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Problems With Time & Math in Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:00:27 +0000

Have you noticed that math is a lot harder, or that you have more trouble keeping track of time since you developed fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS)? I know I have, and I've heard the same thing from a lot of people.

Many months ago, in my forum, someone mentioned dyscalculia -- a learning disability that deals with math. It's similar to dysphasia, which includes those word-finding difficulties so many of us have, so it made sense to me that we could also have dyscalculia. I didn't research it until now, and when I looked at a symptoms list I had a real "a-ha!" moment.

Dyscalculia not only impairs math and number abilities (forgetting concepts, transposing numbers), it also involves:

Difficulties with time: inability to remember schedules, keep track of time, or remember a sequence of events.
Spacial problems: impaired direction sense and memory of how things are laid out, leading to frequently getting lost or becoming disoriented.
Difficulty sight-reading music or learning instrument fingerings.
Bad memory for names.

When I read those things, a light went on. It's incredibly common for us to get lost, or forget how to get where we're going. Who among us hasn't lost their car in a parking lot? I used to have a pretty good ability to sight-read and learn new music, but now I really struggle with it.

As a TV news producer, I was responsible for timing my newscast, and adjusting content on the fly to make up for being too long or too short. Now, I've lost the ability to do the mental math necessary for that, and I also have trouble gauging the flow of time. Things are constantly creeping up on me. I remember getting frustrated with my husband for "nagging" me about doing laundry, when I'd done several loads "a few days ago." When I did a load for him, I counted 17 shirts. 17. It had been 2.5 weeks since I'd done laundry, and I'd have sworn it was maybe five days.

Research shows that dyscalculia involves dysfunction in a specific part of the brain -- all of those problems come from the same cause. To me, this is huge because now I know that many of my dysfunctions have the same root cause; they're ONE problem instead of SIX unrelated ones. I've been doing cognitive training to recover my mental abilities, and this knowledge gives me a much simpler plan of attack for improving my math, time sense, direction sense, musical ability, name recall, etc. -- if I can improve one of these areas, it should spill over into the other, because it all comes from one part of the brain.

Dyscalculia isn't something you can take a pill for, it's something you have to live with. The good news is that it is a recognized learning disability, just like dyslexia or dysphasia. If it causes problems for you at work/school, you can talk to your boss/teacher about having this learning disability without having to disclose that you have FMS or ME/CFS, or trying to explain brain fog. Learning disabilities are covered under the Americans With Disabilities Act, so if you can actually be diagnosed with dyscalculia you can request reasonable accommodation.

The term dyscalculia doesn't get a lot of use even in schools, so it might be easier to say you have a "learning disability in applied math."

Does dyscalculia seem to fit you? Have you found ways to improve these skills? How have these problems impacted your life? Leave your comment below!

Dyscalculia Resources

Dyscalculia Symptoms (site is under construction & not fully functional, but it's the best symptom list I found)
Dyscalculia Basics
Cognitive Training Changes the Brain

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Problems With Time & Math in Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome originally appeared on About.com Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 06:00:27.

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Fibromyalgia News: Extended-Relief Pain Killer Goes Generic

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:00:55 +0000

NEWSBRIEF: If you take Ultram ER for round-the-clock fibromyalgia pain treatment, you'll soon have a generic option of the same drug.

Par Pharmaceuticals says the FDA has approved its extended-release tramadol product, in both 100 mg and 200 mg dosages. The company says it plans to start shipping the drug right away.

If you're interested in switching to the new generic drug, which will likely be much less expensive, you'll need to talk to your doctor. Tramadol is not specifically approved for fibromyalgia pain but it is sometimes prescribed off-label for fibromyalgia.

Also See: Ultram Drug Profile

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Fibromyalgia News: Extended-Relief Pain Killer Goes Generic originally appeared on About.com Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 06:00:55.

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Could XMRV Mean Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are STDs?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:00:52 +0000

Q: I am excited to find out that a retrovirus has been discovered to be the cause of fibromyalgia, which I have. My one concern is if you get the virus through blood and body fluids, will it be considered an STD? Is it sexually transmitted most of the time? I guess there will be a lot of people claiming to have these diseases through blood transfusions, but there can't be that many people who had transfusions. Will there be a stigma to having any of the diseases that result from XMRV?

A: First, I want to point out that right now, the most we can say is that XMRV may play a role in fibromyalgia -- we don't yet know that it's involved for sure, or that it's part of the cause. (The chronic fatigue syndrome research is a lot better, and even it is only a first step.)

Our minds do go to "STD" when we hear about transmission through bodily fluids, but that doesn't mean sex is the only or even most common method of transmission. This is pure speculation on my part, but it could be that it's not easily transmitted through semen and is more likely passed through blood, or saliva, or breastmilk -- which could mean transfusions, mother-to-child, etc. would be more common. At this point, we just don't know.

The question is one that's cropping up a lot -- our first retrovirus association is HIV, which came to public attention as an STD (and one linked to a much-maligned minority group to boot), and then we learned later about other means of transmission. The only other known human retrovirus is HTLV, which causes leukemia and some other diseases. HTLV can be transmitted sexually or through the blood, but it doesn't carry the same stigma as HIV.

Also, when researchers have tried to identify populations at risk for FMS & ME/CFS, they haven't identified a high prevalence in prostitutes, IV drug users, and others at high risk for HIV. (There could be several reasons for that, including under-diagnosis, but at this point we don't know of any link to those groups.)

If the XMRV link is confirmed, I'm certain that some people will wonder about infidelity when their significant other is diagnosed with it (as if we needed to add more strain to our relationships.) However, I don't see the general public associating these conditions with STDs in general, because it's coming to light in such a different way than HIV/AIDS. Maybe I'm overly optimistic, but I think XMRV could help lessen the stigma we already face.

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Could XMRV Mean Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are STDs? originally appeared on About.com Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on Saturday, November 21st, 2009 at 06:00:52.

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Becoming Dependent With Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:33:33 +0000

I've wanted to be a lot of things in my life, and chief among them was always "independent." I had achieved that, and had really proved it to myself when I got divorced 10 years ago -- I was able to move into my own place, quickly pay my way out from under a mountain of debt, and put my life back together largely on my own. After I re-married, I was proud of knowing that I was a capable person and would be able to fend for myself if need be. Fibromyalgia changed that for me, and that's been hard to accept.

First, I lost my ability to take care of myself, my children and my home. I simply couldn't do all of it, even on the best of days, and on some days I could hardly get myself in and out of the bathtub. Then I lost my financial independence, when I had to leave my job as a TV news producer. I've been fortunate enough to work from home and keep us from losing everything we've worked for, but if I were on my own tomorrow, I'd be in big trouble.

I'm also lucky to be confident in my marriage, so I don't fear losing my husbands support -- emotional or financial. But that doesn't mean I'm OK with being utterly dependent on him.

Chronic illness is a big blow to everything about your life and who you are, and it hits your pride especially hard. You have to face the fact that you can't do what you used to do, you can't be who you used to be, you can't overcome everything by just pushing harder. I've been coming to terms with this for 3.5 years now, and while I've made some strides it's still a struggle.

The first thing I had to do was to accept that this is now my reality: I'm sick, I might be sick forever, and I have limitations. Then, I had to start measuring things by my own yardstick, not someone else's. My house doesn't need to be clean enough for my mother -- it needs to be clean enough for me. Then, I had to shorten my yardstick (is there such as thing as a half-yardstick?) My former standards were destroying my life, so I had to lower them.

Does any of this get me closer to independence? Not really. What it has done, though, is to give me a new perspective on my accomplishments. When I get my house clean, by my revised standards, I feel more capable. When I can actually host a successful party, I feel really proud -- even though it takes me 3 weeks to prepare and 3 days of near-continuous sleep to recover. I still have goals, and I can still reach them. It feels good. Now I can say, "Look what I did, even though I'm sick!"

How has your loss of independence impacted you? What has helped you deal with that? Where are you in the process? Leave your comments below!

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Becoming Dependent With Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome originally appeared on About.com Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 20:33:33.

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Fibromyalgia Pain & Countering Opiate Addiction

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:00:54 +0000

NEWSBRIEF: Could the answer to the risk of opiate addiction be another drug? The U.S. Department of Defense is willing to spend $1.2 million to find out -- it awarded a grant in that amount to a team of neuroscientists who plan to conduct an animal study to see if a drug called vigabatrin can cut the risk of opiate addiction while not diminishing pain relief.

The DOD is concerned about pain management because of the growing problem of under-treatment of pain from war-related injuries, both in active-duty personnel and veterans. In addition, opiate addiction is a growing problem both in the military and the U.S. population.

Because of the risk of addiction, doctors frequently prescribe only low doses of opiate drugs such as hydrocodone, oxycodone and morphine. Some doctors refuse to prescribe opiates at all, in spite of evidence showing they're the best at managing pain. Fibromyalgia patients frequently report being denied opiates.

Vigabatrin is an anti-seizure drug that's been shown to raise levels of the brain chemical GABA. This could be of special interest as a fibromyalgia treatment because some doctors believe people with the condition have low GABA levels. However, this isn't proven and current research does not support GABA for treating fibromyalgia.

This study will look specifically at vigabatrin and morphine. Researchers say previous data show vigabatrin can reduce the likelihood of abuse while not reducing the pain-killing effect. Learn more: U.S. Department of Defense Awards $1.2 Million to Study the Use of Vigabatrin to Reduce the Addictive Liability of Opiates

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Fibromyalgia Pain & Countering Opiate Addiction originally appeared on About.com Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 06:00:54.

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Funny, Foggy Moments With Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:00:32 +0000

The cognitive dysfunction of fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) is a major problem that can impact our lives as much as pain or fatigue. One thing about the mental fog we get, though, is that sometimes the results are downright funny.

A lot of us have problems finding the right word, and I had one of those episodes lately. I noticed that one of my kids had left the digital piano turned on, so I called out, "Who was on the phone last?" I got back a perplexed, "What?" I said again, "Whoever was on the phone last needs to turn it off!"

At that point, something started nagging at me. "Did I say phone?" I wondered. I knew that was wrong, so I called out again, "Someone needs to turn off the ph . . .," not phone. What is that thing? Phone? No! Telephone? NO! At long last, I arrived at PIANO and called in frustration, "Who left the ph . . . the uh, um, the PIANO on?"

As frustrating as it was at the time, I had to laugh at myself. How in the world can I forget what the piano is called? I started playing the darned thing when I was about 7. Heck, I was a music major for my first year of college! And yet, I can look at my piano and repeatedly call it a phone. Weird.

Now that I've allowed you to laugh at me, return the favor! Give us all a chuckle by sharing your favorite fibro fog/brain fog moments!

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Funny, Foggy Moments With Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome originally appeared on About.com Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 06:00:32.

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Swine Flu (H1N1) Vaccine & Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:00:24 +0000

The flu vaccine topic is always controversial among those of us with fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS), and H1N1 added a whole new layer to that this year.

The big fear with the regular seasonal flu vaccine is that it triggers flare-ups in some of us, so the debate is whether a possible flare is worse than the illness -- adding to the mix that the flu typically hits us harder and longer than it does healthy people. The medical community is about as conflicted about it as we are.

So, on top of all this comes H1N1 -- a flu that's especially hard on people with neurological illnesses and those with weakened immune systems. (Not all doctors recognize that FMS and ME/CFS are neurological or neuroimmune disorders, but that doesn't change the fact that the preponderance of research says they are.) Do we risk catching this one, or risk a vaccine-related flare? It opened a whole new can of worms for us to consider, and because we just don't have all the facts, each of us really has to answer these questions for ourselves and decide which risk to take.

What have you decided? Have you gotten one or more flu vaccine this year? What factors weighed heaviest on your decisions? If you've had the vaccine, did it make your symptoms worse? Take the poll, and share your comments below!

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Swine Flu (H1N1) Vaccine & Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome originally appeared on About.com Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on Saturday, November 14th, 2009 at 06:00:24.

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UPDATED: Lawsuit Against Makers of Ampligen for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:02:54 +0000

NEWSBRIEF: (Updated, 11-16-09) Attorneys have filed a class action lawsuit against Hemispherx Biopharma Inc., the makers of the drug Ampligen, which is currently awaiting FDA approval for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Court documents claim that the company mislead investors about the status of Ampligen's New Drug Application (NDA) by failing to disclose and misrepresenting the fact that the FDA had requested several reports that it needed before it could even consider the NDA. The suit aims to recover money for investors after a 20% drop in stock value following the company's latest update on the process.

Hemispherx says the suit is without merit and publicly released a letter from the FDA showing that the agency did accept the NDA as previously stated. You an see the company's response to the website here: Class Action Lawsuit Against Hemispherx Biopharma is Without Merit

Also See: Update on Ampligen for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

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UPDATED: Lawsuit Against Makers of Ampligen for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome originally appeared on About.com Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 18:02:54.

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'Stop Before You Want to Stop' With Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:00:35 +0000

Pacing is one of those fundamental things that I think all of us with fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) struggle with. When we don't take it easy enough, our bodies eventually force us to take some down time -- by cranking up the volume on symptom after symptom until we can no longer function at all!

A reader recently left a great comment about pacing, especially around the holidays, with some advice that I certainly will try to keep in mind -- it's one of those simple things that can have a major impact on your life. Lucy wrote:

"Stop before you're ready to stop. If you go till you're too tired to do more then you'll crash. When you think 'I'll just do that 1or 2 more things, or visit 1or 2 more shops, or go up 1 or 2 more aisles' - don't! Thinking this is your cue that you should stop - works for me. Keep it simple. Decorate - but not as much, celebrate - but not as much, cook if you can - but not as much." -Lucy

That's a great approach to the holiday season and to your everyday life -- stop before you're ready to stop, and keep it simple. Thanks, Lucy, for sharing your wisdom!

What helps you pace yourself, and know when to say when? Have you been able to pare down your responsibilities and expectations to be more realistic? Do the people close to you understand why you have to do this? Leave your comment below!

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'Stop Before You Want to Stop' With Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome originally appeared on About.com Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 06:00:35.

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XMRV Triggers Urgency, Flurry of Interest in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:00:38 +0000

The XMRV Research Series

The discovery of a possible retroviral connection to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS) isn't just stirring up the ME/CFS community -- it's getting the attention of the entire scientific community.

That's quite a feat, considering how ME/CFS research has languished due to lack of funding and interest. Now, however, XMRV is changing things.

75 XMRV researchers are getting together in Ohio this week to share information.
Pharmaceutical companies are asking for samples of XMRV so they can see if their existing anti-retrovirals (HIV drugs) can be adapted to treat ME/CFS.
The Whittemore-Peterson Institute, which conducted the XMRV research, is anticipating trials of a vaccine sometime next year.

While all XMRV research is in its earliest stages, not only does it look like it could be tied to aggressive prostate cancer and ME/CFS, studies suggest it could be infecting about 4% of the public and that it's transmitted through bodily fluids. That adds a possible public health concern, and that ball is apparently already rolling.

While this is far from the first virus to be suspected as a major cause of ME/CFS, it's certainly generating a lot more scientific interest than earlier discoveries have. That interest could help speed up the processes that have been dragging on for decades, toward getting better diagnostics, better treatments, and possibly even a vaccine to prevent future cases.

There's been a lot about XMRV in the media, and here are a couple of excellent, informative articles I've come across:

Also See: The XMRV Discovery Series index

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XMRV Triggers Urgency, Flurry of Interest in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome originally appeared on About.com Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 06:00:38.

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