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The Ridiculously Long List of
Fibromyalgia Symptoms

The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.

Fibromyalgia is a standalone syndrome of symptoms. There are over 200 hundred symptoms that are categorised into 5 main symptoms: Pain, Fatigue, Fibro Fog, Sleep Disturbances and IBS. The cycle of overlapping symptoms is exasperated by stress, trauma and further conditions.

If you are having problems trying to get a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia, we suggest printing a copy of this list highlighting everything you suffer with and taking it to your GP.  We have found that a number of GPs have then taken symptoms into consideration to refer you to a pain specialist.

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AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM/ENDOCRINE/IMMUNE/HORMONE
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  • Abnormal sensitivity to hot or cold

  • Allergies (nasal, other; new, increased or worsening) Canker sores (frequent)

  • Chills and/or shakes when hungry (may occur instead of feeling hungry) Cold hands and feet

  • Feeling hot or cold often

  • Flu-like symptoms, on-going or recurrent after initial gradual or acute onset; includes mild fever (99.5-101.5 F / 37.5-38.6 C), chills, extreme fatigue after minimal exertion

  • Hair loss (alopecia)

  • Herpes simplex or shingles rash

  • Increased susceptibility to infections

  • Low-grade fevers

  • Low blood pressure (below 110/70) Low body temperature (below 97.5)

  • Lymph nodes painful, swollen (in neck; under arms) Night sweats (not related to menopause or fever) Orthostatic Intolerance (neurally mediated hypotension)

  • Reactive hypoglycaemia and insulin resistance

  • Thirst, increased

  • Temperature irregularities; often feeling hot or cold irrespective of actual ambient temperature and body temperature; low body temperature (below 97.6 F / 36.4 C)

  • Thyroid inflammation (acute thyroiditis; hypothyroidism; Hashimoto's thyroiditis)

CARDIOPULMONARY/RESPIRATORY/CIRCULATORY

  • Cardiac abnormalities (mitral valve prolapse; myocarditis; tachycardia; palpitations; dysrhythmia) Cough

  • Dyspnoea (out of breath) or shortness of breath (air hunger) after minimal or no exertion

  • Heart attack

  • Heart palpitations

  • Heart pounds so hard it shakes body, bed

  • Pulse skips

  • Serious rhythm disturbances of heart

  • Sighing, frequent, not related to mental/emotional state

  • Stroke

  • Vasculitis

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CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM/NEUROLOGICAL/NEUROPATHIC/OTOLOGIC
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  •  Abnormal CAT, MRI and/or SPECT scans

  • Alcohol intolerance

  • Aseptic meningitis

  • "Brainfog"; inability to think clearly

  • Difficulty moving tongue to speak

  • Diminished or absent reflexes

  • Fainting or blackouts; feeling like you might faint

  • Headaches (frequent, severe, recurring) Hearing fluctuations (sounds fade then return)

  • Hearing changes, often from day to day (need to turn up, then down, volume of radio, TV)

  • Joint or arthritic pain not relieved by NSAIDs (ie, ibuprofen) Libido (decreased)

  • Light-headedness, feeling spaced-out

  • Migraine headaches Muscle twitching Noise intolerance

  • Paralysis or severe weakness of limb

  • Paraesthesia (numbness, tingling, crawling, itching sensations) in face, head, torso, extremities

  • Photosensitivity

  • Radiculitis

  • Seizures; seizure-like episodes

  • Sensory alterations (hyper- or hyposensitivity) - smell, taste, hearing (noise intolerance) Severe muscle weakness

  • Syncope (fainting)

  • Tinnitus (ringing/noises in one or both ears)

  • Touch or weight of clothing on or against body causes discomfort or pain

  • Tremors, trembling

COGNITIVE FUNCTION
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  • Becoming lost in familiar locations when driving

  • Difficulty with simple calculations (e.g., balancing checkbook) Difficulty expressing ideas in words

  • Difficulty moving your mouth to speak

  • Difficulty making decisions

  • Difficulty following directions while driving

  • 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

  • Difficulty integrating information (putting ideas together to form a complete picture or concept)

  • Difficulty putting tasks or things in proper sequence

  • Difficulty paying attention

  • Difficulty following a conversation when background noise is present

  • Difficulty making and/or retrieving memories (long/short-term memory deficits)

  • Difficulty understanding what you read

  • Easily distracted during a task Feeling too disoriented to drive

  • Forgetting how to do routine things

  • Forgetting the use of common objects (such as, what to do with the shampoo when you are standing in the shower)

  • Forgetting how to get to familiar places

  • Impaired ability to concentrate

  • Losing your train of thought in the middle of a sentence

  • Losing track in the middle of a task (remembering what to do next)

  • Poor judgment

  • Switching left and right

  • Slowed and/or slurred speech

  • Stuttering; stammering

  • Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you speak and/or speak

  • Word-finding difficulty

  • Using the wrong word

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DIGESTIVE/HEPATIC
 

  • Bloating; intestinal gas Decreased appetite

  • Digestive chemicals (acid, enzymes) reduced or absent

  • Oesophageal reflux; heartburn

  • Frequent constipation

  • Frequent diarrhoea

  • Food cravings (especially carbohydrates, sweets)

  • Food/Substance intolerance

  • IBS

  • Liver function impaired; mild abnormalities

  • Increased appetite

  • Nausea

  • Spleen tender or enlarged

  • Stomach ache, cramps

  • Vomiting

  • Weight gain or loss

EQUILIBRIUM/PERCEPTION

  • Bite your cheeks or tongue frequently

  • Bump into things frequently

  • Difficulty discriminating printed matter despite proper vision correction

  • Distances (difficulty judging when driving; when putting things down on surfaces)

  • Dizziness or vertigo

  • Dropping things frequently

  • Disequilibrium (balance problems)

  • Impaired coordination

  • Loss of balance when standing with eyes closed

  • Perception (not quite seeing what you are looking at)

  • Some patterns (stripes, checks) cause dizziness

  • Spatial disorientation

  • Staggering gait (clumsy walking)

  • Words on printed page appear to jump off page or disappear when staring at them

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EYES/VISION
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  • Acuity changes not related to prescription changes

  • Blind spots

  • Blurred vision

  • Conjunctivitis

  • Diminished visual acuity in absence of actual vision change

  • Drooping eyelid

  • Double vision

  • Eye pain

  • Flashes of light perceived peripherally

  • Optic neuritis or atrophy Oscillopsia (image jiggles)

  • Prescription changes more frequently

  • Pressure sensation behind eyes

  • Red and/or tearing eyes

  • Retinal damage

  • Slowed accommodation (switching focus from far to near, near to far)

  • Spots or floaters not related to migraines

  • Swelling around eyes

  • Uveitis and/or iritis

  • Wandering or lazy eye

HEAD/NECK/MOUTH

  • Bell's palsy (facial paralysis, one or both sides)

  • Bruxism (grinding/clenching teeth)

  • Canker sores

  • Dizziness when you turn your head or move

  • Dry chronic cough

  • Dry eyes, nose and mouth (sicca syndrome)

  • Pain in ears, palate, gums

  • Periodontal disease

  • Prickling pain along skin of jaw

  • Problems swallowing, chewing

  • Runny nose in absence of cold, allergies

  • Sinus infections

  • Sore spot on the top of your head

  • Temperomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ)

  • Unexplained toothaches

  • Xerostoma (dry mouth)

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MUSCULOSKELETAL
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  • Arthritic pain that migrates from joint to joint

  • Carpal tunnel syndrome

  • Frozen shoulder Intermittent joint swelling Joint aches (arthralgia)

  • Joint pain, without redness or swelling

  • Loss of tone

  • "Lumpy, bumpy" long muscles

  • Morning stiffness

  • Muscle aches (myalgia)

  • Muscle pain, stiffness, weakness

  • Pyriform muscle syndrome

  • Reduced range of motion

  • Stiff neck

  • Writing causes pain in hand, arm shoulder

PAIN SYMPTOMS

  • Abdominal pain

  • *Chest pain*

  • Generalized pain

  • Joint Pain

  • Pain that migrates from joint to joint

  • Pain/stiffness at C1-C2 (top two vertebrae)

  • *** Shooting or stabbing pains ****

  • Painful tender points (FMS: 11 out of 18 tender points

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PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS/MOOD/EMOTIONS
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  • Abrupt/Unpredictable mood swings

  • Anxiety or fear for no obvious reason

  • Appetite increase/decrease

  • Decreased self-esteem

  • Depression or depressed mood

  • Feeling helpless and/or hopeless

  • Feeling worthless

  • Frequent crying for no reason

  • Helpless/Hopeless feelings

  • Inability to enjoy previously enjoyed activities

  • Irritability; over-reaction

  • New phobias/irrational fears

  • Panic attacks

  • Personality changes (labile, irritable, anxious, confused, forgetful)

  • Phobias (irrational fears)

  • Rage attacks; anger outbursts for little or no reason

  • Suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts

SENSITIVITIES

  • Acute or abnormal reactions to medications

  • Alteration in taste, smell, and/or hearing

  • Chemicals (alcohol, medications; lower tolerance for) Food sensitivities

  • Increased perception of and sensitivity to noise

  • Light sensitivity

  • Sensitivity to odours (able to detect and/or react in concentrations far lower than before and that healthy people cannot smell)

  • NOISE sensitivities

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SKIN/NAILS
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  • Abnormal scarring

  • Acrodermatitis Chronica Atrophician

  • Blotchy or mottled skin

  • Bruise easily

  • Bruises may take longer to appear, and/or longer to fade

  • Bull's-eye (Erythema migraines) on light skin (resembles a bruise on dark skin)

  • Dermographia (minor scratch pressure on skin leaves vivid red welts)

  • Dry, itchy skin

  • Easily scar

  • Eczema or psoriasis

  • Fragile nails

  • Frequent skin irritations

  • Lymphadenosis benigna cutis

  • Nails that curve under or downward

  • Overgrowing connective tissue (ingrown hair, adhesions, thickened/split cuticles, cysts, fibroids)

  • Painful skin (abnormal/excessive pain when scratched or rubbed)

  • "Paper" skin (feels fragile, tissue-thin when rubbed)

  • Rashes on body, face

  • Vertical ridges or beads in nails

SLEEP SYMPTOMS

  • Abnormal brain activity in stage 4 sleep

  • Altered sleep/wake patterns (alert/energetic late at night, sleepy during day

  • Difficulty falling asleep

  • Difficulty staying asleep (frequent and/or prolonged awakenings) Hypersomnia (excessive sleeping)

  • Myclonus (restless leg syndrome; occasional jerking of entire body)

  • Nightmares (frequent, extremely vivid and/or disturbing)

  • Unrefreshing/Non-restorative sleep

  • Sleep Aponea

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UROGENITAL/REPRODUCTIVE

Decreased libido
Discharge from breast or galactorrhea
Endometriosis Frequent urination Incontinence Impotence
Infant: premature; low birth weight; low muscle tone; failure to thrive
Interstitial cystitis Miscarriage or stillbirth Painful intercourse
Painful urination or bladder Pelvic and/or rectal pain Prostate pain
Swollen testicles
Other symptoms worsen before start of menstruation
Worsening of PMS

OTHER

  • Abnormal or other changes in sweating

  • Activity level reduced to less than 50% of pre-onset level

  • Burning sensation (internal or external)

  • Changed voice

  • Changes in sweat odour/body odour

  • Delayed reaction to overactivity/exertion (onset 24-48 hours after exertion)

  • Electromagnetic (EM) sensitivity (electrical storms, full moon, affect function of electrical devices)

  • Fatigue, prolonged, disabling, made worse by exertion or stress

  • Fibrocystic breasts

  • "Galloping" cholesterol and triglycerides

  • Hair loss (not related to age, hormones, diet, medication)

  • Hands hurt excessively when put in cold water

  • Handwriting changes, altering signature and/or other writing

  • Hoarseness

  • Painful, weak grasp that gives way/lets go

  • Periods of concentrated thinking causes physical and mental exhaustion, increases pain

  • Sore throat

  • Swelling/Idiopathic oedema (fluid retention syndrome)

  • Symptoms worsened by extremes of temperature (hot, cold), stress, and/or air travel

  • Symptoms change focus from time to time, like infection is moving through the body

  • Thickened mucus secretions (nose, bowel, vaginal)

  • Thickened "sleep" around eyes in mornings

  • Very attractive to biting flies and mosquitoes

  • Weight changes (usually gain

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