FibroFog

I was reading the May/June 2011 issue of Arthritis Self-Management magazine today. There is an article about Fibromyalgia. Most of it I already knew. However, one section caught my eye. It stated, "Recent research has found that people with fibromyalgia do not make new memories at a normal rate when their attention is divided." It went on to use an illustration of a person with fibro talking on the phone when someone knocks on the door with a message. The person with fibro would find it difficult to remember what the phone conversation was about. Personally, I'd forget I was even on the phone and should I recall that useful bit of info, I'd panic wondering who it is I'm talking to! 

The article also stated that those with fibro have a "naming speed deficit" that requires more time to read words and name colors then those without fibro. I had wondered whether my decreased reading ability had anything to do with my fibro....now I know.

When I read articles such as these, there is always one or more "lightbulb" moments. It's a moment where, suddenly, something in my life makes sense. Something I'd worried over, or was aggravated by, was contributed to Fibro.

When I'm doing chores, typing on my pc, reading something, etc...I always tell my children and husband that they can't interrupt me. If they do, it'll take me longer to figure out what I was doing then to complete the task! I knew I wasn't always this way, but wasn't sure if it was contributed to the fibro.

I've always been an avid book lover. I started reading at a young age and never stopped....until fibro. I still love books, but it's difficult to read now. If I'm reading a book and have to get up for something, I have to go back and scan the parts I've already read to figure out what is going on. When I go to bed at night, I'll wake and not even recall I was in the middle of a book. I tell everyone that I can remember things I did years ago just fine, but can't seem to remember what I did yesterday. Maybe it's not that I can't remember, but that because my attention was divided (and isn't it always when your children are around?) that the memories weren't made!!

Part of me wants to scream triumphantly and run around showing this article to all those who have gotten mad at me for not remembering. However, those are the same people that would scoff at the article and said it probably wasn't written by a professional. So, instead, I'll share it here. I'll share it with my fibromites so that they'll have their own "lightbulb" moments and feel relief knowing it's not just them. I'll share it with my blog followers who support and/or love someone with fibro so that they can understand their life just a little bit more.

Gentle hugs to each of my fibromites.