Tactile Intolerance

Tactile intolerance is usually associated with children and often with autistic children. I stand as a witness that it can be very problematic in adults with fibromyalgia who have no prior history of it. What do I mean by tactile intolerance? My best example is the seat belt in my car. Years ago, they made them so that I could tug mine out to a certain point and it would stay there until it was tugged on again. Oh, how I long for those days. Some safety-conscious engineer-type must have decided that I needed it to stay snug against me, and so the newer model was implemented. Unfortunately, the newer model keeps on tugging the entire time I am wearing it. Yes, it is a very small tug. You wouldn’t think it would be a problem. I can stand it fine for 4 blocks, 6 blocks, a dozen. Then I start to have chest pain. No, it doesn’t just bother me, it actually causes pain. The pain increases with the amount of time that I must endure the ever-so-minor tugging. Most people feel no pain from this. They tune it out and don’t even realize it is there. I arrive at my destination feeling like I am having cardiac arrest.

People are not the same, and I am including those without fibromyalgia in that statement. For example, one of my friends (who doesn’t have fibromyalgia) has been cutting the tags out of all of her clothing for her entire life. I only started doing this in my 11th or 12th year of fibromyalgia when I suddenly became wildly sensitive. Years ago, my friend would complain that the clothing manufacturers had sewn a tag made from cat-scratch cloth on her garment, which identified the product as 100% organic cotton. I thought she was a fussbudget at the time. Now I understand. Now I complain when my 100% cotton garment has been sewn with nylon thread.

Some things that bother me may not bother you. But if you have fibromyalgia, chances are pretty good that some things will bother you.

In case you need my list in order to feel better about yours, seat-belts are at the very top. Next in line of the things that cause pain is bras. If you have this problem, try www.decentexposures.com. Order a bra made with organic cotton (which will be sewn with organic cotton thread) and Lycra ribbing instead of elastic.

For about six years I couldn’t stand anything around my waist. I quit wearing pants and only wore dresses, without panty hose. Panty hose is absolutely the worst. I could buy the largest triple-plus size they sold and the waistband would still cause my entire upper body to feel like it was cut off from the blood supply in my lower body. Once I made it all the way to an event before taking the panty hose off in the parking lot in my car before going in. The etiquette experts used to berate people for bare legs, so I wore long dresses with knee highs (don’t get me started on thigh-highs or garter belts).

These days, I can wear pants and even blue jeans, although perhaps not as tight as most ladies. Things do continually change for better or worse for those of us with these reactionary sensitivities.

Some of your symptoms might be due to tactile intolerance. In other words, some things that touch you might “bother you” or even cause you pain. These will likely be things that don’t affect other people. In fact, other people might think you are a fussbudget or worse for the things that bother you.

Living successfully with fibromyalgia means being your own best friend. Cut the tags out of your clothes if they bother you. Wear what makes you comfortable. Jerry-rig your seatbelt to tug less, if necessary. Put your jewelry away in a drawer somewhere if it bothers you to wear it. Splurge on 100% cotton socks if you need to. Tie your shoes looser, quit wearing the pony tail in your hair, and find a pair of lighter glasses if they cause you discomfort.

Pay attention to what your body is telling you. It might take some thought to realize the reason for your chest pain whenever you get in the car to go anywhere. Maybe you suspected you were agoraphobic, and it turns out that it is just the seat belt.

Take positive action with the objects that you come in contact with to decrease your discomfort and to increase your comfort.