Every day in the run up to Christmas I’m going to talk about a symptom or side effect of fibromyalgia, to give some insight into what it’s like to live with the condition. December 13th: Smell Sensitivity Now this is a weird one. I’ve looked at so many websites about fibromyalgia, read about symptoms in … Continue reading The Fibromyalgia Advent Calendar | Day 13: Smell Sensitivity

Every day in the run up to Christmas I’m going to talk about a symptom or side effect of fibromyalgia, to give some insight into what it’s like to live with the condition. December 12th: Costochondritis Ever heard of costocondritis? I hadn’t, until I got it last year. Honestly, it’s up there with labour as … Continue reading The Fibromyalgia Advent Calendar | Day 12: Costochondritis

Every day in the run up to Christmas I’m going to talk about a symptom or side effect of fibromyalgia, to give some insight into what it’s like to live with the condition. December 11th: Allodynia Allodynia is when seemingly innocuous stimuli cause incredible pain. Temperature is a common trigger - the application of something … Continue reading The Fibromyalgia Advent Calendar | Day 11: Allodynia

Every day in the run up to Christmas I’m going to talk about a symptom or side effect of fibromyalgia, to give some insight into what it’s like to live with the condition. December 10th: Temperature Regulation A fitting problem that ails fibromyalgia sufferers, given that it’s currently in the minuses. “High” is doing a … Continue reading The Fibromyalgia Advent Calendar | Day 10: Temperature Regulation

When I talked about fatigue at the beginning of the month I mentioned that it’s next-level tiredness that sleep doesn’t even put a dent in. It’s not helped - and neither are most fibro symptoms, to be honest - by the fact that sleeping is sometimes really effing difficult in the first place. Me scrolling … Continue reading The Fibromyalgia Advent Calendar | Day 9: Sleep Issues

Hoo boy. If you’ve ever suffered from Restless Leg Syndrome you know EXACTLY where I’m coming from. Solidarity. I had to laugh at the NHS website’s description of what it feels like - “strange sensations in your legs”. I mean, it’s true, but it also makes it sound like a curious and interesting phenomenon, like … Continue reading The Fibromyalgia Advent Calendar | Day 8: Restless Legs

I get headaches for a few reasons. Caffeine withdrawal, because I have the most enormous mug of coffee in the morning and sometimes one in the afternoon. Dehydration, because sometimes I’m so exhausted I pass out the moment I become horizontal and then I don’t drink for 12+ hours. Stress…probably. This headache is “middle class … Continue reading The Fibromyalgia Advent Calendar | Day 7: Headaches