Blogging prompt: What is fibro fog

Fibro fog is the feeling of being in a haze. When I have it I say my head feels like it is full of cotton wool and on those days I just can't think straight. I have difficulty concentrating, finding the right words and remembering things. If I am at work then I have to concentrate really hard to have a conversation and appear normal.

According to a 2015 review in Rheumatology International, some patients report that the loss of mental clarity can be even more devastating than the pain and fatigue associated with fibromyalgia. Fibro fog can manifest itself in different ways in different people but some of the most common symptoms include:

• short term memory loss
• misplacing objects
• becoming easily distracted
• forgetting plans
• difficulty carrying on conversations
• inability to remember new information" ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION

Describing how Fibro Fog affects you or a humorous story about it might make a good post. Here are some memes that make light of this cognitive problem and there are over 50 more here : Fibro Funny Quotes   Hopefully they may inspire your post...
Happy blogging.

Fibromyalgia humor with cats (largest collection ever)

 Whether you love cats or hate cats they are great for creating memes about fibromyalgia. They are so cute and very expressive and display the many moods of fibro. I hope you get some laughs from reading these jokes that make great use of our feline friends to help others understand the dilemmas of fibromyalgia. 

And just in case you have stopped paying attention here is a dog meme about fatigue with fibromyalgia! More of these to come in the future.

If you enjoyed these cat memes about fibromyalgia you could pin the following image so others could enjoy them too or you might enjoy our humorous Fibromyalgia Monsters.

Laughter is good medicine

Image via SlideShare

We all need laughter in our life and people with chronic illness know this well. Apparently there is science to back up the old adage that Laughter is the best medicine. Laughing causes a contraction of muscles which increases our oxygen and blood flow which stimulates our organs and releases endorphins which make you feel more relaxed.

Laughter activates the body's natural relaxation response. It's like internal jogging, providing a good massage to all internal organs while toning abdominal muscles. Dr Sethi, head of cardiothoracic surgery at Tucson Medical Center.

I just know that a laugh or a simple smile can make me feel better and give me what I need to continue on coping. Here are some of the "funnies" that relate to Fibromyalgia shared at #FunnyFibro over the weeks on twitter. I hope they make you smile.

Laughter and pain

 

Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects. ~ Arnold H. Glasgow

Laughter is a powerful antidote to pain. Time and time again it has been shown that the old adage Laughter is The Best Medicine really has a grounding in the truth.

One possible explanation could be that humor activates the release of endorphins and relieves muscular tension.  This means it has an effect on pain both a mentally and physically.

"...humor helps to reflect pain, thus helping both the patients as well as their carers to deal better with stress," said Professor Willibald Ruch, Zurich University. "Humor can be used specifically as a cognitive technique, for example in terms of a distraction to control the pain and increase pain tolerance."

The idea that laughter reduces pain is not new. Dr. James Walsh, an American physician, noted in his 1928 book, Laughter and Health, that laughter appeared to reduce the level of pain experienced following surgery.

More recently research has found that people who had recently experienced belly laughs were able to withstand up to 10% more pain than they had done before watching comedy videos.

Professor Robin Dunbar of Oxford University, who led the research, believes that uncontrollable laughter releases chemicals called endorphins into the body which, as well as generating mild euphoria, also dull pain.

The ability to have a really good belly laugh is unique to humans. Apes can laugh but only humans can guffaw. 

"It's exactly what happens when we say 'I laughed until it hurt'. It seems to be extremely painful and it's that pain that produces the endorphin effect." Professor Robin Dunbar.

Now I'm not saying that the following jokes will send you into wild guffaws but maybe they are just a humorous distraction for a few minutes. 

Also I am collecting all the chronic illness/ fibromyalgia humor I can find on a Pinterest board called Fibro Funny. 

Don't forget to share your on Fibro humor on Twitter every Monday with the hashtag #FunnyFibro to be shared to over 10,000 Fibromyalgia people.