By\u00a0Julia Nelson\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re suffering from an everlasting ailment like\u00a0fibromyalgia, you\u2019re already well aware of the annoying and adverse symptoms that come through it. You should not feel ashamed and miserable because of the symptoms and side effects you\u2019re experiencing, but it will cause embarrassment when you forget about what you were saying in the middle of an important work meeting because of brain fog, or you fall off drop all the dishes in the kitchen due to a sudden burst of pain you felt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every fibromyalgia patient suffers from different symptoms, so it\u2019s necessary to talk about its less-than-glamorous symptoms, for the reason to raise awareness among people to solve the complexity of this condition. That\u2019s why\u00a0Mighty community<\/strong>\u00a0in order to solve the problem, share some of the \u201cembarrassing\u201d fibromyalgia symptoms they\u2019ve gone through \u2013 those symptoms that are most of the time remain hidden, but ones that surely deserve recognition and consideration nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Symptoms of fibromyalgia including fibro fog and negative effects of medication can cause physical, emotional and cognitive problems. If you\u2019re undergoing through any of the following symptoms, know you are not alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what mighty community told:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFibro fog takes the cake for me. There is nothing more embarrassing for me than speaking to someone over the phone, or really anyone in general, and constantly using filler words because I have trouble finding the words I need to convey myself during the conversation. I use a lot of Post-it notes and set reminders for just about everything.\u201d \u2013 Bee E.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot being able to process what someone is saying to you and then looking rude for asking what they said more than once because to your brain they may as well be speaking gibberish.\u201d \u2013 Dani S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDefinitely the brain fog. It\u2019s so embarrassing to lose my train of thought mid-sentence and be incapable of carrying an intelligent conversation or completely forget something someone told me. It\u2019s awful.\u201d \u2013 Molly S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor me, I think it\u2019s the excessive\u00a0sweating\u00a0for no apparent reason. The inability to regulate your own body temperature is frustrating.\u201d \u2013 Rachel P.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSweating!<\/em> The smallest amount of movement and I am overheated and sweat dripping down my face. I\u2019m all over the place at work and always burning up. It\u2019s freezing outside and the other girls have an extra heater next to them and here I am dying with a fan on me!\u201d \u2013 Christina K.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs a 27-year-old woman [with] both fibromyalgia and\u00a0endometriosis\u00a0I often suffer from really bad hot flashes. It\u2019s embarrassing to suddenly start fanning myself or taking off certain items of clothing in an attempt to alleviate the discomfort.\u201d \u2013 Emily G.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe most embarrassing part is having to cancel plans because I don\u2019t feel well enough to go out. Eventually, you get labeled as \u2018that person.\u2019\u201d \u2013 Lauren H.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s embarrassing to me to have to cancel plans with not a lot of notice. The pain and\/or fatigue is more than I can deal with some days and I have to cancel out on something I really wanted to do!\u201d \u2013 Jan S. P.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen there [are] too many people talking at once or too much noise my head goes into overdrive and I become so stressed as I could explode. It\u2019s so hard to hide how it affects me.\u201d \u2013 Annie T.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne thing I can\u2019t do much anymore is watch \u2018Price Is Right.\u2019 There\u2019s too much noise and screaming. And I\u2019m getting where I just can\u2019t watch it like I used to.\u201d \u2013 Terri S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot having enough energy at times to do simple daily things like shower or cook dinner for my kids or even somedays I can\u2019t get out of bed to do stuff with my kids.\u201d \u2013 Skye L.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe complete lack of energy. I understand that it\u2019s my fibro. Others just see lazy.\u201d \u2013 Michelle P.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe fatigue. When it strikes, I have to sit down immediately, regardless of where I am.\u00a0Morning exhaustion\u00a0sucks\u201d \u2013 Lisa T.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am tired of my weight gain. I can\u2019t shake it and I am embarrassed when I see people who knew me before.\u201d \u2013 Leah M.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGastrointestinal issues. I always feel awkward telling my doctors about my GI-related symptoms, whether it be nausea, constipation or diarrhea.\u201d \u2013 Mattie M.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have diarrhea. My stomach problems interfere with my life constantly. This past Thanksgiving I had to sit and watch everyone eat. I was too terrified to eat myself because of diarrhea. It never ends. I sometimes go days without eating because of it.\u201d \u2013 Melissa G.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIBS [irritable bowel syndrome] and all the loveliness\u00a0that<\/em>\u00a0entails. I have to avoid certain foods just because I\u2019ve become so sensitive to them. Not only because of the embarrassing symptoms it brings, but cramps, headaches and flare-ups that come with eating a \u2018bad food.\u2019\u201d \u2013 Ashley A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe back and leg pain. I can\u2019t sit, stand or walk for more than 30 minutes at a time. I\u2019m constantly moving if I\u2019m standing or I have to lean over on something. People think you\u2019re lazy, but my legs literally want to give out!\u201d \u2013 Meena N.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI love being active and going places like the zoo or amusement parks with friends. But when I\u2019m in an environment where I\u2019m doing a lot of walking, it gets embarrassing to have to keep taking breaks because of my knees and hips. As a 23-year-old, people my own age can get annoyed by my needing to stop, and I will sometimes get questioning stares from older people or comments like \u2018you\u2019re too young to have those pains.\u2019 I usually try to push myself as much as possible, but that only makes the pain worse when I finally do cave and take a break.\u201d \u2013 Shelby C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe red rash I get on my neck from thin air. Sometime it\u2019s just in one spot, sometimes it\u2019s all over. When it\u2019s in one spot, people sometimes think I have a hickey. It\u2019s kind of embarrassing.\u201d \u2013 Krystina K. F.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy\u00a0balance. It\u2019s gotten worse and I\u2019ve fallen over when I should have been able to save myself \u2013 the one outside a friend\u2019s house into her flower bed was the worst as she was shocked (doesn\u2019t really know what I have).\u201d \u2013 Lisa B.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy poor intolerance to heat, odours and smoke. Like I\u2019m appropriately all dressed up and eager for a social gathering, then the feeling of discomfort kicks in with heavy sweating and light headedness due to the \u2018heat\u2019 my body is perceiving. Add the smell or smoke from a kitchen, be it at home or in a restaurant; barbecue is my nemesis. I want to enjoy yet my body refuses and others see me as a killjoy or just too fussy.\u201d \u2013 Vee Vee Y.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBeing so cold. All the time. I live in Texas. During the summer I wear sweaters and always have to have a jacket wherever I go. It\u2019s over 100 degrees out so every place has the AC cranked up and I\u2019m trying to warm my hands enough to have feeling in them.\u201d \u2013 Kristi R.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSpasms. Almost near constant twitches, some of which are huge<\/em> and people give you funny looks, because you can\u2019t control your own body.\u201d \u2013 Rhian S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy feet and legs will jerk or twitch. I\u2019ll often squeak or yelp when it happens because it hurts. People stare and it makes me incredibly self-conscious. I can\u2019t control it.\u201d \u2013 Elyse B.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe random back spasms that leave me unable to walk while in the middle of a store. I don\u2019t like being the center of attention and nothing screams \u2018look at me\u2019 like not being able to move.\u201d \u2013 Megan M.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI get random muscle spasms. It causes me to drop things a lot.\u201d \u2013 Danika S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe constant sniffles\/cough\/dry mouth my meds cause. Really awkward to be certain places and be coughing and sniffling. When my sister had her baby I was holding her and sniffling and some thought I was sick and holding a newborn! No! Sorry, just my meds making me sound like it!\u201d \u2013 Garnet D.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen someone goes to touch me, I always flinch because I know it\u2019s going to hurt.\u201d \u2013 Amanda P.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen I have to tell people please don\u2019t hug me goodbye or hello because it hurts too much.\u201d \u2013 Audrey M.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot being able to talk. I forget words, stumble over them, say words that make no sense. What\u2019s worse is I work with children and the parents just look at me sometimes and I feel so [silly] not being able to get my thoughts across smoothly. Just typing this has taken me 15 minutes because I\u2019ve had to go back and rewrite words that were severely misspelled or made no sense.\u201d \u2013 Marissa E.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI mix up words and it comes out so weird! People look at me funny because it sounds so [silly] sometimes. Fibro fog is the worst! One time I kept saying potatoes instead of donuts. So embarrassing.\u201d \u2013 Eloise T.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBrain fog\u2026 When I can\u2019t remember the words. Could be looking right at something and not be able to recall what it\u2019s called. It\u2019s right there on the tip of my tongue but the words don\u2019t come.\u201d \u2013 Paula D.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIncontinence! It is super embarrassing, I have to wear panty liners all the time. And like that\u2019s not bad enough, I have random bladder cramps. Like just suddenly and out of nowhere, my bladder cramps and I have to go immediately. It\u2019s caused me to have accidents.\u201d \u2013 Morgan V.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can actually pee every 15 minutes. I thought it was just me, had no idea it was because of the fibro! Road trips are a b****!\u201d \u2013 Shelby L. S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith pain, when it\u2019s really bad I get angry \u2013 at the pain, myself and others. I try to warn the people I work with on a bad pain day, that if I burst out crying or seem irritated it\u2019s not them, it\u2019s the pain.\u201d \u2013 Trish G.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe most embarrassing symptom of mine is the sudden shooting pains causing me to automatically change expressions and stop whatever I\u2019m doing, whether I\u2019m at work or with family. When that happens everyone notices the sudden change and then asks what\u2019s wrong because I still look \u2018in shape\u2019 or \u2018healthy.\u2019\u201d \u2013 Katherine L.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSpontaneous shooting pain that is sometimes debilitating. I can have a perfectly good day and sharp pain comes from nowhere, causing me to wince or even cry out in pain.\u201d \u2013 DeAnna A. C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen my body locks up suddenly, or when I can\u2019t get up off the sofa without making some embarrassing grunting noise. I often wonder if people notice just how much effort it takes me to do these things.\u201d \u2013 Terri S. A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe exhaustion. I can\u2019t do anything too long or I get so tired it becomes painful to keep my eyes open. I have had to cut my hours back at work and I\u2019m barely making it by. I need to nap to get through the day.\u201d \u2013 Kirsten M. R.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExhaustion and seclusion. Fibromyalgia causes me to be severely exhausted and in turn, I seclude myself because I am embarrassed that I can\u2019t go do things like meet friends and family for dinner after working all day.\u201d \u2013 Koroleva V.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Source:\u00a0<\/strong>themighty.com\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By\u00a0Julia Nelson\u00a0 If you\u2019re suffering from an everlasting ailment like\u00a0fibromyalgia, you\u2019re already well aware of the annoying and adverse symptoms that come through it. You should not feel ashamed and miserable because of the symptoms and side effects you\u2019re experiencing, but it will cause embarrassment when you forget about what you were saying in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":77,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78,"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76\/revisions\/78"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fibromyalgiaawareness.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}1. Brain Fog<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Too much Sweating<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Always\u00a0cancel plans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Sensory Overdrive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. Exhaustion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
6. Changing in Weight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
7. Gastrointestinal Problems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
8. Lower back and Leg pain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
9. Rashes\/Urticaria<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
10.\u00a0Dizziness\u00a0and Balance Problems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
11. Hypersensitivity to Sensory Stimuli<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
12. Temperature Sensitivity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
13. Widespread Muscle Twitches and Pain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
14. Having the \u201cSniffles\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
15. Skin Sensitivity to Touch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
16. Problems with Speech<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
17. Urinary Incontinence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
18.\u00a0Emotional Sensitivity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
19. Reacting to Sudden Pain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
20. Tiredness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n