I am new to this site but I am having several issues with memory it’s very frightening and I get angry when people correct me because I really believe that my memory is good. I get angry because I’m scared.
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strong textHello ,
I am new here, But not new to Fibro, I have been diagnosed now for 20 years. So many things with Fibro & 20 years ago they had never really decided it really existed. It was like they thought it was all in our MINDS a friend of mine had it before me, & she had a really hard time finding a DR. to even treat her. But YES, the memory, IF I lay something down it can take me some time 2 days to find what ever it was. By then I am so upset, & I get so tired of looking, & searching for the item. And this happens repeatedly during the week.
I will spend 2 hours looking to find what ever the item is.
It is SO VERY Frustrating, & Sad, like others here I was sharp when asked a name of someone in a movie, anything a favorite recipe I could tell you the ingredients with out getting the little card out. NOT ANY MORE.
I don’t retain information, like I use to. I can read something & most of the time you can ask me about it a week later & I won’t remember parts of what I read.
SO YES, this is Fibro, & the pain and tiredness, goes along with it. It is a MUST to pace my self or I am down for 2-3 days. Does this sound like anyone else here??? Thank You for listening, WAKEMEUP2
Everything sounds exactly what I go through. I went to the zoo and walked it with my husband and daughter and than I had hip and leg pain so bad that I could barely walk. I can’t even take the meds that they describe because they give me a bad reaction. I’m at a loss don’t know how to handle it anymore.
Yes. I have memory loss all the time. I have to write down important birthdays. Things to the store. I sometimes go in another room for something,when I get there I can’t remember what I went for. So yes it’s fibo related definitely. So sorry you have to deal with this monster too 
I have problems with memory and I find it difficult to focus. But when you talk about it with other women my age, they just say it’s from menopause. They don’t understand.
I know the frustration of it all to well myself. I will put down my car keys for 30 seconds and completely forget where I put them to a point where I get so upset, hot, sweaty, sick, looking for them or whatever the item may be. When I do find it, it’s right in plain sight which makes me more irritated. I have a great memory for a lot of things but short term memory is very difficult. Notes Notes Notes.
I hear you Davey02766
About getting so upset and hot & sweating. I thought my blood pressure was going up & it WAS. Because I was So intense
on finding the item I was looking for. At times to the point of tears, as it happens at least 2-3 times per month, & to me it is just so upsetting, when I know I just had the item. This is one awful disease.
WAKEMEUP2
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Sorry, I meant per week, & sometimes it can be less if I am very careful, Thank You for listening.
WAKEMEUP2
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Having it weekly is rough. I try to do Brain exercises to keep the brain functional. I’m home a lot so it’s easy for the brain to get bored. I only get upset when its something I need like my wallet or my keys. NOW I put the wallet in the same place and the keys are always on the key rack. Important things need to have a home but even that split second where you put it down for a second and try to play retrieve the item without causing a heart attack/stroke. Then the phone will ring and I turn into Memory Losszilla. I’ve lost patience a lot with things lol. I try to be patient if I can. I’ll listen anytime 
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It’s like a big game of Crazy Woman Charades at my house, while I try to speak and remember words! Luckily my sweetie is very understanding, and patient, as I jabber and make weird hand motions (I was trying to say, “garbage disposal”). I’m now off the hook for finding anything he misplaces – for years I was the navigator for his lost stuff, but not anymore. I am a complete failure when he asks, “Honey, have you seen my blah blah blah?”
Nope, no idea where anything is anymore (it’s rather freeing!) and I don’t really make much of an effort to find it either. I’m trying to remember where to put the milk (not in the oven!), I can’t find your stuff too. 
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Honestly the weird mental stuff is one of the worst parts of my fibromyalgia. I was only recently diagnosed, but I’ve had symptoms for about three years. I thought my concentration issues were due to pain and I just needed to get my act together, so it’s been super validating to learn about “fibro fog.”
That being said, does anyone have tips or tricks for memory/focus issues? I’m in school and writing papers with my mush-brain is, ah, interesting… 
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Everyone told me it was just peri-menopause. I can’t even imagine trying to focus on school with all this fibro fog. My tips (and I was a former English teacher) for the papers: don’t try to rush it or do things last minute. Make outlines, and jot down lots of notes before/during/after writing the paper. Leave plenty of time to review, edit, change those essays. Print out a hard copy and proof read that (even if you did spell check) because you’ll catch more stuff. Utilize the campus tutors or writing center for an extra set of eyes. Again, do not procrastinate because you’ve got extra proofing and rewrites to work on.
That being said, I’ve lowered my standards for my own writing quite a bit – it’s just too hard sometimes to be the Grammar Nazi with myself or anyone else anymore. (not that I was ever like that, really)
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Ugh. Heaven forbid people take women seriously when we say there’s something wrong.
Thanks for the great suggestions! Yeah, procrastination had to stop when I realized I can’t schedule my flare-ups around due dates 
Those are some really helpful tips though, I appreciate it!
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Another idea is to actually play the Fibromyalgia Card, when needed, with your instructors. You don’t have to make some big announcement demanding accommodations be made by the entire class and the college – but… if things start to break down with your health, or you are struggling, schedule a meeting with your teachers during office hours, and explain. Yes, you might run into some real hard cases, but I’ve found that if you take the time to seek help, the teachers will be very understanding.
Back to the accommodations thing: you can go to the student disability office, and see what they can offer by way of assistance. They might have tutors, proof readers, free computers? It’s worth checking into.
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@KillerTomato That is really great advice. I agree on the Fibro Card. I have a few friends who are teachers and they are good people. Teachers don’t teach because they half to, they want to. Other teachers will help you out. Such good advice. I love it.