As promised in a previous post, I’m devoting Fridays to fibromyalgia and all of the information, advice, support, and discoveries that I’ve had during my fibro journey.
Today, I’m discussing some of the unexpected fibro symptoms that I’ve noted in the past year. The most common symptoms – fatigue, muscle aches, mental fog – are well known, but there are quite a few others that I feel are worth noting.
- Hypersensitivity to heat and cold – I found myself unable to enter certain grocery stores due to the extreme cold within certain sections of the store. Even though summers here in Virginia are scorching, I couldn’t bear to go from the heat to the air-conditioned stores. Then, during the winter, I found myself quickly adjusting my thermostat because a little too much heat would trigger intense sweats. I’m glad that my medication has given me some relief from this particular symptom, but I still notice that those sensitivities have to be actively managed (dressing in layers so I can quickly adjust to the temperatures of whatever place I’m visiting).
- Pronounced thirst – I find myself drinking a LOT of water. And it seems like sometimes I can’t drink enough water to quench my thirst. I suppose it’s a good thing that I’m drinking more water, but it also gets annoying. It’s also important to be careful: too much water can be harmful to the body. So I have to also make sure that I get as much of my “water” from fresh fruit as possible. Which leads to my next point . . .
- Taste for “light” (fresh) foods – I’ve found myself wanting very “light” foods all of the time. I crave foods that can digest easily and leave me feeling light and refreshed. Don’t get me wrong I still enjoy the heady delights that can be found in Thai, Indian and Ethiopian cuisine. But over the past several months, I’ve craved smoothies, salads and other “light” foods that are gentle on my digestion. I think this may be because fibro is usually associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and, while I don’t have IBS, I still prefer foods that aren’t too taxing on my somewhat more sensitive digestive system.
Those are just a few of the symptoms that I’ve experienced that I suspect are related to my fibro. There are several more, but these were the most pronounced symptoms that I rarely saw mentioned when researching fibro.
That’s it for the week! I hope you all are well and continuing to take care of yourselves. Have a great weekend.
Bronze Butterfly 