Fibromyalgia Symptom Checklist


(Another) great list of symptoms, courtesy of invisibledisabilitiescommunity.org:



**DO NOT USE THIS LIST IN REPLACEMENT OF YOUR PHYSICIAN. MANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS CAN OCCUR DUE TO OTHER DISEASES, AND SOME MAY BE LIFE-THREATENING. ALWAYS CALL YOUR DOCTOR WITH ANY CONCERNS.

Fibromyalgia Symptoms

GENERAL
__ Fatigue, made worse by physical exertion or stress
__ Activity level decreased to less than 50% of pre-illness activity level
__ Recurrent flu-like illness
__ Sore throat
__ Hoarseness
__ Tender or swollen lymph nodes (glands), especially in neck and underarms
__ Shortness of breath (air hunger) with little or no exertion
__ Frequent sighing
__ Tremor or trembling
__ Severe nasal allergies (new allergies or worsening of previous allergies)
__ Cough
__ Night sweats
__ Low-grade fevers
__ Feeling cold often
__ Feeling hot often
__ Cold extremities (hands and feet)
__ Low body temperature (below 97.6)
__ Low blood pressure (below 110/70)
__ Heart palpitations
__ Dryness of eyes and/or mouth
__ Increased thirst
__ Symptoms worsened by temperature changes
__ Symptoms worsened by air travel
__ Symptoms worsened by stress


PAIN
__ Headache
__ Tender points or trigger points
__ Muscle pain
__ All-over pain
__ Nerve pain (localized or wide-spread)
__ Muscle twitching
__ Muscle weakness
__ Paralysis or severe weakness of an arm or leg
__ Joint pain
__ TMJ syndrome
__ Chest pain


GENERAL NEUROLOGICAL
__ Lightheadedness; feeling "spaced out"
__ Inability to think clearly ("brain fog")
__ Seizures
__ Seizure-like episodes
__ Syncope (fainting) or blackouts
__ Sensation that you might faint
__ Vertigo or dizziness
__ Numbness or tingling sensations
__ Tinnitus (ringing in one or both ears)


EQUILIBRIUM / PERCEPTION
__ Feeling spatially disoriented
__ Dysequilibrium (balance difficulty)
__ Staggering gait (clumsy walking; bumping into things)
__ Dropping things frequently
__ Difficulty judging distances (e.g. when driving; placing objects on surfaces)
__ "Not quite seeing" what you are looking at


SLEEP
__ Hypersomnia (excessive sleeping)
__ Unrefreshing or non-restorative sleep
__ Difficulty falling asleep
__ Difficulty staying asleep (frequent awakenings)
__ Vivid or disturbing dreams or nightmares
__ Altered sleep/wake schedule (alertness/energy best late at night)


MOOD / EMOTIONS
__ Depressed mood
__ Suicidal thoughts
__ Suicide attempts
__ Feeling worthless
__ Frequent crying
__ Feeling helpless and/or hopeless
__ Inability to enjoy previously enjoyed activities
__ Increased appetite
__ Decreased appetite
__ Anxiety or fear when there is no obvious cause
__ Panic attacks
__ Irritability; overreaction
__ Rage attacks: anger outbursts with little or no cause
__ Abrupt, unpredictable mood swings
__ Phobias (irrational fears)
__ Personality changes


EYES AND VISION
__ Eye pain
__ Changes in visual acuity (frequent changes in ability to see well)
__ Difficulty with accommodation (switching focus from one thing to another)
__ Blind spots in vision


SENSITIVITIES
__ Sensitivities to medications (unable to tolerate "normal" dosage)
__ Sensitivities to odors (e.g., cleaning products, exhaust fumes, colognes, hair sprays)
__ Sensitivities to foods
__ Alcohol intolerance
__ Alteration of taste, smell
__ Sensitivies to touch
__ Noise intolerance
__ Light intolerance


UROGENITAL
__ Frequent urination
__ Urinary incontinence

__ Urinary retention
__ Painful urination or bladder pain
__ Prostate pain
__ Impotence
__ Endometriosis
__ Worsening of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
__ Decreased libido (sex drive)


GASTROINTESTINAL
__ Stomach ache; abdominal cramps
__ Nausea
__ Vomiting
__ Esophageal reflux (heartburn)
__ Frequent diarrhea
__ Frequent constipation
__ Bloating; intestinal gas
__ Decreased appetite
__ Increased appetite
__ Food cravings
__ Weight gain
__ Weight loss


SKIN
__ Rashes or sores
__ Eczema or psoriasis


OTHER
__ Hair loss
__ Mitral valve prolapse
__ Cancer
__ Dental problems
__ Periodontal (gum) disease
__ Aphthous ulcers (canker sores)


COGNITIVE
__ Difficulty with simple calculations (e.g., balancing checkbook)
__ Word-finding difficulty
__ Using the wrong word
__ Difficulty expressing ideas in words
__ Difficulty moving your mouth to speak
__ Slowed speech
__ Stuttering; stammering
__ Impaired ability to concentrate
__ Easily distracted during a task
__ Difficulty paying attention
__ Difficulty following a conversation when background noise is present
__ Losing your train of thought in the middle of a sentence
__ Difficulty putting tasks or things in proper sequence
__ Losing track in the middle of a task (remembering what to do next)
__ Difficulty with short-term memory
__ Difficulty with long-term memory
__ Forgetting how to do routine things
__ Difficulty understanding what you read
__ Switching left and right
__ Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you speak
__ Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you write
__ Difficulty remembering names of objects
__ Difficulty remembering names of people
__ Difficulty recognizing faces
__ Difficulty following simple written instructions
__ Difficulty following complicated written instructions
__ Difficulty following simple oral (spoken) instructions
__ Difficulty following complicated oral (spoken) instructions
__ Poor judgment
__ Difficulty making decisions
__ Difficulty integrating information (putting ideas together to form a complete picture or concept)
__ Difficulty following directions while driving
__ Becoming lost in familiar locations when driving
__ Feeling too disoriented to drive

Wow, with a few exceptions this is me! The thing with the lights struck me, I didn't realize it at first but my nausea and dizzyness started at work. So I took alot of gravol, then it started happening at home, Just when I was at the bathroom mirror or in the kitchen doing dishes. I felt so awful I had to sit down every 5 min and put my head between my knees. Then we saw an episode of 20/20, it was about those new twisty light bulbs making some people sick. Turns out my husband had put them in the kitchen and bathroom. After he removed them I got better, same as at work, after I left all those floresent lights I got better. After talking to my doc, he said there are studies being done because thse lights are affecting alot of people. I also had to give up shopping :( I can go get what I want and get out, then it's ok. No more strolling through the stores. Anybody else affected by this? Charlie :)


Hi Charlie,

I have a horrible time with light sensitivity, I can't stand most of the lights in my house, they just make my head and eyes hurt where I'm constantly scrunching my eyes closed to avoid them. I noticed that anytime I go into the bathroom, within a minute I feel lightheaded and sick to my stomach. I don't have one of the new lightbulbs in there, but the lighting is very dim.... I bet that's what it is !! I'm glad you brought this up, I wouldn't have thought about it otherwise. Time for a trip to Home Depot for new light fixtures!

My husband is an electrician, and he's always said that the fluorescent lighting is not healthy. I just found this article about how bad they actually are:

Health Effects of Fluorescent Lighting

As if we don't have enough to worry about?!

Hi Charlie,

Thank you for sharing this with us as I'm sure that at least one of our readers will find that they're getting ill from those awful twisty bulbs. Let me just add that they have mercury in them and if you break one accidentally, don't just pick it up to dispose of it, as mercury is a dangerous chemical to handle.

In fact, hatters used to go mad from excessively handling it, thus the saying, "Mad as a hatter," as well as the character, the Mad Hatter, in Alice in Wonderland. Louisa Mae Alcott was treated with mercury when she fell ill while treating Civil War veterans and eventually died from Mercury poisoning. It's not a benign chemical.

This is good information, Renie! It will help a lot of people! Thanks!

Renie, this list is amazing !!!

Wow I wonder if I should go back to regular light bulbs ?
I love this site, there’s always the best info !!
Thanks for posting
Hugs & blessings
dee

according to my doc, it's not just fluorescent lights, it includes computer moniters, and the newer tv's (especially plasma). He says a fellow doc is doing a study about them. I wish I'd have known sooner, would've saved me some grief. Charlie :)