Aa
please help me figure out if this is fatigue or cognitive
So my issues that bother me the most is the imbalance, drunk feeling, and just mental fatigue along with a feeling of being spaced out and just not clear headed. I feel like my brain is turning into liquid at times and my eyes can't focus, I mean they can, i can see, but I just cannot explain it... I think they just want to stare and often, I want to close them.
I'm going to the neuro opthalmologist next Wednesday to see what's going on. The EP test was normal. Can this be fatigue? I don't physically feel fatigued, I have been physically fatigued before from significant blood loss and anaemia but I do feel tired. I think the physical symptoms have something to do with being tired because it takes a lot for me to do what I did before .
My concern is this mental fog and weirdness. If I go into a store I feel overwhelmed andconfused. Should I inquire about a ADD medication? Has that help MS patients with mental fatigue and focus issues? I'll drink strong coffee in the morning to wake my brain up and hopefully get my eyes going and it helps but not with the anxiety. It also makes me jittery and increases anxiety.
See what I mean about being normal? I just want to be normal.
I'm going to the neuro opthalmologist next Wednesday to see what's going on. The EP test was normal. Can this be fatigue? I don't physically feel fatigued, I have been physically fatigued before from significant blood loss and anaemia but I do feel tired. I think the physical symptoms have something to do with being tired because it takes a lot for me to do what I did before .
My concern is this mental fog and weirdness. If I go into a store I feel overwhelmed andconfused. Should I inquire about a ADD medication? Has that help MS patients with mental fatigue and focus issues? I'll drink strong coffee in the morning to wake my brain up and hopefully get my eyes going and it helps but not with the anxiety. It also makes me jittery and increases anxiety.
See what I mean about being normal? I just want to be normal.
Yep... Caffeine is now a catch 22. Before this MS attack I would have my coffe in the AM and not have a drop until the next morning. In enjoyed the way it got me going in the morning, now I can't handle the stimulation but I have to wake my brain up. So I don't know what would help me, a CNS depressant leaves me way to sleepy and out of it. The caffeine makes me jittery, and very refer up and that use to work. I could clean the whole house or go to my job and be on a roll... Well, this number MS decided to do on me has left me needing something to get going but I need not to have this adrenal rush.
I just want to be alert, but calm. Energy is not really my issue, and neither is sleepiness. Its not being alert and these eyes, not being able to process sensory stimuli. I hope when I do see the neuro he can suggest something to help. Its like I'm drunk a lot of the time and I hate this feeling. I drink coffee trying to "sober" up my brain.
But the positive is the last couple days I have felt improvement, especially the balance issues. That has improved a lot yesterday and today... Hoping and praying that this improvment is lasting...and the sensory symptoms have calm down and I feel improvment in doing things more easily. So I'm hoping this meas DMD can slow this way down and stop this from getting worse. I hope some of these symptoms are healable.
I just want to be alert, but calm. Energy is not really my issue, and neither is sleepiness. Its not being alert and these eyes, not being able to process sensory stimuli. I hope when I do see the neuro he can suggest something to help. Its like I'm drunk a lot of the time and I hate this feeling. I drink coffee trying to "sober" up my brain.
But the positive is the last couple days I have felt improvement, especially the balance issues. That has improved a lot yesterday and today... Hoping and praying that this improvment is lasting...and the sensory symptoms have calm down and I feel improvment in doing things more easily. So I'm hoping this meas DMD can slow this way down and stop this from getting worse. I hope some of these symptoms are healable.
COMMUNITY LEADER
You are definitely not alone in this!
The first thing i would highly recommend you consider within the big picture, are the commonly recognised CNS stimulant side effects of too much caffeine, on your MS compromised CNS.
If you are drinking strong coffee in the morning to wake your self up, and you've already recognised that it makes you feel jittery and increases your anxiety.......it's highly possible you are starting off your day with the initial adrenaline boost, but it's also potentially kicking starting the over stimulated CNS responses and resulting in a worsening of your fatigue, cog fog, anxiety, instability, vision etc. (stimulants will 'temporarily' boost energy but typically leave you feeling even less energetic afterwards)
During 'brief' intense periods of stress eg facing a robber, dog attack etc the adrenaline boost is beneficial because your survival instincts, fight or flight is activated and your brain and body responds with a boost of energy, readying muscles to run etc right?
What happen's when your dealing with 'prolonged' periods of stress over weeks, months, years...... your fight or flight survival instinct can basically have a hair trigger, easily switching on your brain and bodies survival responses even though there isn't immediate danger.
Over time this can result in extremely high anxiety levels and frequent panic attacks but it can also create a prolonged mild shock reaction and or adrenal fatigue. Often adding stimulants boosts to the mix just makes things worse, as your adrenals are already producing too much stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol).
If your already aware of feeling jittery and more anxious after drinking caffeine, ADD medications could potentially be an even worse stimulant and a depressant might be more helpful, in decompressing your over stimulated central nervous system. If you need a leg up in the mornings, it might be worth skipping the caffeine high/lows and see if a high energy nutritional breakfast or smoothie gives you the morning energy boost your needing, with out the side effects.
Hugs..........JJ
ps my daughter when she's been under prolonged stress can't touch caffeine, because it makes things worse, and weirdly her hair even turns green.
The first thing i would highly recommend you consider within the big picture, are the commonly recognised CNS stimulant side effects of too much caffeine, on your MS compromised CNS.
If you are drinking strong coffee in the morning to wake your self up, and you've already recognised that it makes you feel jittery and increases your anxiety.......it's highly possible you are starting off your day with the initial adrenaline boost, but it's also potentially kicking starting the over stimulated CNS responses and resulting in a worsening of your fatigue, cog fog, anxiety, instability, vision etc. (stimulants will 'temporarily' boost energy but typically leave you feeling even less energetic afterwards)
During 'brief' intense periods of stress eg facing a robber, dog attack etc the adrenaline boost is beneficial because your survival instincts, fight or flight is activated and your brain and body responds with a boost of energy, readying muscles to run etc right?
What happen's when your dealing with 'prolonged' periods of stress over weeks, months, years...... your fight or flight survival instinct can basically have a hair trigger, easily switching on your brain and bodies survival responses even though there isn't immediate danger.
Over time this can result in extremely high anxiety levels and frequent panic attacks but it can also create a prolonged mild shock reaction and or adrenal fatigue. Often adding stimulants boosts to the mix just makes things worse, as your adrenals are already producing too much stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol).
If your already aware of feeling jittery and more anxious after drinking caffeine, ADD medications could potentially be an even worse stimulant and a depressant might be more helpful, in decompressing your over stimulated central nervous system. If you need a leg up in the mornings, it might be worth skipping the caffeine high/lows and see if a high energy nutritional breakfast or smoothie gives you the morning energy boost your needing, with out the side effects.
Hugs..........JJ
ps my daughter when she's been under prolonged stress can't touch caffeine, because it makes things worse, and weirdly her hair even turns green.
Adderall helps with focus. If you have an anxiety everyone is different. It made me want to crawl the walls. There are other medications for fatigue. I was listening to a doctor on radio, yesterday talking about fatigue. She did say most of these drugs have side effects. It is a trade off.
I use to have a super computer brain that would not shut off. It drove me nuts. Then my brain got slower and slower. I was upset but then I thought of how peaceful it was. I lose things all the time. Now I have learned not to beat myself up about it. I thought I had lost the extra set of car keys for a year. I could not find them because they were in my husband's hiding place with his passport. I beat myself over nothing it was him.
The trick is to relax when my brain does not work right. If I get upset my brain shuts down. It is like hitting a brick wall.
The good news is MS memory issues are seldom like Alzheimer's. Most of us will not get to the point where we do not recognize people and places.
My neurologist said this at a talk.
I have had memory issues, trouble following directions, finding words, and finding things.
I have a five day calendar on my fridge with what I need to do each day. I Have a key hook for keys. I put my things in the same places every day. I am not embarrassed to say I do not understand. I make a joke about things. I also have a calendar and I write notes.
People do not notice it if I do not mention it. Most people are not paying that much attention to me. We are our worst critics.
Alex
I use to have a super computer brain that would not shut off. It drove me nuts. Then my brain got slower and slower. I was upset but then I thought of how peaceful it was. I lose things all the time. Now I have learned not to beat myself up about it. I thought I had lost the extra set of car keys for a year. I could not find them because they were in my husband's hiding place with his passport. I beat myself over nothing it was him.
The trick is to relax when my brain does not work right. If I get upset my brain shuts down. It is like hitting a brick wall.
The good news is MS memory issues are seldom like Alzheimer's. Most of us will not get to the point where we do not recognize people and places.
My neurologist said this at a talk.
I have had memory issues, trouble following directions, finding words, and finding things.
I have a five day calendar on my fridge with what I need to do each day. I Have a key hook for keys. I put my things in the same places every day. I am not embarrassed to say I do not understand. I make a joke about things. I also have a calendar and I write notes.
People do not notice it if I do not mention it. Most people are not paying that much attention to me. We are our worst critics.
Alex
Thank you...
We need to adapt to whatever our new normal is. What you're experiencing right now might be temporary, might be permanent.In MS, this IS normal. As time marches on, you will adjust and find ways to adapt to whatever symptoms are lingering.
I've read in numerous sources that a person with MS requires 2-3X the amount of energy that a healthy person needs to complete the same task. Thus walking one kilometre feels like two to three kilometres. The feeling of walking up flight of stairs is doubled or tripled. You get the idea.
Energy conservation is one strategy for coping with this new reality. It requires us to perhaps be more organized and plan ahead. I no longer go to the supermarket at the end of the day when I'm tired, without a list. If I do, I'm overwhelmed by noise, lights, decisions. I go earlier in the day, when I'm rested, with a short list. Instead of one big haul every week or two, I go every few days to pick up a few things. This makes the task less overwhelming. In the house, I never go upstairs or down without considering whether something needs to come with me: something to go in the laundry, a dirty dish, new purchases, etc. That saves me trips up and down and conserves energy. Careful though. I was overly ambitious yesterday, was carrying too much stuff, and fell down the stairs. Now my left knee (which was already injured) and foot are battered and bruised. Safety first, always! :-) Anyway, just a couple of examples for you if ways to conserve your limited energy. The reality is, we can't always do everything in the way that we could before. It's encouraging though, how creative you can get at problem solving when necessary.
Yes, absolutely fatigue can be mental as well as physical. This is not uncommon in MS, it seems many have this complaint, me included. Again, we need to find ways to adapt. When it gets to me I shut everything off: computer, tv, music. I lie down in a cool spot, in absolute quiet for 20 minutes or so, sometimes more than once throughout the day. I find it really helps. A cool bath also helps. Technically I don't meditate per se, but I do try to calm my mind and block out distracting thoughts. When my mind is racing a mile a minute with worrisome thoughts, my cog fog is worse. Perhaps that's contributing to your mental fatigue too.
Some of the meds we take to relieve our various symptoms may cause mental or physical fatigue as a side effect. I think Alex previously mentioned it's a cost/benefit thing. If the benefit you get overrides the fatigue as a side effect, you cope with the fatigue as best you can. If the fatigue is worse than any benefit derived from the med, you can choose not to take it and tolerate the symptom untreated, or try a different med.
It's a constant balancing act which may require ongoing reevaluation of how best to adapt to our new reality. You're in mourning for your old self, meaning your old body and normal functioning. I think this is quite normal, I was too, but with time comes adjustment and acceptance. Hopefully with the counselling you're receiving, and as your antidepressants kick in, you will find some peace with all of this. Do keep your neurologist apprised of any new symptoms or side effects of meds. It may be that there is something else better suited to you if side effects are contributing to or magnifying any ongoing symptoms such as the fatigue.
I've read in numerous sources that a person with MS requires 2-3X the amount of energy that a healthy person needs to complete the same task. Thus walking one kilometre feels like two to three kilometres. The feeling of walking up flight of stairs is doubled or tripled. You get the idea.
Energy conservation is one strategy for coping with this new reality. It requires us to perhaps be more organized and plan ahead. I no longer go to the supermarket at the end of the day when I'm tired, without a list. If I do, I'm overwhelmed by noise, lights, decisions. I go earlier in the day, when I'm rested, with a short list. Instead of one big haul every week or two, I go every few days to pick up a few things. This makes the task less overwhelming. In the house, I never go upstairs or down without considering whether something needs to come with me: something to go in the laundry, a dirty dish, new purchases, etc. That saves me trips up and down and conserves energy. Careful though. I was overly ambitious yesterday, was carrying too much stuff, and fell down the stairs. Now my left knee (which was already injured) and foot are battered and bruised. Safety first, always! :-) Anyway, just a couple of examples for you if ways to conserve your limited energy. The reality is, we can't always do everything in the way that we could before. It's encouraging though, how creative you can get at problem solving when necessary.
Yes, absolutely fatigue can be mental as well as physical. This is not uncommon in MS, it seems many have this complaint, me included. Again, we need to find ways to adapt. When it gets to me I shut everything off: computer, tv, music. I lie down in a cool spot, in absolute quiet for 20 minutes or so, sometimes more than once throughout the day. I find it really helps. A cool bath also helps. Technically I don't meditate per se, but I do try to calm my mind and block out distracting thoughts. When my mind is racing a mile a minute with worrisome thoughts, my cog fog is worse. Perhaps that's contributing to your mental fatigue too.
Some of the meds we take to relieve our various symptoms may cause mental or physical fatigue as a side effect. I think Alex previously mentioned it's a cost/benefit thing. If the benefit you get overrides the fatigue as a side effect, you cope with the fatigue as best you can. If the fatigue is worse than any benefit derived from the med, you can choose not to take it and tolerate the symptom untreated, or try a different med.
It's a constant balancing act which may require ongoing reevaluation of how best to adapt to our new reality. You're in mourning for your old self, meaning your old body and normal functioning. I think this is quite normal, I was too, but with time comes adjustment and acceptance. Hopefully with the counselling you're receiving, and as your antidepressants kick in, you will find some peace with all of this. Do keep your neurologist apprised of any new symptoms or side effects of meds. It may be that there is something else better suited to you if side effects are contributing to or magnifying any ongoing symptoms such as the fatigue.
I too have these issues, fogged out. Etc. I was in the hospital a few days ago, nauseated, vertigo that wouldn't stop. Had to get IV electro lights. Home for 4 days now and vertigo has stopped while in hospital, but lightheaded, off balance, need my walker now. Spaced out, confused feeling, not able to think straight.
I'm hanging in there, I have SPMS and hope this is only because of the heat and not a progression that will not go away.
Take care and know your not alone with this. I think it happens more with people then you know.
Wobbly
I'm hanging in there, I have SPMS and hope this is only because of the heat and not a progression that will not go away.
Take care and know your not alone with this. I think it happens more with people then you know.
Wobbly
This recent post includes the several different pharmaceutical avenues some of us go down to treat fatigue/cog fog. http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Multiple-Sclerosis/Extreme-fatigue/show/2653739
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