Fibromyalgia is a chronic disease most commonly known to cause generalized pain, fatigue, and brain fog. However, the disease is complex – it can cause a myriad of symptoms and is often accompanied by comorbidities, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or chronic fatigue syndrome. As fibromyalgia was formally recognized only a few decades ago, doctors are still learning about the disease and may not be able to prepare fibrotic patients for all the different symptoms they may have.
To better understand the various ways this disease can affect people, we ask our Mighty community to share some of the physical symptoms of fibromyalgia that have surprised them. Have you ever experienced any unexpected fibro symptom? Let us know in the comments below.
See what the community has shared with us:
1. “Having an outbreak of pain makes me feel queasy and physically sick.”
2. “The ruthless itch that appears randomly, has no rhyme or reason, sometimes comes with hives or red spots. Itching that is insatiable and moving from one place to another. “
3. “The constant feeling of being tired. I sleep between eight and twelve hours a day and I’m still tired. “
4. “Forgetting ordinary words that I use every day.”
5. “Have an overactive bladder.”
6. “All other medical conditions that come with it … migraine, IBS [Irritable Bowel Syndrome], Raynaud’s phenomenon, chronic fatigue, insomnia and many more. Rarely is it a diagnosis by itself.
7. “Skin sensitivity. If one passes by myself lightly, it seems that I was severely hit.
8. “Horrible menstrual cycles that leave me in bed with a heat cushion in my stomach and panting in the fetal position.”
9. “Feeling crazy”. I feel like I’m drunk. I even lost my balance as I walked.
10. “The occasional blurry vision even with glasses, as if you were seeing things through the water.”
11. “The constant headaches / migraines I read daily”
12. “Weird skin sensation and lack of temperature control.”
13. “Absolute disheartenment. I can stumble on my own feet and curl my ankles walking on the grass. It’s an extreme case of incoordination. “
14. “Bubbles after being in the sun. Even with use of sunscreen / without sunburn. “
15. “Feeling like I have insects crawling on me to the point that I will scratch myself raw.”
16. “I was surprised that even my hair can hurt.”
17. “Constant perspiration, even when it is not hot.”
18. “Break out without cause.”
19. “The weakness in my hands and arms of pain. I played violin for six years and had incredibly strong hands, but when my fibromyalgia symptoms started, my hands were the first thing affected and the force never came back. “
20. “It smells violent to me.”
21. “Amazing symptom? No clues The most shocking is that you no longer know what a fibromyalgia-related symptom is and what it is not. So many symptoms, so many coexisting conditions. I have no idea what a fibromyalgia symptom is. “
22. “Neurological slowness! Bad instant reminder.
23. “The way some symptoms can take [I] out for days and then leave, only to return the next day.”
24. “Hair falling! Every time I shampoo I have enough hair that falls to make a wig. Luckily, I have a lot of hair.
25. “Vaginal muscle spasms! Yes, it does not leave anything untouched! And no, it’s not nice!
26. “Never be comfortable, ever. You sit and shake and squirm and try to feel comfortable. You lie down and become distracted, writhing, and trying to feel comfortable. You try to get up and move, squirm and try to feel comfortable. Nothing is more comfortable.
27. “Sons. In fact, getting so annoyed with different sounds that [I] leave the place [I am]. “
28. “My skin always feels as if it has been badly burned by the sun. I never thought how much clothes could hurt. I now buy more from the feel of the tissue and its looseness in my body than it seems. “
29. “I am either starving, no matter how much I eat or the thought of food makes me sick – there is none of them.”
30. “Tingling and weakness at the end of a busy day. It seems that [my] body is desperately trying to heal itself when it is tired. “
31. “My hands tremble and tremble. I’ve never had this before so far. The strangest thing of all! It does not hurt, but I lost control of things.
32. “Water hurts. It’s so hard to explain that getting into a pool or lake that is cold is very painful for me. Even taking a shower hurts.
33. “You know what? Nothing surprises me more about fibromyalgia!
