Fatigue - ugh! I feel like I'm wearing a floor-length overcoat made of lead when I'm having flares.
I'm working full-time right now and have 2 teenagers and am single. I can barely scrape by when I have no energy. I had to change my own values and behaviors (and re-train my family!) Here is my fatigue triage plan:
First, I resigned from housekeeping. I redefined "bare minimum" to mean - Bathing, dressing, and sleeping ONLY. I don't do dishes anymore (paper plates, cups, and take-out dinners were made for people with FM!). I do laundry only every two weeks, and then only my own, nobody else's. I buy a lot of new underwear! Cleaning? Close the doors. Hire a teenager to take out trash. Squirt some toilet bowl cleaner in when it gets furry. I keep ONE room clean and serene for myself - the rest, I let go.
Second, I take Trazedone, and I take it early, and at the same time every night. This is essential - you must sleep. You can adjust your dosage up and down by teeny micrograms until you get exactly the length and depth of sleep you need, and also play around with your bedtime. Nobody can function on 3 or 4 hours of sleep a night for more than a few months.
Third, at work, I found the nursing mothers' lounge and [because at present there are no nursing mothers] I sneak in at lunchtime and nap!!
So far I haven't gotten caught. Honestly I couldn't sit up in the afternoon if I couldn't lie down for a while.
I don't know about you - I hate the pain, resent the mind fuzz, but the fatigue is what I hate the most of all - I feel trapped inside my own body.
I hope you keep trying to get help. Don't give up. Keep trying the night mask... if panic stops you, get your panic disorder or anxiety treated by a doctor and by medication. Then the mask. Then sleep....... You can do it, and you are worth it!