I'm probably going to bring this up with a doctor as soon as I can see one anyway, but while I'm stuck waiting ...

I can't tell if what I'm experiencing is just normal brain fog or something else. Forgetting things and being unable to concentrate, that I can deal with. I'm used to it. But sometimes I have these moments where I suddenly say things that make no sense whatsoever, or worse, that I don't even agree with. I have no idea where they come from.

Fortunately, in about 75% of cases I'll just ask a stupid question on the internet. I'll describe a problem that is either not real, or it is but I already know the solution, and ask for help. Once the answers start coming in, I usually feel like an idiot. One time my original post was so weird that I went, "Wait ... what? Did I write that? What for??" (It hasn't happened in this community yet, btw.)

Occasionally, however, things get more serious. The worst example I can think of is when my boyfriend and I were talking about racism in America (we're German) and I somehow managed to get the entire history of black people mixed up with that of Native Americans. That's ... that's just not okay. You don't DO that. I know what really happened, I knew it before and I knew it after, but on that day I suddenly didn't. It was almost as if my brain realised that the required piece of information was temporarily unavailable, and then it improvised. Without telling me.

Now, it's one thing to get history wrong, but the same also happens with my own thoughts and feelings. How am I supposed to function as a human being when I'm constantly at risk of telling people information about me that isn't true? How am I supposed to raise a child like this?

Sometimes my boyfriend tells me I've said something I don't remember and I reply, "I can't have said that because I don't agree with it." In the past I assumed that he was simply wrong, as his memory isn't the best, either. But now? I always have to take into account the possibility that yes, I might have said that. It's creepy.

I hope I'm not freaking out about something completely normal here. Or maybe I should hope that I am.

How common is it to have extreme muscle weakness in the morning? When this all started I went through an acute phase where I couldn't get up or even open my eyes for about 10 minutes in the morning and then it was a gradual thing to actually move. These days it's not as bad, but I wake up with double vision every morning and my hands are all balled up for about 20 minutes or so. I have found that opening and shutting my hands later in the day helps reduce and sometimes even prevent this the next morning and I'm even trying "eye pushups" for the double vision. I still have a hard time with this diagnosis. I'm only 27 and not being able to open my hands in the morning seems ridiculus. I think I maybe need some reassurance that this is the right diagnosis and there's not some other horrible thing going on that needs different treatment. I see the doctor next week so I'll ask him too, but how many of you guys have this issue? I'm much better after I'm fully awake but the first hour maybe is very hard.

Anyone have any experience with spinal fractures and fibro?
I was just diagnosed with a fracture of L1, 3 weeks AFTER the incident occured.
I already have a call in to the orthopedist, but they will certainly not give me info before monday.

Does anyone here have her (or his) own way of determining when malaise is a flare or something else?
I woke up feeling rather awful, but I don't actually know if it's just a flare or allergies, or if I am actually getting sick. There's the standard fatigue, achiness, headache, general weakness; and then there is a slightly sore throat, watery eyes, mild congestion, swollen nasal passages.
Tonight, I will be going with my husband to a party in the same town, seeing many friends who live too far away for me to see on a regular basis. I want to have fun, feel happy, that sort of thing. I feel none of those things. Hell, for all I know, this could be very mild depression.

Has anyone else here had ridiculously low ferritin levels?  Mine are off-the-charts low (1 on a reference range of 20+; I was at a healthy 70 just a year ago), and I'm exhausted all the time.  We've already ruled out the usual causes, like generalized malabsorption, poor diet, internal bleeding, menstrual problems, etc.  I'm seeing a gastroenterologist later this month to determine if maybe I have selective malabsorption.  I got my first IV iron a couple days ago; but so far, it has not helped my energy levels as much as we'd hoped.  Has anyine else had this?  All my other bloodwork is coming back perfect, except my iron binding capacity is high, as one would expect in this situation.  We even caught it early enough that I'm not anemic yet.  The best guess anyone has so far is a depressingly pathetic one: marathon runners and olympic strength trainers often have low ferritin like this, right?  So we're thinking maybe I just suck at life so much that trying to work part-time, even at a sedintary job from home, affects my body the way marathon training would affect a "normal" individual.  I'm open to other suggestions.  What do you all think?

i just had minor outpatient surgery on a subcutaneous cyst and was told the anethsia was supposed to last an hour. It faded after 30 minutes. So not only do i have this pain but my back and my chest decided to flare up. ><

Anyone else have anesthesia not last as long as was told? is this something that FMS can affect?

i'm just completely out of spoons today and I had so much I needed to do D:

I'm sure some of you know I've been going through a weird flare...I am still having mucho neck and shoulder stiffness, knots and pain...and my head still isn't the fibro version of 100%. However, this weekend, there are bands playing Friday and Saturday that I want to see and that my hubby may or may not have already bought tickets to see. I would rather just go on Friday, but there's no way hubby is going to sit out the Saturday show. So, I'm very torn. My heart says, 'Go to both, you idiot!" My body says, "Forget them both." My will/mind says, "You might can get away with one, but two is pushing it. " I need to decide whether to stay at home for both, and convince hubby to stay with me on Friday, and let him go by himself (which I usually have no problem with, but he's already gone out without me once this week and I want some hubby/wifey time, plus this band is legendary and I really don't want to miss them). Stay at home for both and let him go to both...or go ahead and go to both.
More factors:

-I will have to be in my wheelchair, outside with a crowd of drunk, smoking punks.
-The last time I went to a show at this venue I got terrible bronchitis because of the cigarette smoke. I was sick for a month, but this could've been a flu.

Anyhow, if you were in my situation, what would you do?

Does anyone have any insight into the VA and how they view Fibro? Odds are good that I will become an ARMY wife in the next few years and need to know any information anyone may have on their view of it. I was diagnosed by a private doctor in August of 2008 and am just starting to get a general level of control over it. Basically, I can usually sleep through the night (6 hours) and tolerate the pain enough to work. I just need to plan for the possibility of needing private insurance to keep being treated once I marry.

Any experiences with Fibro and the VA would be appreciated.

Hey all! So, before I leave to go to an appointment (cause we all know what it's like to go to 10 in a day or so it feels LoL) Any way, I was wondering what other types of medications anyone is on and if they like the results. I'm currently taking Neurontin (for pain), Nortriptylline (for prevention of migraines and to help with sleep), Prozac and Geodon (anti-depressants), Fioricet (when I get a migraine any way), Ambien (for sleep - though it doesn't work) and an array of other things. I just want other input for people who have taken something that they stand by. I'm looking to change my regime (this is just too much and depending on what I do in life depends on if I can find something else - better quality) Thanks in advance!