A small, possibly stupid observation about Fibromyalgia.

[Salty]

I don't pretend to be an expert of particularly well-versed on the subject, I just have a question for you people:

Have you ever, in your life, noticed that people with fibromyalgia often, not always, but often are sensitive and passive aggressive day to day? Do you have it and have a thought on that question?

I hesitiate to even ask, but it's either something like a symptom or I'm Lo5ing over here.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I don't pretend to be an expert of particularly well-versed on the subject, I just have a question for you people:

Have you ever, in your life, noticed that people with fibromyalgia often, not always, but often are sensitive and passive aggressive day to day? Do you have it and have a thought on that question?

I hesitiate to even ask, but it's either something like a symptom or I'm Lo5ing over here.

Yeah, but people who are in chronic pain are also often sensitive or passive aggressive.

[Kai]

I don't pretend to be an expert of particularly well-versed on the subject, I just have a question for you people:

Have you ever, in your life, noticed that people with fibromyalgia often, not always, but often are sensitive and passive aggressive day to day? Do you have it and have a thought on that question?

I hesitiate to even ask, but it's either something like a symptom or I'm Lo5ing over here.

Something I saw today which is relevant. http://www.intidyn.com/Newsroom/article-0009.html

I've also read the paper. Unless they fabricated the data, which is unlikely, fibromyalgia is characterized by abnormally large arteriovascular shunts with excess innervation. These shunts are found in the skin, bypassing capillaries and used for managing temperature response. Not only is there an excess of AV shunt innervation in FM patients, the nerve fibers are biased towards a particular kind. While the mechanisms are not completely understood, this morphology manifests symptoms such as pain and pain sensitivity, among other things. It also explains why the pain is linked to temperature, and why selective norepinepherine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) can relieve symptoms, and other more distantly related aspects such as muscle fatigue.

I wager people with fibromyalgia are at the end of their ropes, especially since they often aren't taken seriously.

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

Yeah. The un-ending yet ever-changing pain thing tends to make the ones I know rather bitchy and/or passive aggressive. I do not envy them that disorder. Especially when the mental shit starts. Fibro fog can really suck.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

My mother suffers from fibromyalgia.  I am sure it affects her behavior, but she's not passive-aggressive at all.

No, she's aggressive-aggressive.

[LMNO]

I second the "chronic pain makes you kind of a dick" perspective. 

I suffered from intense joint pain in my achilles and knees for much of my 30s.  During the worst attacks, I was not a very nice person to be around.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Nope. Pain makes people on edge and hypersensitive for all kinds of biological reasons, not least of which is that the body is sending lots of "hey, so we're kind of being attacked, here" signals to the brain.

People tend to attribute pregnant woman crankiness to hormones, but IME it's mostly due to being really fucking uncomfortable/in pain for months on end. Sciatica, heartburn, back pain, pubic bone pain, round ligament pain, you name it, it hurts. And then you always get some jackass being all "D'awww pregnant women are so emotional!" and you're like "Let me eviscerate you and see how emotional YOU get, asshole". Which if course just confirms their impression, because they're a fucking idiot.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Nope. Pain makes people on edge and hypersensitive for all kinds of biological reasons, not least of which is that the body is sending lots of "hey, so we're kind of being attacked, here" signals to the brain.

People tend to attribute pregnant woman crankiness to hormones, but IME it's mostly due to being really fucking uncomfortable/in pain for months on end. Sciatica, heartburn, back pain, pubic bone pain, round ligament pain, you name it, it hurts. And then you always get some jackass being all "D'awww pregnant women are so emotional!" and you're like "Let me eviscerate you and see how emotional YOU get, asshole". Which if course just confirms their impression, because they're a fucking idiot.

I was just reading something about how, if your pulse rate is over 100, you can't really listen or think clearly, because your frontal lobes are getting less blood flow.  Also, the same enzyme given off by stress is given off by pain.

So all of this makes sense.

[Suu]

I only know a few people with fibro, and I just feel terrible for them. It's like no matter what they take or what they do to try to skirt the pain they can't. It's incredibly frustrating, and I'd be pretty damn moody all the time also.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Nope. Pain makes people on edge and hypersensitive for all kinds of biological reasons, not least of which is that the body is sending lots of "hey, so we're kind of being attacked, here" signals to the brain.

People tend to attribute pregnant woman crankiness to hormones, but IME it's mostly due to being really fucking uncomfortable/in pain for months on end. Sciatica, heartburn, back pain, pubic bone pain, round ligament pain, you name it, it hurts. And then you always get some jackass being all "D'awww pregnant women are so emotional!" and you're like "Let me eviscerate you and see how emotional YOU get, asshole". Which if course just confirms their impression, because they're a fucking idiot.

I was just reading something about how, if your pulse rate is over 100, you can't really listen or think clearly, because your frontal lobes are getting less blood flow.  Also, the same enzyme given off by stress is given off by pain.

So all of this makes sense.

Hmmm, that's interesting! And it makes sense.