Hi Daggett-I am in my 50's and have had fibro since 1993. I was a voracious piano player-hours a day. The last 3-4 years, my muscles have stiffened, OA in my back and shoulders, and I am no longer able to play my beloved piano. Fortunately, the music must come out-I now sing in the church choir, and I cantored (soloed) for over 8 years. It gives me satisfaction to do vocals now. Keep practicing and playing, you will do fine. It takes practice to play ( or sing) in front of people, but you do get used to it. Good luck to you-keep the music going-Fibrohyg

Yes, I’ve had to take a break from playing my hammered dulcimer. The stiffness and brain fog make it difficult, I also have a hard time standing for long periods.

If anyone has a solution please let us know!

Aloha. Yes, I play ukulele. One of the things I notice is my brain stops working after about an hour. The music group I currently attend is 2 hours long..... so I typically come 1 hour late on purpose. Also.... all the other musicians (I play with) can memorize music through practice and muscle memory.... BUT for the life of me, no matter how many times I play a song, I can't remember how to play it and NEED my music sheets with me at ALL times or I'm sunk. And if there's a day my fibro fog is bad? Forget it. I'll be as useless as a 5th wheel.

Forget standing. I need a cushy seat. I also bring a back pillow and have a butt cushion in the truck ready to use in case the seats are hard. I have to get up and walk around about every 20 mins (I just tell them I need a water break / bathroom break).

It's helpful to know that I am not alone in this. For the longest time I thought I was having trouble simply because I suck; but it seems that there are some things going on that are beyond my control.

fibrohyg - I too have discovered the joys of singing! It's one of the few things that I can do that doesn't leave me totally drained when I'm done. I'll keep trying to sing in front of people and hopefully it will get better, and I won't feel horrible afterward.

Bobbii - I feel you. It sucks. Sure, there are worse things, but... still. It makes me want to cry sometimes. I also have trouble standing for a long time.

BlueSky - I've had the same problem with my music group. I'd poop out after about an hour.

Hi. Yes I played bass in a a band for years but my fibro made my stage fright worse my hands like sore wood and I struggle to remember the songs.haven't played this year don't know if I will be able to again. But I'm in my fifties your younger keep fighting for it. BTW I love all the bands you mentioned. Good luck man.

I had to put up my guitar. I used to play acoustical and learn/sing songs. It started with my throat where I started losing m vibrato, probably due to the all over body spasms. The upper body weakness and all over fatigue made me put it in a corner and sigh. I used to basically "give a concert" in my car to and from work, singing my heart out, when the throat thing started, the sensitivity to loud stuff started as well. It's hard to find any music that doesn't irritate me terribly.

This doesn't help my hubbie out too much since he has played drums since he was a kid...for well over 40 years. He misses playing his drums a lot, but since he is older, and drums are "loud" he is seriously thinking of selling most of his drums/drum kit and getting a nice "electronic" drum set instead. Many neighborhoods don't like to listen to someone banging on the drums anyway. In ours it sets off the dogs barking (and they don't stop)), so it's frowned upon.

Have you thought about electronic drum set instead? Just a thought.

My hubbie has a really small electronic drum kit, and he uses head phones so I don't hear a thing. I've watched him and he doesn't have to work too hard to get the sound he wants. He and a buddy or two... Buddy #1 plays and records a track of guitar, then sends it to my hubbie. My hubbie adds his drum track to it, and so on. He has a mixer, and some such equipment, nothing fancy, but he learned how to expand his music craft and learned oodles on the electronic side of things to work around my "loud noise" disability.

You are not alone in your struggles. I mourned having to give up the guitar and singing. I have many hobbies, so I just switch between them all or just take some time off from all of them to rest in between. I hope this helps some. Good luck to you in your journey. With chronic fatigue you may not always have to give up what you love to do, you just may have to use a different medium for the same outcome.......and find a few hidden talents along the way!!