Writing, Shipbuilding, and Fibromyalgia

In September a new study was released via the journal Brain. The researchers write that fibromyalgia patients often report memory and attention problems in addition to pain, stiffness and sleep disturbance. What they wanted to determine, though, if fibrofibromyalgia patients' memory and attention problems have any correllation with changes in the morphology (structure and shape) of the brain.

The researchers conclude that the study's results provide clear evidence of memory and attention problems in fibromyalgia as well as the correlation of both pain and neurocognitive problems with brain structure.

"Our data suggest that, in addition to chronic pain, [fibromyalgia] patients suffer from neurocognitive deficits that correlate with local brain morphology in the frontal lobe and anterior cingulate gyrus, which may be interpreted to indicate structural correlates of pain-cognition interaction."

Bottom line, chronic pain changes not only your cognitive skills it is also correlated to a change in the structure of your brain.

Even when I was a kid, I liked thinking of myself as smart. So to be faced with the fact that my brain, the actual grey matter stuff, has been changed and that change goes with a lessening of my "smartness" level saddens me. I feel like part of me has slipped away, and I wasn't even aware of it.

Having a plan helps me to manage my pain on a daily basis. Often when I would know that I was getting ready to go through a downturn on the cycle, I would become anxious and depressed. So my husband and I came up this one:

Level 1 - Little to no pain. No interference in physical or cognitive skills. No needs for meds. Usually I need 9 hours of solid sleep to maintain a level 1.

Level 2 - Rise in pain often first noticed as the ache in my upper left arm and shoulder. I begin to twitch and stretch my left shoulder - that a big tip-off to my level of discomfort. This starts to happen when I become tired, didn't have enough sleep or haven't be active enough. I can still perform my routine physical and cognitive tasks. I also usually don't feel anxious at this step. My med regime is often valerian with passion flower or ibuprofen. Now is a good time to do extra yoga or walking.

Level 3 - All over pain - in my left shoulder, neck, back of head, between my eyes, behind left or right ear, sharp quick pains in extremities. Cognitive functioning decreases - memory, problem-solving - and so do physical abilities - coordination, balance, fine motor skills. The medications necessary to alleviate the pain at this level add to the mental and physical abilities - Flexeril and Lortab. Both make me drowsy and fuzzy-thinking. At this stage I stop using power tools (not a good idea to handle tools that spin at 6,000 rpm)

Level 4 - High level of pain. Time to take some meds and zone out for a day or two to recuperate. I can do simple tasks like housecleaning, laundry - puttering stuff. I usually can't read at this level but I can listen to audio books.