5 Fibromyalgia symptoms your doctor's pamphlet doesn't mention..

So when after you've had fibromyalgia for a least a year, you'll may start to notice some more strange symptoms popping up out of no where into your life. This is where your life with an illness gets really fun! For me at least, it has turned into somewhat of a game since I was about 17 years old.. the is it worth my time at the doctor's game. I will be the first person to acknowledge how terrible that sounds, but I have a really limited amount of money and I am hanging onto my office job by the skin of my teeth it. I will say I DO NOT RECOMMEND playing this sort of game with your health, if you have a new symptom pop up make sure to get it looked at properly. That being said, here are my top 5 weird symptoms which popped up at one  point or I never got told about by my doctor till years into my new life.

1. Raynaud's Syndrome- Your fingers and toes may turn blue or purple one day when you are walking home from class on a winter's day or just a normal one which was extra long. If you live in a northern area, this could just be frost-bite. If you live in a southern area, like I do, its going to scare the snard out of you and you'll probably think you might be dying. Do not be super alarmed, Raynaud's Syndrome is a very treatable condition. Bring it up at your next doctor visit.
2. Non-Cardiac Chest Pain- This particular symptom has cost me probably about two or three thousand dollars. I am so sorry if you also have this...but hey that's the Fibro life. As you saw in your doctors diagnosis pamphlet thing, Fibromyalgia may cause individuals to experience painful muscle spasms through-out there bodies, what they don't mention is that these can happen in the muscles of your rib-cage. This can lead you to thinking that you are having a heart attack on occasion even when you are not. For this one I had to get a really extensive cardiac health analysis done when I was 18 years old, but even so I still worry like a mad women when this symptom happens.
3. In-ability to regulate your body temperature- Winter can feel like summer, Summer can feel like winter. The weather doesn't dictate what you wear, your body temp does. I've noticed sometimes I'm two degrees colder than the normal temp sometimes, I usually don't get higher temps then normal, but I will get colder...its even something my doctor wrote noted. Not sure if it affects anything with heat regulation, but its something I think might.
4. Increased PMS syndromes- It's like if PMS became a really hardcore biker babe and decided she wanted to rule a small rural town with her gang. My doctor denies it, but the internet forums and my body say otherwise.
5. Speech Impediment- Not only will you have the dreaded Fibro-Fog, but you may be "blessed" with the inability to properly find and say your words. This is my worst enemy, people laugh at me for it, and I hate it. I have yet to find a doctor who will take me seriously on this and it is a source of great embarrassment. I could be talking normally one moment then suddenly i can't get the word I want out, or I might say a totally different word and not even realize it till I'm told.

Fibromyalgia College Tips

  So this is my first time posting to this blog I made, woo-hoo milestone! Now, silly self-congratulations aside, if you are reading this, chances are you are also part of the exclusive club that is Juvenile Fibromyalgia or just have regular Fibromyalgia and want to go to school. I too was in this boat a few years back and, at least for me, it was terrifying! I wasn't sure how I'd make it thru because of how forgetful I was and how bad my flares would get on a day to day basis. All I knew was that I HAD to try, because if I ever wanted a job that wasn't basically actual physical torture, I had to get a degree. After three painstaking years I got my degree and I will tell you it was the most amazing thing I have ever done, so glad I did not chicken out! While I will admit that I probably made things way harder on myself (I was adamantly averse to admitting I need help with anything because of my foolish young person pride), I did discover some really great ways to pull thru College and some things that I would have done differently if I could go back in time. Here are my tips on how to get thru your college years:

1. Print every one of your syllabi, lot of professors will write down every last detail how the course will progress in the syllabus. If you keep it with all your notes and handouts and look at it when you get to your dorm, it helps immensely with not forgetting you actually have homework. It also helps you know which classes you might be able to afford skipping if a flare pops up.
2. E-book or no book is key. Often if you look long enough or hard enough you'll be able to find them online free or a lot cheaper then the bookstore will sell them. It will also give you a lighter bag and less clutter to clean in your dorm.
3. Try to schedule all your classes in the shortest walking distance possible from each other and area you park. I learned really quickly that the less walking I had to do, the better my grades were going to be. Always plan your class schedule like a tourist going sightseeing to limit the amount of physical efforts required. Making your schedule tight, and placed among 2 or 3 neighboring buildings will limit the amount of strain on you.
4. Limit clubs, fraternities and sororities to the most important ones to you. I am going to come out and say it, Clubs and organizations are very pointless despite what they will tell you at their little booths. Being in DECA or Alpha Psi Bubu Phi will not help you get a job when you graduate. Sure they can be a great fun way to meet new people, but they aren't a means to your end goal necessarily. I joined something called Enactis paid like 150 dollar to do things for them, and made zero friends or connections out of it. Ultimately do what you want here, but they cost a lot of money, and they will get grouchy if you miss a few weeks of meetings cause you were sick. In my opinion, it wasn't worth it but try one or two if you want.
5. Enroll in hybrid and online classes sparingly. I say this because they take a lot of extra motivation and self-prioritization then classroom courses. At least for me, I found it helped me to be able to go into a classroom and passively listen then it was to try to force myself to read materials while feeling miserable. If you regularly have bad pain flares, I recommend the classroom. Once you get into the room, you just have to listen and then you won't be behind.
6. Sweatpants are your friend enough said, they are easy on the joints and baggy so you can't feel the seams. After all, you aren't paying to look cute sitting at a desk, you are paying to learn.
7. Use Disability services if you need help. I was adamantly stubborn and didn't do this but that doesn't mean you have to be! They will help you with notes, transport to class, and test taking time extensions so long as you have your doctor note you are in need! I was young and stupidly stubborn and totally regret not taking advantage of at least the transportation they provide.