[Blessings2You]

Fatigue seems to be my biggest issue right now, which is probably why I'm obsessing about it here all the time.

What percentage of the time would you say you experience true MS fatigue? All day, every day? A certain number of days a week? An approximate number of hours a day?

Does it go in spells? Or is it fairly "regular"?

A family member asked me if I feel "like that all the time", and it was hard to answer. I never feel bright-eyed and bushy-tailed anymore, but there are some days or parts of days that I feel borderline normal.

It's hard for me to sort out fatigue from depression sometimes, because they sorta feel the same, and often overlap. But the last few days I haven't felt more sad or discouraged than usual, just an almost incapacitating fatigue. The too tired to care kind. And for a longer stretch than "usual".

[Dejibo]

Mine comes in spells. I will have a run of days where I feel just wrung out, and then after a week or so passes, I tend to get most of my energy back. I find if I push myself I can quickly run out of spoons, so I am learning to conserve and not be worried about laying down at 2 pm to rest for a bit, cause it means I can make it thru dinner without falling asleep on my plate.

[mochagirl13]

My fatigue is a constant. It goes from bad to worse. When I am not at work, I am pretty much couch bound. I find that I have to push myself through the fatigue or else I wouldn't get anything done. I don't think any of mine is depression. I've been clinically depressed before and this does not feel anything like that. I have my blue days but I still have optimism. When I was depressed, I didn't want to do anything or go any where. Even when I feel fatigued I want to do stuff but I can't or don't because I know I'll pay for it later.

Don't feel like you are the only one that this fatigue is a major roadblock for. I can deal with everything else but this fatigue is what lets me know I have a chronic condition and redefined normal for me.

[SallyC]

In the last 9 yrs (LDN?), I don't suffer the debilitating MS fatigue unless I overdo. Since I don't work or have small children to care for or a Dear Husband to dote over and do things with, I don't even try to live a normal life. I do all at a slow pace and take a daily nap or two.

The MS fatigue is just a part of living with a chronic illness....and so is depression of some sort. You don't always have one with the other but, they seem to work often as a team. The only 2 meds I take daily are Prozac and LDN. They seem to keep me as normal as I'm ever going to be.

The only activity I will continue to do, no matter how fatigued it makes me, is my daily PT/OT exercises. I don't want to spend another holiday in the hospital, away from my loved ones nor putting them through the stress. Didn't like being away from you guys either..

My advise, Blessings....get ya sum Prozac and sum LDN..

[mochagirl13]

Originally Posted by SallyC

In the last 9 yrs (LDN?), I don't suffer the debilitating MS fatigue unless I overdo. Since I don't work or have small children to care for or a Dear Husband to dote over and do things with, I don't even try to live a normal life. I do all at a slow pace and take a daily nap or two.

The MS fatigue is just a part of living with a chronic illness....and so is depression of some sort. You don't always have one with the other but, they seem to work often as a team. The only 2 meds I take daily are Prozac and LDN. They seem to keep me as normal as I'm ever going to be.

The only activity I will continue to do, no matter how fatigued it makes me, is my daily PT/OT exercises. I don't want to spend another holiday in the hospital, away from my loved ones nor putting them through the stress. Didn't like being away from you guys either..

My advise, Blessings....get ya sum Prozac and sum LDN..

I'm trying to get some LDN. I've taken prozac before and I didn't like the way it made me feel. I was only on it for 6 weeks. If I ever or when I get some LDN, I'll let you know how it goes.

[SallyC]

Originally Posted by mochagirl13

I'm trying to get some LDN. I've taken prozac before and I didn't like the way it made me feel. I was only on it for 6 weeks. If I ever or when I get some LDN, I'll let you know how it goes.

I hated Prozac the first time I tried it. It made me more jittery. but when Paxil stopped working, the Doc said lets try it again....and it worked!!!!

Good luck with the LDN. I hope it helps you feel better.

[Debbie D]

Mine goes in spells, also...I get it for weeks at a time, then I'm fine. I personally think it's an uptick due to a hidden infection in my body. Stupid MS...

[TheSleeper]

Mine is almost always constant, if I go 5-8 hours with out a nap I have accomplished something! I am The Sleeper! What little energy I have just disappears and I need to lay down or fall down.

It`s not like I spend any real time standing anyway, but when I start to lean sitting in a chair it`s nap time. Sometimes I don`t even sleep, I just need to be horizontal.

On the bright side? it`s better than dead!

[mochagirl13]

Originally Posted by TheSleeper

Mine is almost always constant, if I go 5-8 hours with out a nap I have accomplished something! I am The Sleeper! What little energy I have just disappears and I need to lay down or fall down.

It`s not like I spend any real time standing anyway, but when I start to lean sitting in a chair it`s nap time. Sometimes I don`t even sleep, I just need to be horizontal.

On the bright side? it`s better than dead!

Sometimes I wonder if it truly is being better than dead. The book says don't sweat the small things but these small things can add up and lead to bigger things. I am a sleeper also. Before MS, I could sleep all day and night on long weekends. Now I just lay in my bed most nights looking at the darkness and praying for sleep. I don't sit on my couch and watch tv anymore. I lay down. What is it about being horizontal?

[TheSleeper]

Originally Posted by mochagirl13

Sometimes I wonder if it truly is being better than dead. The book says don't sweat the small things but these small things can add up and lead to bigger things. I am a sleeper also. Before MS, I could sleep all day and night on long weekends. Now I just lay in my bed most nights looking at the darkness and praying for sleep. I don't sit on my couch and watch tv anymore. I lay down. What is it about being horizontal?

mocha, I am 60, and don`t get me wrong but I had better things planned for retirement. Perhaps age has softened the blow for me? I have no idea how old you are, but I do understand that MS affects more people in the 20 - 40 year old age range.

My onset wasn`t until my early 50`s and I saw enough of life to know there are no guarantees. I had family members and friends die way before their time, some never really had a chance to know or guide their kids.

I got to see mine graduate from High School, I have one in college now that I help and another that lives at home I can try to steer in a good direction in life. I had my fun prior to my illness, for me this is just another bump in the road of life, I try to laugh at them all.

I don`t spend much time feeling sorry for myself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXWvKDSwvls