/20 vision. The weird thing is that I still have blurry vision when I try to see things further away.
** I have this a bit. It seems to happen more on "Fibro Flare" days.
7. The bottoms of my feet feel like I just walked for 12 hours with bad shoes.
13. Spelling: I have no idea if this is remotely fibro related, but I am a terrible speller. I just want to know if anyone else has this problem and fibro at the same time.
**In the last few months I have developed an annoying habit of mixing words, substituting words, forgetting the name of people I'm talking to, etc. Well it annoys me - others find it either aggravating or hysterical

• Consistent with Irritable Bowel Syndrome - IBS (which a LOT of Fibro people have)
3. Constipation and diarrhea: I cook at home almost every day and I cook with plenty of vegetable and lean meats. I also get a decent amount of exercise.
** I have IBS-D and my daughter has IBS-C. They can look a bit like each other or it can go back and forth. You can have a perfectly healthy diet and still have this. Something in your diet does not agree with your system. Check out ways to figure out what sets off your IBS. I started with the BRAT diet and worked to add other things slowly so I figured out what bugs me. (BRAT=Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast). At the very least watch caffeine, acidics like tomato sauce, citrus fruit and chocolate. Those are common triggers.

• Could be a side effect of what you are dealing with or could be what Michael mentioned. 
**Feeling very nervy is common with Fibro. I liken it to feeling like my nerves are on the outside. Lyrica helped me. Gabapentin helped others. Sometimes it takes a while to get under control - let your doctor know. One of the definitions under fibro is central sensitization. Defined by the institude of chronic pain (institudeforchronicpain.com) as " Central sensitization is a condition of the nervous system that is associated with the development and maintenance of chronic pain". When I am stressed, I get these symptoms despite the Lyrica. As I don't want to increase the dosage, I handle it with aromatherapy or quiet music or cuddling quietly with my husband or daughter. That all helps calm me.
4. I get irritated, anxious, and depressed sometimes for no apparent reason.
11. Hearing: I often have to tell people to turn the TV or music down because it gives me a migraine and irritates me. On the other hand, I have trouble hearing things that are quiet when others can still hear it fine.
12. Speaking: I am often told that I mumble or talk to quietly. To me, I sound really loud in my head and I think I am speaking at a normal level.

• Things I have not experienced (need other people's input as everyone is different)
6. Migraines: I get these weird headaches that feel like motion sickness. I do get it when I'm in the car, but I also get it when I'm sitting still. I'm not sure if this is a tension headache or not.
**My daughter gets migraines and has to take some serious medicine for them. I get nausea with fibro and occasional headaches when my neck is messed up. You should get them checked out. Some people have mentioned vertigo here. I have dizzy spells, but I figured out that mine are caused by Lyrica and prevented when I eat regularly.
8. My jaw and cheek bones hurt a lot.
**A lot of people who have fibro seem to have TMJ. Maybe one of them can comment. I have never had this.
9. I have a sharp pain in my underarm area and my breast. I'm listing this as a separate symptom from the other pain because I'm not sure if it's normal.
**I am experiencing significant edema (fluid on the muscles) in my arms, but its more a dull aching pain. I have seen mentions of this, but am not sure if it’s the same as what I am dealing with. I am told my edema is not consistent with Fibro.
10. Nightmares: I have really unusual nightmares. They're not like the normal nightmares with spooky things, my nightmares are really realistic and I wake up upset or depressed as if the dream were real and it often make me emotional the rest of the day. Many times I have dreams about death or other upsetting things.
**I am just now starting to dream at all after years of very few dreams due to very bad sleep that didn't go in REM sleep much. I haven't seen this.

I'd be curious for anyone's disagreement or different opinion. I'm just learning this stuff. I'm still finishing the learning process, so the more info, the better.

Hi, Raven, and welcome! Yep, sounds like symptoms of fibro to me. I hope you were run through a myriad of tests to rule out some other illnesses that have many of the same symptoms as fibro. This is important because with those illnesses the treatment is different than with fibro.

We are all so different and different in the way that fibro affects us. I don't have jaw pain or migraines or depression, etc. but I do have fibro. I do have pain in all four quadrants of my body that has lasted more than three months....28 years to be exact...and numerous other symptoms of fibro. But I now know how to help myself and have my pain under control. I have had a full and enjoyable life in spite of fibro so I think you can too.

Be sure to read Fibro 101...the first thread on the forum. There are links to good info about fibro and you will learn a lot there. Good starting links for you would be Symptoms and A Thorough Explanation of Fibromyalgia. You just might see yourself there.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you better. Don't hesitate to ask questions because we are here to help you. Hope to hear more from you soon.

Sherrine

Hi Raven:

Some symptoms that I also get:

I do have Osteoarthritis and am not sure what % of my pain is from that. I feel like some bones are stuck together and they likely are as spondylitic changes were seen in my neck. I have OA in my lower back and it has given out sometimes. Some of the OA is still mild but my neck is the worst.

I have chronic headaches. Any pain in your head is a headache. Mine are better described as a Cervicogenic headache. They start from the base of my skull, move up the middle of the back of my head and sometimes go into the forehead. I can feel pain at the edge of my forehead, where the hair starts. I have had pain in my eye and have wretched pain above the roof of my mouth and below the nose. My head is often so tight. I did have years ago 2 migraines with aura. I don't get aura with my current headaches.

I do have jaw pain. I sometimes feel like it is dislodging. A Dentist at a Hospital said my jaw pain is from Neuralgia.

I have known for quite some time that my nerves are overly sensitive. I don't like windy days. Stress is really not good but it is hard to be without stress. My Husband can often calm me down and we talk things out. I did work in a job that had tight deadlines and you were under stress because you had to get it done. I never missed a deadline. I thought this wasn't a bad stress as when you are done you can breath again and pat yourself on the back because no one else will.

I have I.B. I am now having more trouble with constipation and it is likely due to Nortriptyline. I was born with stomach problems and most of life I dealt with diarrhea. I thought it was normal. We most of the time had no medical coverage (before I got married). For now, it is working somewhat better. Medications can cause side effects that may involve your stomach. Do let your Doctors know if you have stomach problems. I do think Magnesium supplements have helped my stomach. I use Magnesium Glycinate and Magnesium Calm at bedtime. Others use Magnesium with Malic Acid.

My poor hearing was detected in the 80s at a job that required a physical. It runs in my Family. I can hear sounds but I can't get clarity. I have had 2 MRIs on my head. One for head pain and one to see if there was a physical reason for the hearing loss. Nothing was found. Both MRIs see foci in what matter and one report suggested it is not the same as those seen in MS but similar to those with Migraines.

Feet - I do have foot articulations as seen in a full body bone scan. I had trouble in the past with plantar fasciitis and now use orthotics. I also had a lot of trouble in the past with plantars worts.

Eyesight and Sinus - I need glasses for distance and reading. Use Bifocals. I wake up often with swollen, painful eyes. I thought there was a connection with thick mucous in the morning. I have sinus issues. Use Neil Med and often I am washing out green mucous pieces with blood attached. I had a CT scan done on my sinuses. Have a slight deviated septum. No surgery recommended. They did not see any tumor anywhere.

Have really scary dreams for such a long time. I have woken up my Husband many times due to my dreams. I have some dreams of big bodies of water and I am falling. I've dreamt of my husband and I driving into water and I wake up with my heart pounding. I have dream books. I came to terms with the water. It has something to do with death. I just said I will accept death but do not want to die yet. Those dreams stopped but have had a couple recently. Dream of work often, many people coming to eat and I am trying to cook, always in a different house. When I started a new job I often got up at night, thought I was at work. I have walked in my sleep and the last time I did I had a bad fall. Crazy Fibro dreams.

I forget one minute to the next. Need lists now. I can write and think but speaking doesn't work the same.

Well, I guess we both have Fibromyalgia.

Loring

Osteoarthrtis in Multiple Joints, Fibromyalgia, Neuralgia, Chronic Daily Headaches, I.B., Hard of Hearing...

Post Edited (Loring) : 1/28/2015 12:11:44 PM (GMT-7)

Does anyone have a feeling in their ear as if it's clogged sometimes even though there's no extra wax in there?

It happens to me randomly and usually starts when I first wake up.

HI Raven:

Thanks for your kind words. Don't feel bad, I don't think Doctors have totally figured out Fibromyalgia yet either. It does quite involve my nerves. My nerves are overly sensitive. I was told that I have Myofacial pain. My muscles tense up to protect my nerves but in doing so they are irritating the nerves. I don't know how to stop it.

I, too, was not so good at speaking in front of people. I was very shy and quiet, at least until I got married. Working was something I enjoyed. I got along with most people and I never disappointed my bosses. I opened up a bit in adulthood. I do have trouble now, I want to say something and the words don't want to come out right. I can think straight and type but talking is different. My voice has become quieter. There is something that my Mom has too that was noticed by the same ENT Doctor. Something in my throat was not closing properly. It was noticed after a virus. My poor hearing does not help any with conversations either.

Yes do make lists of your symptoms and let your Doctors know if something new happens.

Loring

Osteoarthritis in Multiple Joints, Fibromyalgia, Neuralgia, Chronic Daily Headaches, I.B., Hard of Hearing...

Hi again Loring!

I'm sorry to hear that you have the speaking trouble, but I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. People often think I'm shy or socially awkward, but the truth is that I just have trouble speaking sometimes and I get frustrated when I mix up words or can't think of a word that I know I know. In classes I often had to write out what I wanted to say before I said it or else my words and thoughts would get jumbled. I don't really know if this is from the fibro fog thing or not, but I know that I am not shy.