My skin has been feeling very “weak” and isnt toleraring much for weather or clothing. Is this normal for fibro? Just wondering if i need to make anything out of this…? It’s very unpleasant. 
Are you hypermobile? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermobility Some people with hypermobility have an illness called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which can affect the skin. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1244/
Or could it be dry skin? Or psoriasis? I'm not really aware of weak skin being a symptom of fibro but I could be wrong.
Hi BB,
So many of us have sensitivities! I wear the stretch cotton clothing most of the time, use LOTS of fabric softener, and still sometimes have to sleep with my feet on a roll pillow because I cannot stand my legs touching the sheets. That is mostly a problem from Sciatica, but regardless of the cause is irritating beyond words!
I hope that you can find a way to sooth your skin, and feel better very soon!
BTW, I live about 70 miles W of Baltimore and have fond memories of the town when my baby brother lived there and I went t visit.
Thanks petunia. I’m not hypermobile nor does it seem like eds when i checked your links. My skin could be dry. It is sore to touch all over and is chafing very easily. I cant stand most clothing now or even brush against something for long. It feels like its going to tear. Boy fibro is truly awful in winter!
I'm not sure what you mean when you say your skin is not tolerating much for weather or clothing. In the summer of 2011 the skin on my arms seemed to be very thin and would tear easily. But I haven't had the problem reoccur. My doctor didn't know why. But as it has not come back again it seems that it was just one of those unexplained things. This only affected the skin of my forearms.
The first thing I thought of was EDS too because, as a collagen disorder, fragile skin is a major symptom.
But other things can weaken the collagen in the skin. Thyroid hormones are the most common cause. Medicines often have fragile skin as a side effect.
I think most of us have cold sensitivities. I can’t wear anything but elastic pants. I’m cool and buy Aeropostale when it goes on sale for $9 or $10 a pair. Ha! The heat does not bother me.
I sometimes go through bouts of skin sensitivity but mine is sensitive to the touch. Or possible touch. It usually happens when I've been neglecting my exercise routine- in the winter!
Good luck to you as so many things are unpleasant with this fibro!!
I was going to suggest the same thing as Petunia and deb because I have EDS but since you don't have other EDS symptoms besides the fibro, I'd say it might be winter and or hormonal too. Thank you to debdrake for the info that hormonal issues can affect that too. I have a hypothyroid problem that doesn't show up in tsh levels so was untreated for a long time. All of the hair on my arms (and under them tmi sorry) and on my legs, fell out and hasn't come back. My doctor said that was probably hormonal and hereditary since my mom has the same with thyroid. I am allergic to half the world, including lanolin, so most lotions don't work for me but my sister found a lavendar and vanilla oil at bath and body works that helps my skin in winter quite a bit. My Dr did say the fibro can make the skin hurt too though. I sure am ready for Spring lol.
Susan W
I hear ya, BB. Winter is not good to us at all! Maybe if you moisturize with hand lotion, like Vasoline Intensive Care? It sure sounds painful! Have you had it checked to be sure its nothing more than dry skin? I hope you find something to alleviate this. Just one more nasty complication of fibro.
Thanks to you and to Debdrake for educating us about thyroid issues, since a lot of fibro people suffer from them.
Are you diabetic?
I am so sorry if I have been a pain at all but yes I try to help educate. Since I was a teenager I have been told over and over "you don't have a thyroid condition so you're just fat". My mom and sister were told the same thing. I knew what I ate and how much, so it used to drive me crazy to be told I ate too much when i knew I didn't. I've been on tons of diets, none worked. Then I went to a doctor who did what he called a "whole thyroid panel" that included thyroid antibodies tests. It turned out we all had a genetic hypothyroidism condition. The doctor said I needed levothyroxcin badly. It helped me so much. It was T4 that was off for me I think. Plus the standards for tsh tests have changed but I was told that not all doctors and labs are using the newer standard. There seems to be a link between fibro and so many things. They need to do more studies I think anyway. I've also gotten really tired of being told I should have gastric bypass surgery, sometimes by total strangers who aren't even medical professionals. I'm glad I never gave in to that pressure because now I find out that "soft tissue" surgeries don't work well on those with EDS. The human body sure is too darn complicated but we have to deal with that we have I guess.