Sure Signs You Have Fibromyalgia Like Lady Gaga

Brain Fog

Dr. Hascalovici shares, “You may have fibromyalgia if the pain makes it difficult to concentrate. This symptom is known as ‘fibro-fog.'”

Dr. Teitelbaum adds, “Difficulty with short-term memory and word-finding and substitution can be quite severe. This has been labeled the brain fog and is caused by numerous factors. These include inadequate energy in the brain cells, decreased blood flow to the parts of the brain responsible for speech (temporal lobe), chronic infections because of the immune dysfunction CFS and fibromyalgia (people have experienced brain fog when they have the flu), and numerous other contributing factors.”

Castallian says, “Brain fog, sometimes called ‘fibrofog’ in this context, is common for people with fibromyalgia, making it hard to focus and concentrate on mental tasks, a lack of mental clarity and affects memory. They particularly have issues with memory when dealing with complex tasks while multitasking or having divided attention. One study showed that fibromyalgia patients have memory impairments mimicking about 20 years of aging. Since there are many causes for brain fog, it is important to rule out other causes (like B12 deficiency or iron-deficiency anemia) before pinning it on fibromyalgia.”

Severe Fatigue

Dr. Teitelbaum says, “Normally with severe fatigue, people can sleep all weekend. But because the hypothalamic circuit breaker which controls sleep malfunctions in CFS/FMS, severe insomnia accompanies the fatigue. When both of these are present for over three months, I would presume a CFS/FMS -related process is present until proven otherwise. Even if other conditions are present.”

Castallian adds, “A common sign of fibromyalgia is waking up tired, even after a full night’s sleep. There is often severe and chronic fatigue. Other sleep issues are also associated with fibromyalgia, including restless leg syndrome, insomnia, and sleep apnea. Additionally, because lack of sleep can decrease your ability to process pain, insomnia and other sleep issues can aggravate and intensify fibromyalgia symptoms. 

Therapies that are targeted toward managing the pain can help with sleep and vice versa – working to improve sleep can help to make the pain more manageable.  Chronic pain can be exhausting in many ways.”  

Pain in Multiple Areas on a Weekly Basis

“Pain from fibromyalgia may shift locations or have an erratic pattern, so it could be affecting different areas of your body at different times,” states Dr. Hascalovici.

Stronger Perception of Smell/Easily Irritated by Smells

Dr. Neville states, “With an unregulated nervous system and a trigger-happy limbic system, sensory nerves connected to smell are always on high alert.”

Indecisiveness

“Stress tolerance bottoms out with fibromyalgia, making even simple decision-making stressful and sometimes even impossible,” says Dr. Neville.

Hypersensitivity to Touch and Physical Sensations

Dr. Neville shares, “This is due to Central Sensitization, the phenomenon of an unregulated nervous system and an overactive limbic system.”

Jumpy/Easily Jolted

According to Dr. Neville, “The heightening of senses that results from Fibromyalgia tends to put patients on high-alert. The slamming of a door may feel like an earthquake. The phone ringing makes the heart race.” 

How Fibromyalgia Can Affect Your Overall Health and Well-Being

According to Dr. Hascalovici. “Fibromyalgia can cause widespread and often disruptive pain throughout the body, often in your muscles and soft tissues. Difficulty sleeping, pronounced fatigue, and memory issues like trouble concentrating frequently characterize fibromyalgia as well. It’s not uncommon for people with a challenging or traumatic background to develop fibromyalgia, and the condition is often also accompanied by depression, anxiety, TMJ, and IBS.”  

Dr. Teitelbaum says, “Although some people are able to continue working, they are usually able to do little else. More severe cases often leave the person crippled and even bedbound.”

Castallian explains, “Fibromyalgia is a complex, chronic and painful syndrome affecting the musculoskeletal system that can result in widespread pain throughout the body, extreme fatigue, brain fog, sleep disorders, and other physical and cognitive issues. These symptoms can be debilitating, keeping some with FMS from maintaining their ability to work or do normal daily functions of life. Additionally, it is considered an invisible illness because it is not readily visible from the outside. It is not easily recognized that someone may be suffering or in pain just by looking at them.

Because of this, there is an added layer of stress to the impact that fibromyalgia already has on the quality of day-to-day life. Invisible illnesses often do not receive the empathy or credibility that readily visible illnesses do, often fueled by doubt, denial, stigma and feelings of isolation. Additionally, because the symptoms of fibromyalgia are common in many other conditions, receiving an accurate diagnosis can be a challenging and frustrating process, taking many years of searching for answers for most people with this chronic illness.”