Emotional Stressors

[Peggysue55]

I am fairly new to this forum but not new to FMS. Even tho I was diagnosed with FMS in the early mid-90s, this condition still perplexes me. I was wondering how emotional stressors affects other FMS patients? I find that whenever I have an emotional event in my life, I am thrown into severe fatigue and brain fog. It's like someone has taken my batteries out or pulled the plug......my body shuts down. I've often wondered if this is from the FMS or something else, or just the way my body handles stressful events.

 

[EmmaLVee]

Hi Peggysue, whenever I'm having anxiety/depression issues (which can be often), it can wreck havoc on my body. So, I definitely believe that stress - and even seasonal changes - can affect Fibro and similar issues. I sometimes feel like I want to crawl out of my own skin, or find it hard to even just sit somewhere, feeling the way that I do...it just seems to affect my entire body. I posted elsewhere that I struggle a lot with bloating, which I find extremely difficult, and aching and pain, which are exasperated by any type of stress, but what I find that is TRULY triggered by stress/anxiety are my headaches and the fog/difficulty concentrating that goes along with it...also my stupid sensitivity to certain noises...if I am in a bad mood at all, I can't handle noises like someone typing on a keyboard or a fan going in and out (I can't really describe it) or loud breathing, the list goes on. I'm a strange person.

 

[diamond]

Emotional stress shuts my body down so that i can barely put one foot in front of the other. My whole body feels like its is ten times heavier has no battery power and extreme pain.....i feel disorientataed cant concentrate and like you EmmaLvee noises and for me bright light and chaos around me is too much.

 

[Peggysue55]

EmmaLVee and Willow,
Wow, that sounds just like me!!!!! Noises, as well, and too much activity around me is not a good thing. I just learned my dad has lung cancer and I can feel myself on that slippery slope. I have had to cancel a weekend trip, because I know that would be too much for me right now. I haven't always put my limitation first and usually will try to push myself and pay for it later. I push myself because I avoid trying to explain this condition to other people. FMS isn't a visible disease/illness so people find it hard to empathize. But I'm getting better at respecting my limitations and do what's best for me.

 

[EmmaLVee]

I'm so sorry to hear about your dad, Peggysue...but it's good to hear that you are understanding your limitations and putting yourself first... I completely understand just pushing through so you don't have to explain - it's the curse of the invisible illness...having to explain because you don't "look sick." UGH. Just know that there are people who empathize and understand!! The simplest things can throw me for a loop. I wish you the best. Just try to relax this weekend and take it one day at a time.

And for both Peggysue and Willow, it's so strange to hear that I'm not alone with the noises and inability to concentrate! The people around me think I'm out of my mind for that!!

 

[remnant]

You are in good stead since you show courage to confront your situation. Stress is a major cause of many psychosomatic conditions including fibro and FMS. In fact, there is well documented evidence that stress can cause fibro. Then fibro causes more stress and this worsens it and it becomes a worsening vicious cycle. So stress management is a key pillar in managing fibro and FMS. You are lucky since you have identified your trigger which is stress. Taking magnesium tablets and melatonin will help relieve most of these problems. Wishing you a stict recovery.

 

[Peggysue55]

Thank you all for responding. I find comfort in your encouraging words. It's also comforting to know we are not alone in what we are feeling. So many people don't understand how noises can be so unnerving or how we can be so 'tired' at the beginning of the day. I would rather have the pain than the fatigue for sure. I think maybe when we actually feel physical pain, we can justify how we are feeling, but when we care simply 'just fatigued' (hahaha), it's harder to justify even for ourselves......so no wonder other people can't understand because they can't 'see' our problems.

 

[Trellum]

A LOT. I got into an argument yesterday that stressed me deeply... naturally I knew I'd get horrible neck pain and headache that day or the next one. Stress makes everything worse, it affects my pain badly... my muscles tense just like that. In a snap. Just awful That is why I am doing what I can to avoid conflict but God... people like my mom make it so hard for me. I'd say she is my biggest stressor, she yells too much and freaks out over everything. Now my neck is so tense