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Any Suggestions For Fatigue?
Whoa. I think I've been hit with the MS fatigue. Friday evening I was feeling kind of crappy, then that night I slept over 12 hours. When I woke up Saturday, I went on my normal 10-mile bike ride, hoping the exercise would give me some energy. I felt like I was riding my bike through water the whole way, and I was barely able to pedal home. My boyfriend theorized that I needed to eat, so we went out to brunch. I nearly fell asleep at the table and felt no better afterwards. Then, I decided to take an afternoon nap because that's supposed to help, right? I woke up feeling exactly the same amount of tired as I did before the nap. Yesterday was a total bust.
Today, I still feel like a zombie. This blows! I canceled lunch with a friend because the thought of getting dressed and driving 15 miles sounds like an insurmountable obstacle. All the chores I meant to get done yesterday are staring me down like a 500-pound sumo wrestler who wants nothing more than to crush my weakened, pathetic soul.
Does anyone have any suggestions? What do you do when this hits you? Coffee is having no effect. I feel like a useless lump of poo.
- Jane
Today, I still feel like a zombie. This blows! I canceled lunch with a friend because the thought of getting dressed and driving 15 miles sounds like an insurmountable obstacle. All the chores I meant to get done yesterday are staring me down like a 500-pound sumo wrestler who wants nothing more than to crush my weakened, pathetic soul.
Does anyone have any suggestions? What do you do when this hits you? Coffee is having no effect. I feel like a useless lump of poo.
- Jane
COMMUNITY LEADER
I'd give you a hug but sheesh the amount of energy it would take to lift my arms lol yeah that kind of fatigue I sooooooo get that. I have a pretty good built in warning signal now, when the fatigue is going south, I start to slurrrrrrr and stumble around like a drunk on a leaky boat thats going down, sitting is good oh but make sure the chair has arms or you'll slide off it lol
Before MS hit the radar, i'd talk to my GP about fatigue and lol she had zero understanding on what level I was talking about or just how controlling fatigue was becoming. I'm sure one of the main problems is how widely used the term 'fatigue' is, um what the general public are talking about isn't what i call fatigue lol thats just normal tired to me. They have no idea what its like to have so little energy, that the building could be on fire and theres nothing there to drag your sorry a@@ out.
I use to say the ground calls to me and its all I can do not to answer. lol For years I tried to eat my way out of it, upto 7 times a day, plus snacks um it doesn't work when the fatigue is here but good when its not. Tried 3 spoon fulls of sugar or half a box of glucose tablets and it would give me a short window sometimes but the crash imho is much harder.
Being fit is part and parcel of being me, but dont think you can 'push' through whilst the fatigue is here, thats the time to sleep it off and try to remember to only do what 'has' to be done, breathing and blinking are good lol otherwise its like being in a revolving door lol It'll lift in its own sweet time, nothing will make it happen quicker but 'doing' can surely make it take longer, from my experience lol
I go on about pacing your self and understanding your bodies signs, well here I go again lol cause they both really really help to keep you one step ahead of the game 'most' of the time. The rest of the time though, your just along for the ride, so buckle up folkes. As GG pointed out, you will have different times of the day where you feel it, ignore its coming and you'll crash, though taking a rest can re-energise your battery. By rest i mean a total disconnection from the world around you, meditate, power nap, snooze, removal of all sensory stimuli etc.
Knowing the energy out put per activity can give you a heads up before you feel the pull of fatigue, which is what you need to work out for your self, because we are all different. Find your balance and it can make a big difference, but as ive said the other times its more like riding it out, sleeping a lot because that is what your body is telling you it needs more than to do the laundry.
Hopefully there are some thing that gives you some ideas.
Fatigued...........JJ
Before MS hit the radar, i'd talk to my GP about fatigue and lol she had zero understanding on what level I was talking about or just how controlling fatigue was becoming. I'm sure one of the main problems is how widely used the term 'fatigue' is, um what the general public are talking about isn't what i call fatigue lol thats just normal tired to me. They have no idea what its like to have so little energy, that the building could be on fire and theres nothing there to drag your sorry a@@ out.
I use to say the ground calls to me and its all I can do not to answer. lol For years I tried to eat my way out of it, upto 7 times a day, plus snacks um it doesn't work when the fatigue is here but good when its not. Tried 3 spoon fulls of sugar or half a box of glucose tablets and it would give me a short window sometimes but the crash imho is much harder.
Being fit is part and parcel of being me, but dont think you can 'push' through whilst the fatigue is here, thats the time to sleep it off and try to remember to only do what 'has' to be done, breathing and blinking are good lol otherwise its like being in a revolving door lol It'll lift in its own sweet time, nothing will make it happen quicker but 'doing' can surely make it take longer, from my experience lol
I go on about pacing your self and understanding your bodies signs, well here I go again lol cause they both really really help to keep you one step ahead of the game 'most' of the time. The rest of the time though, your just along for the ride, so buckle up folkes. As GG pointed out, you will have different times of the day where you feel it, ignore its coming and you'll crash, though taking a rest can re-energise your battery. By rest i mean a total disconnection from the world around you, meditate, power nap, snooze, removal of all sensory stimuli etc.
Knowing the energy out put per activity can give you a heads up before you feel the pull of fatigue, which is what you need to work out for your self, because we are all different. Find your balance and it can make a big difference, but as ive said the other times its more like riding it out, sleeping a lot because that is what your body is telling you it needs more than to do the laundry.
Hopefully there are some thing that gives you some ideas.
Fatigued...........JJ
I'm on Amantadine, too. Before I started taking it, I was also part of the zombie world. LOL. At first I didn't think it worked, then it started to kick in, now I'm back to it not working again (about a year now since I started taking it). I would literally think I was going to fall asleep at my desk at work and I could not function at all. Zombie is the word I used to describe it, just like you.
Lots of caffeine helps a little. There's not too many options, unfortunately. And they've already told me that insurance won't cover Provigil.
I think you're taking a good approach to it....
Hang in there,
Kelly
Lots of caffeine helps a little. There's not too many options, unfortunately. And they've already told me that insurance won't cover Provigil.
I think you're taking a good approach to it....
Hang in there,
Kelly
Curious......how are the insurance company treating Amantadine?
I know they don't want to cover Provigil.
I'm up off and on all night plus all day, I feel like a mini shift worker!
I know they don't want to cover Provigil.
I'm up off and on all night plus all day, I feel like a mini shift worker!
Zombie Jane loves you guys. If I have no choice but to wait this out, I'm glad I have you all to wait it out with - plus my amazing chef boyfriend who has decided that this overcast day is perfect for making chili, cornbread, and chocolate chip cookies. Who wants to come over for dinner?
Rena and Deb: Thanks for mentioning Amantadine. If this fatigue becomes chronic, I will be looking into med options.
Guitar_grrl: I do desk work, for at least the next two months (thank goodness).
Everyone: Thank you for the kind words and suggestions, and for sharing your experiences. It is really helpful.
Hugs,
Jane
Rena and Deb: Thanks for mentioning Amantadine. If this fatigue becomes chronic, I will be looking into med options.
Guitar_grrl: I do desk work, for at least the next two months (thank goodness).
Everyone: Thank you for the kind words and suggestions, and for sharing your experiences. It is really helpful.
Hugs,
Jane
Hi Jane,
I totally know how you feel. I actually cannot make it through a day without a nap. It's such a drag! I get 2 kinds of fatigue every day: I get so sleepy that I can't even keep my eyes open, leading to a nap, and then there is the muscle fatigue. When this happens I get so weak that I need to sit down immediatlely. I also take Amantadine, drink lots of coffee and water. I workout in spurts all day long. That helps me the most of all! What can I say, I'm so tired of being tired!!!
I hope you work things out :)
Hugs,
Deb
I totally know how you feel. I actually cannot make it through a day without a nap. It's such a drag! I get 2 kinds of fatigue every day: I get so sleepy that I can't even keep my eyes open, leading to a nap, and then there is the muscle fatigue. When this happens I get so weak that I need to sit down immediatlely. I also take Amantadine, drink lots of coffee and water. I workout in spurts all day long. That helps me the most of all! What can I say, I'm so tired of being tired!!!
I hope you work things out :)
Hugs,
Deb
Argh! The dreaded fatigue. For me, it's a never ending cycle of coffee and naps. (Add in some water too, or we can add kidney stones to the long list of miseries!)
I don't have any answers, but if you do figure it out-please tell me too ;o)
Tammy
I don't have any answers, but if you do figure it out-please tell me too ;o)
Tammy
Ahhh, sorry you're dealing with this, too! I hit the wall a couple of times a day on a regular basis. And no, coffee doesn't help me either, and it increases my tremor, lol.
PACE yourself. Do you have a stronger time of day? Do your chores then, and then REST for at least 30 minutes before doing anything else. Speaking strictly for myself, I crash at about 8:30 in the morning, and perk up again at about 10, and then I hit the wall again from about 2 - 5 pm.
Is your job physically demanding? Mine is, and I take a 20 - 30 minute break between tasks, and I'm usually OK to drive the 45 - 90 minutes home (depending on where I work).
With the fun stuff, like kayaking, I take a 20-30 minute break every two sets of rapids. If biking, every 10 miles, though I rarely do more than 15 - 20 miles any more. I don't cycle on really hot days any more, either.
We can get through the day, but it isn't always easy! Do be gentle with yourself. A nap doesn't always help, but I kind of "go through the motions", and somehow, a minimal amount of stuff gets done.
Good luck with this!
PACE yourself. Do you have a stronger time of day? Do your chores then, and then REST for at least 30 minutes before doing anything else. Speaking strictly for myself, I crash at about 8:30 in the morning, and perk up again at about 10, and then I hit the wall again from about 2 - 5 pm.
Is your job physically demanding? Mine is, and I take a 20 - 30 minute break between tasks, and I'm usually OK to drive the 45 - 90 minutes home (depending on where I work).
With the fun stuff, like kayaking, I take a 20-30 minute break every two sets of rapids. If biking, every 10 miles, though I rarely do more than 15 - 20 miles any more. I don't cycle on really hot days any more, either.
We can get through the day, but it isn't always easy! Do be gentle with yourself. A nap doesn't always help, but I kind of "go through the motions", and somehow, a minimal amount of stuff gets done.
Good luck with this!
Janie Girl!
Your doing all the right things of course :) Trying the coffee, getting in a bike ride :) It's all you can do. I'm w/you it's right up there w/POOP, lol
I recommend sleep when you can and then baby steps (more like keister dragging) through the rest. No add-on stuff. Just get through the regular dailys)
Hope it passes for sure. If it decides to stay for long time def. call the doc for something.
Your doing all the right things of course :) Trying the coffee, getting in a bike ride :) It's all you can do. I'm w/you it's right up there w/POOP, lol
I recommend sleep when you can and then baby steps (more like keister dragging) through the rest. No add-on stuff. Just get through the regular dailys)
Hope it passes for sure. If it decides to stay for long time def. call the doc for something.
Hi Jane!
I have to deal with this fatigue as well and it just plain *****! I get up in the a.m., make a coffee, have breakfast and have to lie down again cause I can't keep my eyes open! It's very frustrating and more so at first I think.
I have been put on Amantadine and it seems to help me quite a bit! It is an anti-viral so I also almost NEVER get sick with colds or flus which is a bonus. There are days of course that NOTHING will keep me awake but I have been lucky for the most part and the days that are semi tired I can push through it. It's a tough symptom of MS and one that no one likes to deal with but I feel that you will be able to work on overcoming some of this fatigue but also talk to your neuro about Amantadine...it's worth a try. Don't worry about the little things either...housework will always still be there for us when we wake up...use this time to recuperate and ask for more help from the boyfriend! I wish you luck honey and hope you start to feel better soon!
Hugs,
Rena
I have to deal with this fatigue as well and it just plain *****! I get up in the a.m., make a coffee, have breakfast and have to lie down again cause I can't keep my eyes open! It's very frustrating and more so at first I think.
I have been put on Amantadine and it seems to help me quite a bit! It is an anti-viral so I also almost NEVER get sick with colds or flus which is a bonus. There are days of course that NOTHING will keep me awake but I have been lucky for the most part and the days that are semi tired I can push through it. It's a tough symptom of MS and one that no one likes to deal with but I feel that you will be able to work on overcoming some of this fatigue but also talk to your neuro about Amantadine...it's worth a try. Don't worry about the little things either...housework will always still be there for us when we wake up...use this time to recuperate and ask for more help from the boyfriend! I wish you luck honey and hope you start to feel better soon!
Hugs,
Rena
golly Jane, sounds like you have enough fatigue for both of us! (grin)
I'm more into cognitive fog today, after the trip!
Take it easy and pamper yourself!
Sarah
I'm more into cognitive fog today, after the trip!
Take it easy and pamper yourself!
Sarah
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