Question about fatigue and perceived weakness

[Artanis12]

Hi guys...

I've been navel gazing.  Or perhaps more correctly, going down MS Memory Lane, you know, how we try to remember symptoms or states that didn't make sense at the time but might now.

After much mental digging, I recall now, a few times in the relatively recent past where I was so tired and weak as to be almost unable to go forward, once in a hot situation about 2 years ago, and another time in cooler weather back in 2011.  Both times I felt just.....limp, and overwhelmingly tired and slow.  I was (and am) not actually weak, I just FELT weak, which is a state I am much more familiar with today, but back then I couldn't even begin to put any cause to it and found it so puzzling.

I'm trying to decide if I'm going to be heat sensitive, and whether generalized feelings of weakness (without noticable genuine weakness) could be MS-related, or if I'm just making stuff up.  It is slowly heating up here (here being typically an annex of Hell in the summer) after extremely mild spring temps, and all of a sudden, the languid wobbly weak feelings that were infrequent, are hitting me more often, along with the lighheadedness that rarely abates.  Do you guys think this could be heat sensitivity (albeit mild compared to what I've read about) or should I just chalk it up the basic MS variability?  Does anyone think it possible that those past episodes of tired/weak, were MS rearing an early head?

Karen

[Artanis12]

Thanks for your response.  

I'm actually pretty good at listening, since I've had fibro for quite a few years, and back issues that have taught me to simply drop whatever I'm doing right THEN, otherwise I'll be laid out for a week.  At this point in the game my major symptoms are lightheadedness, walking coordination - that string puppet thing you mention, feeling as if my top half isn't connected quite right to my bottom half, and feeling weak and....languid, as if I'm slogging in sloooow motion.  Those are now there all the time, more or less, and up until recently, I would not have suspected any triggers for the "more" part of it.   But certain aspects of my current state, ring those old memory bells, and thus, as I said, just trying to decide if those standout memories had significance in retrospect.  As you say, not easy, and maybe as others have indicated, not worth my time.  But the mind tends to go where it goes, sometimes.

As it is, I've not felt normal in almost a year, and I'm beginning to forget what that felt like,  that feeling of walking without having to think  about.every.single.step.  I am still coordinated, and still pretty strong, so I'm not really complaining, just musing.

I'll shut up now.

Karen

[supermum_ms]

I think some times you can look back and have an ahhha moment and other times there's just not enough to pin it down....

I've had trouble answering this question, I don't actually 'perceive' weakness with fatigue fatigue or with muscle fatigue lol all the will in the world still doesn't get anything more out of me, burning building, getting out of the way of a car, lifting the kettle, brushing my hair etc etc i'm still not be able to pull enough energy out of the ethos to get this little bod a movin right.....

Heat definitely makes my issues go down hill, but it's not just my energy level, my vision goes more double and my depth perception goes astray, my bladder stops telling me i need to go, speaking becomes difficult, my leg gets dam heavy and i go back to walking like a string puppet again, balance goes bye bye, tremor takes off but wait there's more although still no free stake knives for moi lol it's a fun game.....not!    

Still not able to answer you question as i'd like too, i think the best answer i can come up with is 'may be' it was related to your MS and 'may be' internal/external temperature is an issue, it wouldn't hurt to assume you need to be more aware of your bodies subtle signs and be conscious of how much you can do before you reach your tipping point...  

Cheers.......JJ

[jensequitur]

How long has it been since your last flare? I used to have a real problem with heat, but it's been a long time since I had a flare. Now I have only a little fatigue if I get too hot.

[HVAC]

If you are getting tired you learn to pace yourself. I know what I can get done in  a day and try not to push. As Ess says you naturally learn as you go. The only time it gets dicey is if I am working on ladders or with dangerous power tools when I get tired since I could have an accident. You just naturally learn.

Alex

[essdipity]

If I were you I wouldn't spend much time pondering this. As you gain more experience with your own brand of MS (and everyone's MS is unique), you'll be able to tell what's what and come up with ways of minimizing some of it.

ess