Have you forgotten where you put your keys again? Having trouble remembering what you were supposed to do this afternoon? Do you have difficulty finding the right words to use to express yourself? If you are experiencing some or all of these memory problems you may be suffering from fibrofog.
Fibrofog refers to a variety of cognitive impairments that fibromyalgia sufferers experience with the disorder. Fibrofog can be one of the most stressful and upsetting fibromyalgia symptoms. If you know someone with fibromyalgia syndrome or if you are suffering from the illness, keep an eye out for the indicators of fibrofog.
What is Fibrofog?
Fibrofog is a term given to the variety of cognitive problems that many fibromyalgia sufferers face during their illness. Fibrofog encompasses memory loss, difficulties using language, and difficulties with learning. These symptoms tend to descend in a haze or “fog,” around the sufferer. This can occur at any time and can vary in intensity when they do occur and tend to be at their most severe during flare ups in pain.
Fibrofog affects about both women and men who have fibromyalgia pain, though it tends to hit women more often. Women between the ages of 30 and 50 are most likely to be affected. Episodes typically last only a few days, though sometimes severe can last for weeks or even months.
Symptoms of Fibrofog
Fibrofog is one of the most common yet unrecognized symptoms of fibromyalgia. If you have fibromyalgia signs and symptoms it is important to be aware of it so that you can seek appropriate treatment and manage your illness more effectively.
Some symptoms of include:
- short term memory loss
- difficulty remembering where you put things
- difficulty remembering plans
- difficulty with language, including trouble holding conversations, understanding conversations, and expressing thoughts
- difficulty finding the “right” word to use in conversation
- trouble remembering simple numbers
- transposing letters and numbers
- trouble concentrating and focusing
- trouble retaining new information