"The 200+ Symptoms of Fibromyalgia"
(Note: Some symptoms may overlap)
GENERAL
1. Activity level decreased to less than 50% of pre-illness activity level
2. Cold hands and feet (extremities)
3. Cough
4. Craving carbohydrates
5. Delayed reaction to physical activity or stressful events
6. Dryness of eyes and/or mouth
7. Edema (Oedema)
8. Family member(s) with Fibromyalgia
9. Fatigue, made worse by physical exertion or stress
10. Feeling cold often
11. Feeling hot often
12. Frequent sighing
13. Heart palpitations
14. Hoarseness
15. Hypoglycemia (blood sugar falls or low)
16. Increased thirst
17. Low blood pressure (below 110/70)
18. Low body temperature (below 97.6)
19. Low-grade fevers
20. Night sweats
21. Noisy joints – with or without pain
22. Poor circulation in hands/feet
23. Profuse sweating
24. Recurrent flu-like illness
25. Shortness of breath with little or no exertion
26. Severe nasal allergies (new or worsening allergies)
27. Sore throat
28. Subjective swelling of extremities – (feels swollen Bu can’t find anything)
29. Sweats
30. Symptoms worsened by air travel
31. Symptoms worsened by stress
32. Symptoms worsened by temperature changes
33. Tender or swollen lymph nodes, especially in neck and underarms
34. Tremor or trembling
35. Unexplained weight gain or loss
PAIN
36. Abdominal wall pain
37. Bad hip pain
38. Burning Nerve Pain
39. Chest pain
40. Collarbone pain
41. Diffuse swelling
42. Elbow pain
43. Exacerbated Plantar arch or heel pain
44. “Growing” pains that don’t go away once you are done growing
45. Headache – tension or migraine
46. Inflamed Rib Cartilage
47. Joint pain
48. Lumpy, tender breasts
49. Morning stiffness
50. Muscle pain - widespread
51. Muscle spasms
52. Muscle twitching
53. Muscle weakness
54. Pain that ranges from moderate to severe
55. Pain that moves around the body
56. Paralysis or severe weakness of an arm or leg
57. Restless Leg Syndrome
58. Rib Pain
59. Scalp Pain (like hair being pulled out)
60. Sciatica-like pain
61. Tender points or trigger points
62. TMJ syndrome
63. “Voodoo Doll” Poking Sensation in random places
NEUROLOGICAL
64. Blackouts
65. Brain fog
66. Carpal Tunnel
67. Feeling spaced out
68. Hallucinating smells
69. Inability to think clearly
70. Lightheadedness
71. Noise intolerance
72. Numbness or tingling sensations
73. Photophobia (sensitivity to light)
74. Seizures
75. Seizure-like episodes
76. Sensation that you might faint
77. Syncope (fainting)
78. Tinnitus (ringing in one or both ears)
79. Vertigo or dizziness
EQUILIBRIUM/PERCEPTION
80. Bumping into things
81. Clumsy Walking
82. Difficulty balancing
83. Difficulty judging distances (when driving, etc.)
84. Directional disorientation
85. Dropping things frequently
86. Feeling spatially disoriented
87. Frequent tripping or stumbling
88. Not seeing what you’re looking at
89. Poor balance and coordination
90. Staggering gait
SLEEP
91. Alertness/energy best late at night
92. Altered sleep/wake schedule
93. Awakening frequently
94. Difficulty falling asleep
95. Difficulty staying asleep
96. Excessive sleeping
97. Extreme alertness or energy levels late at night
98. Falling asleep at random and sometimes dangerous moments
99. Fatigue
100. Light or broken sleep pattern
101. Muscle spasms/twitches at night
102. Narcolepsy
103. Sleep disturbances
104. Sleep starts or falling sensations
105. Teeth grinding - "Bruxism"
106. Tossing and turning
107. Un-refreshing or non-restorative sleep
108. Vivid or disturbing dreams/nightmares
EYES/VISION
109. Blind spots in vision
110. Eye pain
111. Difficulty switching focus from one thing to another
112. Frequent changes in ability to see well
113. Night driving difficulty
114. Occasional Blurry vision
115. Poor night vision
116. Rapidly worsening vision
117. Vision changes
COGNITIVE
118. Becoming lost in familiar locations when driving
119. Confusion
120. Difficulty expressing ideas in words
121. Difficulty following conversation (especially if background noise present)
122. Difficulty following directions while driving
123. Difficulty following oral instructions
124. Difficulty following written instructions
125. Difficulty making decisions
126. Difficulty moving your mouth to speak
127. Difficulty paying attention
128. Difficulty putting ideas together to form a complete picture
129. Difficulty putting tasks or things in proper sequence
130. Difficulty recognizing faces
131. Difficulty speaking known words
132. Difficulty remembering names of objects
133. Difficulty remembering names of people
134. Difficulty understanding what you read
135. Difficulty with long-term memory
136. Difficulty with simple calculations
137. Difficulty with short-term memory
138. Easily distracted during a task
139. Dyslexia-type symptoms occasionally
140. Feeling too disoriented to drive
141. Forgetting how to do routine things
142. Impaired ability to concentrate
143. Inability to recognize familiar surroundings
144. Losing track in the middle of a task (remembering what to do next)
145. Losing your train of thought in the middle of a sentence
146. Loss of ability to distinguish some colors
147. Poor judgment
148. Short term memory impairment
149. Slowed speech
150. Staring into space trying to think
151. Stuttering; stammering
152. Switching left and right
153. Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you speak
154. Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you write
155. Trouble concentrating
156. Using the wrong word
157. Word-finding difficulty
EMOTIONAL
158. Abrupt and/or unpredictable mood swings
159. Anger outbursts
160. Anxiety or fear when there is no obvious cause
161. Attacks of uncontrollable rage
162. Decreased appetite
163. Depressed mood
164. Feeling helpless and/or hopeless
165. Fear of someone knocking on the door
166. Fear of telephone ringing
167. Feeling worthless
168. Frequent crying
169. Heightened awareness – of symptoms
170. Inability to enjoy previously enjoyed activities
171. Irrational fears
172. Irritability
173. Overreaction
174. Panic attacks
175. Personality changes –usually a worsening of pervious condition
176. Phobias
177. Suicide attempts
178. Suicidal thoughts
179. Tendency to cry easily
GASTROINTESTINAL
180. Abdominal cramps
181. Bloating
182. Decreased appetite
183. Food cravings
184. Frequent constipation
185. Frequent diarrhea
186. Gerd-like Symptoms
187. Heartburn
188. Increased appetite
189. Intestinal gas
190. Irritable bladder - "Angry Bladder Syndrome"
191. Irritable bowel syndrome - IBS-C, IBS-D
192. Nausea
193. Regurgitation
194. Stomachache
195. Vomiting
196. Weight gain - unexplained
197. Weight loss - unexplained
UROGENITAL
198. Decreased libido (sex drive)
199. Endometriosis
200. Frequent urination
201. Impotence
202. Menstrual problems
203. Painful urination or bladder pain - "Interstitial Cystitis"
204. Pelvic pain
205. Prostate pain
206. Worsening of (or severe) premenstrual syndrome (PMS or PMDD)
SENSITIVITIES
207. Alcohol intolerance
208. Allodynia (hypersensitive to touch)
209. Alteration of taste, smell, and/or hearing
210. Sensitivity to chemicals in cleaning products, perfumes, etc.
211. Sensitivities to foods
212. Sensitivity to light
213. Sensitivity to mold
214. Sensitivity to noise
215. Sensitivity to odors
216. Sensitivity to yeast (getting yeast infections frequently on skin, etc.)
217. Sensory overload
218. Sensitivity to pressure & humidity changes
219. Sensitivity to extreme temperature changes
220. Vulvodynia
SKIN
221. Able to “write” on skin with finger
222. Bruising easily
223. Bumps and lumps
224. Eczema or psoriasis
225. Hot/dry skin
226. Ingrown hairs
227. Itchy/Irritable skin
228. Mottled skin
229. Rashes or sores
230. Scarring easily
231. Sensitivity to the sun
232. Skin suddenly turns bright red
CARDIOVASCULAR (Heart)
233. “Click-murmur” sounds through stethoscope
234. Fluttery heartbeat
235. Heart palpitations
236. Irregular heartbeat
237. Loud pulse in ear
238. Pain that mimics heart attack - "Costochondritis"
239. Rapid heartbeat
HAIR/NAILS
240. Dull, listless hair
241. Heavy and splitting cuticles
242. Irritated nail beds
243. Nails that curve under
244. Pronounced nail ridges
245. Temporary hair loss
OTHER
246. Canker sores
247. Dental problems
248. Disk Degeneration
249. Hemorrhoids
250. Nose bleeds
251. Periodontal (gum) disease
252. Need for early hysterectomy
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"Willful Ignorance" [Life Story]
[Written in August, 2023]
A parent reminded me why I make PB the other night.
For those of you who don't know, I'm a very young creator. 20 in October. And I had one of my co-writers for a different comic ("Weirder Than Usual") over at my place for the weekend. And being the youngest of a hispanic family, my parents have no plans to let me move out anytime soon. When I do leave, it will likely be without their blessing.
I let one parent drive my co-writer back home for the night. I knew I wouldn't be much fun to have in the car that late (I fall asleep pretty early,) and that we wouldn't be free to discuss creative affairs with that parent there, anyway.
I don't like to be myself with this parent around. We are distant. And I keep that distance for a reason.
And despite my absence, this parent reminded me why. Because guess what my cowriter texted me not too long after!
Some hours later, I can't help but think to myself... it's so funny how she stresses my late speech so much. Because now that it's here, it's as if my words don't matter at all.
I will admit my family doesn't know everything that our Special Ed program put me & other children through. But I will ALSO say that that's their own fault. Because as I grew up, I used to tell them every awful thing that I found important. And it was their lack of response that made me stop.
The driver of that car is clueless. She's "forgotten" about the violence that surrounded me in there. Desks crashing to the ground after an adult's angriest shove. Sweaters stretched out and destroyed from middle school fights that nobody broke up.
She's "forgotten" about every time I told her that we weren't learning what we needed to know, insisting that every class must've been doing 3rd grade worksheets in 7th if we were.
She's "forgotten" her 11-year-old asking if he was on the spectrum; how she put on the confused performance of a lifetime as she told me no. But miraculously, she remembers sitting somewhere in the spring of 2005, being told so by professionals.
And she "doesn't remember" us yelling on the phone in 2022. How I spent 80 dollars on an Uber just so we wouldn't share state grounds. And how I screamed for the millionth time, in no uncertain terms, "I AM NOT MAD AT YOU FOR PUTTING ME IN A PROGRAM THAT PROMISED US HELP. You believed them! I know you believed them, they promised you I'd be okay! The problem is that THEY BROKE THAT PROMISE! And every time they did, you just looked the other way!"
Whether she is or isn't being truthful doesn't matter. It's bad on her either way.
Because I know she remembers my dentist reporting bruxism to her when I still had loose teeth. How they would ask her about my environment, or if she knew whether or not anything was stressing me out. And that she chose to question nothing as it continued nightly into my teens. Damaging my adult teeth and concerning all who would sleep in the same room as me. They could hear me all the time. Sometimes my sister would even wake me up.
I know she remembers marking her little one's height against the wall, and seeing the space under his eyes grow darker and darker across the 6th grade.
I know she remembers making leave Autism themed group chats, because to her, my name & that word should never be in the same sentence.
I know she remembers going through his journals and sketchbooks, finding concept art for our Matthew B. And how just one look was enough to make her enroll me to therapy when I was 13.
And she knows that I remember how she hates that boy. Matthew Boston, I mean. And at least one part of her hates everything that he is; disabled, creative, expressive, and headstrong.
I know because she hates those traits in me as well.
Since I spend a lot of time in disability spaces, I try not to assume somebody isn't trying to understand. Comprehension doesn't come easy to everyone. And I especially suspect that she's neurodivergent as well.
But I've tried everything with this one, and I'm truly at the end of my rope. I've tried visuals. I've tried keeping it short and sweet and simple. I've tried having complex and mature conversations where I don't skip a single detail.
I've even tried therapy with her in the room.
Nothing works. And unless this is the convenient work of an undiagnosed memory condition, there's no reason for that.
My Autistic voice matters so little to her that she insists on prying information out of my friends when I'm not in the room; asking the allistic all these questions I've answered myself one thousand times.
She doesn't want to understand. She doesn't want to question her own ableism. Or work past it. And that's why I don't show her "PAPERBOY" at all, and likely won't until years and years from now.
Because PAPERBOY is for the people who do understand. For people who do understand, and everyone who wants to.
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