Anyone else experience this? - Fibromyalgia Acti...

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Anyone else experience this?

emma2013 profile image
17 Replies

I'm not sure whether it's just me, but does anyone else experience sensitivity to some lights and sounds? I'm extremely sensitive to sounds, for example, when me and the family are sitting and watching telly together, I moan that it's too loud even when they can barely hear it! So it's got the point where I have to leave the room sometimes as I can't handle the noise any longer? And with the sensitivity to light, when I turn my laptop, telly or light on, or even if I go outside, my eye's start to ache, but this only happens for around 5-10 seconds. Do all patients with Fibromyalgia get this, or is it just me? Confused!

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emma2013 profile image
emma2013
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17 Replies

Certain people with fibro can be super sensitive to light noise or sound or a combination. I am super sensitive to smell which drives my family mad, as I have to constantly empty bins tuna has to be eaten In another room and I can smell the faintest smell which my family can't and I am always hunting round for the cause and then eliminating it.

If you haven't mentioned it to your GP its always a good idea too, but it also is a fibro symptom

Sorry

VG x

hamble99b profile image
hamble99b

I have it too

often I have to turn the tv down and use subtitles.

sandra.

emma2013 profile image
emma2013

Hi, VG! Ah, at least I'm not the only one! It drives me insane, I can't stand it! I have the telly volume up to 12 at the highest and it winds everyone else up lol. I'll have a word with my GP and see what he suggest's, but I can't imagine there being anything he can do about it :( But thanks for letting me know that people with Fibro do get it, I thought I was generally weird haha x

My eyes sting and water first thing in the morning, that started in my teens.My optician told me I am very light sensitive, hate driving at night as the light from other cars drive me mad BUT I don't see well in the dark!. I am sensitive to smells, always smelling things others can't, and also sound, but it's weird TV always seems too loud when others are watching but I have trouble hearing people when the TV or radio is on or hearing TV if someone talks while I'm watching - or in a busy shopping centre etc. and my hubby always turns on the surround sound on the sound system but I always use only the tv sound as the back round noise on surround drives me MAD! I think I am slightly deaf in my left ear but for some reason pick up back round sounds too loudly...

emma2013 profile image
emma2013 in reply to

Hiya Mary, yeah it's really annoying, when I'm on my own, I can have the telly or music on quite loud, but when others are in the room and they're rustling or talking whilst the telly is on, I generally can't handle it, I start feeling really dizzy and sick, it all gets too much, so if they don't turn it down, I either have to go out the room, or lay down.. Strange!

ladymoth profile image
ladymoth

I'm sensitive to bright light, and like VG I am unbelievably sensitive to smells - I like tuna, but dare not have it in the house any more, 'cos it haunts me for days!

Noise doesn't bother me at all. Unfortunately I have inherited my dear mother's hearing problems, and I'm as deaf as a post!

What was that you said? Eh? EH?

Love Moffy x

in reply to ladymoth

I SAID I HAVE HIDDEN SOME TUNA UNDER YOUR BED

:-/

ladymoth profile image
ladymoth in reply to

I CAN SMELL IT ALREADY! :(

soozie profile image
soozie

Hi there,i am now ultra sesitive to smells too,drives My family crazy,i Can smell somebody having à fire in their garden ages before anybody else,even with the doors and windows shut. Its quite annoying really,but it i do smile whenever i smell certain smells like roses or flowers as they seems much stronger now xx

munchkin62 profile image
munchkin62

me to noise drives me crazy its like it urts but is not a pain as such if 2 people are talking to me at the same time i actualy feel like im having a panic attack and when my daughter is around im constantly moaning at if she puts music on whilst tv is on even if she has it on very quite im actualy getting very tense now as someone is talking to me asi write this grrrr lol xx

monkeej2106 profile image
monkeej2106 in reply to munchkin62

I totally understand...I feel exactly like this!!! It makes me extremely agitated and I have to remove myself from the source of the noise!

melodypond profile image
melodypond

Hi

Oh my word YES!

My fibro actually got worse (though I was undiagnosed at the time) when we moved to new offices. It is a huge open plan place, the lighting was bright, patterned bar code type flooring, busy wallpaper and very very noisy. Looking back I think it sent me into a huge flare. And I couldn't work out why I always felt worse after being in work. I can't even sit at the bank of desks which are white - again I didn't know why but I would get agitated when I sat at them. I now make sure I sit at a desk which is grey in colour as there isn't the glare.

And my poor hubby. He loves rock music and I used to be a bit of a rocker myself (you know, in the good old days pre-fibro) but now I can't bear it. Before I was diagnosed (only recently) I would scream at him to turn it off, I think he thought I was just being horrible but I really couldn't bear it. It all made sense after I was diagnosed and I started reading up.

In fact one day before I knew what I had, I put the kettle on for a cuppa. As it boiled I ran out of the kitchen with my hands over my ears - no exaggeration it sounded to me like a jet aeroplane had just gone through my house - and it left me in tears. Lord, that was fun. I am not sure who was more shocked, me or the hubby.

And sometimes when my eldest is singing (put it this way I love her more than life itself but she 'aint no Jessie J) it drives me insane. I used to shout, poor kid. Now I just calmly say 'my head is in the washing machine and it is about to go on full spin' - she knows then that she has to stop or go in another room. But that is what it is like, my head in a washing machine.

When I drive sometimes, if there is a car in front of me turning right and I am stuck behind them, I have to put my hand over my eyes because I can't stand the flashing on the indicator.

Do you think my disco/rock days are well and truly over? Gawd, I am like someone's nana! Mind you, maybe not - I never saw my nan run away from a boiling kettle before! :)

MP x

wallflower_fairy profile image
wallflower_fairy

Hi,

Yes this is a real problem for me. I often feel like I get overloaded with sounds and smells or lights and sometimes I just want it to stop. I'm terrified of sudden noises but always have been. It causes me migraines and sometimes even my muscles to tense up. Just from the stress of having it there. But like others have said it's all part of the Fibro and I believe you get used to it to some extent. I guess wearing ear plugs at night is one way to solve it. :) If you need to write a lot, try coloured or cream paper. That's far more gentle. I could be wrong but I heard somewhere that the best source or lighting (other than natural) is something called a filament lamp - so it might be worth looking in to that.

Sunglasses also help but I understand they need to be worn at appropiate times. You can also get an anti glare of ordinary glasses apparently - but that may not apply.

I hope this helps.

wanderingwallflower xx

summerlite profile image
summerlite

Yes I'm light and noise sensitive. My children despair when we watch tv. I'm always pleading with them to 'TURN IT DOWN !!!'. It causes major problems and I often leave the room!! I wear sunglasses too, nearly every time I go out and always whilst I'm driving. You're not alone, it's just another added 'delight' of being a fibromite. Warm wishes, S x

fibro profile image
fibro

I've never really put I down to fibro but I am overly sensitive to noise and light or extreme changes in temp. I can't bear being too hot or too cold. as for small over the ast year I am losing my sense of smell. I have no idea why tho!

as for noise I have to endure live guitar music every day whilst OH plays. luckily he is good but I'm not a music fan at all!! I also can't stand it when on TV they have something fairly quiet on, I just have TV on for company very rarely can I concentrate on a programme, but why do the ads have to come on mega loud!

missjones profile image
missjones

I've only just spoke to my doc about fibro but I have said to my mum `i haven't smelt tcp since I was little` my mum said ` no tcp in the house` but I really could smell it. I get a lot of support reading other peoples questions cause little things like smelling has been odd with me. I thought I was a sandwich short of a pinic x :-)

My prob is i cant listen to 2 things at once, if someone is talking to me and the tv is on it drives me insane. My sensitivity is more the smell of things, randomly i will get a sniff off wierd things......

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