Fatigue is really getting to me

[steph74]

This fatigue is hard to deal with!  I was travelling overseas two and a half weeks ago, but I took a vacation for a full week afterward--a "stay-cation" with my kids, as relaxing as it gets for me.  :)  It's been way too long to be jet lag.  I just can't wake up in the mornings, I'm super tired all day, I feel like I'm walking with weights on my legs.  (Then, ironically, at 10 pm, my brain starts to wake up!  But I'm still so tired I can get to sleep pretty quickly.)

Ugh...  I have three 50 page papers to review and I don't know how I'm going to get it done without falling asleep...

What do you all do when you feel like this?

Stephanie

[twopack]

You can try Provigil or Nuvigil without committing to take it every day.  You could take it for a few days and see if it helps or only use it on the days you have things to do that you need to be alert for.  You just can't wait until late in the day to decide you need it.  Then you could be up half the night.  Provigil is supposed to work on the sleep/wake center of the brain and not cause generalized excitement.  Also, it helps with fatigue but is in no way a substitute for getting enough rest.

I wonder if it takes us longer to recover from jet lag?  Everything else takes longer.

Mary

[steph74]

Thanks--I'm hesitant to try medication, especially because I don't seem to be as bad off as a lot of you are.  I am able to work and cook, raise the kids, etc., I'm just completely wiped out when I do it all--I feel sometimes like I can barely keep going, but I push through and I can, so I know it's not as bad as it could be.

sdsam, I'm totally with you on falling asleep in the afternoons (and early mornings...)  I was at a presentation I had been looking forward to attending for a while, *with my boss,* and as soon as they dimmed the lights for the powerpoint slides, I was falling asleep.  It was so embarrassing.

Yeah, today is Friday and I can sleep in a little tomorrow.  :)

[sdsam]

The afternoons are the absolute worst for me.  Come 1:30 or so I feel as though I can't keep my head up and walking is a chore as my legs feel like lead.  I was in a fog all day today, missed a comittment this morning having totally spaced it out.  Not like me at all, that is what is so frustrating.  

[Jason732]

It might be worth your while to ask your neurologist about provigil or nuvigil and maybe he/she could give you a sample if they have them just to see how it works for you. I can totally relate, though. I've been randomly falling asleep at my desk for almost 2 years now and it's become kind of the office joke. I hope you start feeling better soon.

[Nancy T]

I have been getting progressively more fatigued, especially in the past few months. It takes very little to knock me out, and it takes forever to get back to where I can just do even a few things during the day.

I simply have to rest--really rest, as in sit or lie down virtually all day--for one to several days in order recuperate even partially.

If you have kids AND work, that might be very tough. I could NOT handle kids anymore.

I used to clean my house, cook most days, do yardwork. Those things have all fallen completely by the wayside. What my husband doesn't do usually just doesn't get done.

I eat microwave meals and only clean up a little when guests come. That's IT. I put off grocery shopping as long as possible (and make my husband do it whenver possible), I don't invite people over, I don't volunteer for anything anymore.

I simply acknowledge my limits and focus on preserving my strength and stamina for what I HAVE to do, namely work and taking care of myself. Thank goodness my kids are grown.

Is there any way you can put off or back out of those 50 pages? Give yourself another week to rest up? You have to acknowledge your reality and make other people do so, too.

Good luck,

Nancy (not diagnosed with anything)

[Growing2Boys]

Have you tried meds? I tried Provigil so I could be clear during work. It does work to make you alert & clear. Gave me lots of energy. My problem was it made my arms & legs jerk.
I am having a relapse right now, so doctor thinks it may not do that to me under normal situations. I plan to try it again when I feel better.

Currently I am taking Sudafed. I just take one in the morning. It perks me up without side effects. I take it as soon as I wake up because it does cause problems for me falling asleep

Sarah

[sllowe]

Hey Stephanie,

Fatigue is so wretched. I've not found anything that really takes it away when at extreme levels level.  

But, for what it's worth I try to manage it (and this can help whether MS or not). I drink lots of water - weird, but it really helps me. I then I space out eating and try to have something every few hours. And, then my coffee or tea inbetween.  

Seems nothing wards off the bad stuff:( I've yet to try provigil. I'm just too afraid to get stimulated by it. Wouldn't it be nice to find the fine line between very relaxed and "awake." ha/ah

Good luck w/your papers, STeph,
-shell