Archive for May, 2017

Big List of Fibromyalgia Symptoms

May 6, 2017

Fibromyalgia (Fibro, FM, FMS) is a misunderstood, misdiagnosed and commonly unrecognized chronic condition. It causes widespread muscle pain with 18 very specific tender points. Typically linked also with fatigue, sleep disturbances and cognitive issues, not all patients experience all or any of the same symptoms and then each to a differing varying degree. See a compilation of symptoms by Devin Starlanyl, listed below

Fibro affects almost 5% of developed societies. With no blood tests, laboratory tests, imaging studies or any other measurable diagnostic test, there is no way to confirm a diagnosis with 100% certainty. Fibromyalgia is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning no other medical disease can explain the symptoms, and all tests have been run to confirm the absence of other conditions. Current accepted diagnosis is based on patient history including pain in four quadrants of their body for a minimum of three months, symptoms and a physical exam, requiring 11 of 18 tender points. This manner of diagnosis in currently in controversy amp; another diagnostic process is being considered.

Historically, Fibro was considered a musculoskeletal disease or a neuropsychiatric condition. Recent studies have shown abnormalities in the central nervous system affecting brain regions. These abnormalities may be linked both to clinical symptoms and research phenomena. There is no accepted cure for FMS in the medical community and treatments vary from patient to patient, dependant on each one’s health, symptoms and reactions. Medications can include anti-depressants (typically SSRI’s), nerve blockers, muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatories, and various levels of prescription and non-prescription pain relievers. Other treatments include CBT, exercise amp; physiotherapy, personal lifestyle changes and various non-traditional treatments like acupuncture.

FIBROMYALGIA SYMPTOMS CHECKLIST -The Monster List!

General Symptoms

  • Delayed reactions to physical exertion or stressful events
  • Other family members with fibromyalgia
  • Sweats
  • Unexplained weight gain or loss
  • Cravings for carbohydrate and chocolate
  • Headaches & migraines
  • Vision changes, including rapidly worsening vision

Muscle Tissue-Related Symptoms

  • Pain that ranges from mild to severe, and may move around the body
  • Pain that has last 3 months or more
  • Morning stiffness
  • Muscle twitches
  • Diffuse swelling
  • Fibrocystic (lumpy, tender) breasts (as an overlapping condition)
  • Muscle cramp/Charlie Horses*
  • Muscle contractions

Sinus or Allergy-Related Symptoms

  • Allergies
  • Post nasal drip
  • Runny nose
  • Mold or yeast sensitivity
  • Shortness of breath
  • Earaches or itchy ears
  • Ringing ears (titinitus)
  • Thick secretions

Sleep-Related Symptoms

  • Light and/or broken sleep pattern with unrefreshing sleep
  • Fatigue
  • Sleep starts (falling sensations)
  • Twitchy muscles at night
  • Teeth grinding (bruxism)
  • Temporomandibular Joint Disorder

Reproductive Symptoms

  • Menstrual problems
  • PMS (as an overlapping condition)
  • Loss of libido
  • Impotence

Abdominal / Digestive Symptoms

  • Bloating
  • Nausea
  • Abdominal cramps, unspecified
  • Pelvic pain, unspecified
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (as an overlapping condition)
  • Urinary frequency

Cognitive/Neurological Symptoms

  • Difficulty speaking known words, other language impairments (dysphasia)
  • Directional disorientation
  • Poor balance and coordination
  • Paraesthesia in the upper limbs (a sensation of tingling, pricking or numbness of the skin)
  • Loss of ability to distinguish some shades of colours
  • Short-term memory impairment
  • Confusion, unspecified
  • Trouble concentrating/I
  • Staring into space before brain “kicks in”
  • Inability to recognize familiar surrounding

Sensory Symptoms

  • Sensitivity to odors
  • Sensitivity to changes in pressure, temperature, & humidity
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Sensitivity to noise
  • Night driving difficulty
  • Sensory overload

Emotional Symptoms

  • Panic attacks
  • Depression (as an overlapping condition)
  • Tendency to cry easily
  • Free-floating anxiety (not associated with situation or object)
  • Mood swings
  • Unaccountable irritability

Heart-Related Symptoms

  • Mitral valve prolapse – abnormality in the mitral valve (an excess of tissue on the mitral valve) allows it to flop (i.e., to prolapse) back into the left atrium as the left ventricle contracts, thus allowing a certain amount of backflow of blood (as an overlapping condition)
  • Rapid, fluttery, irregular heartbeat
  • Pain that mimics heart attack, frequently from costochondritis – a painful inflammation of the cartilage that connects your ribs to your breast bone. (as an overlapping condition)

Skin, Hair Nail-Related Symptoms

  • Pronounced nail ridges
  • Nails that curve under
  • Mottled skin
  • Bruising or scaring easily
  • Hair loss (temporary)
  • Tissue overgrowth (non-cancerous tumors called lipomas, ingrown hairs, heavy and splitting cuticles, adhesions)

Miscellaneous Symptoms

  • Hemorrhoids
  • Nose bleeds

Source:
2004 Devin J. Starlanyl. All rights reserved. This page no longer exists to my knowledge.

NOTE: Symptoms with an asterisk (*) are added by me and are not part of Devin’s original list

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