I was thinking, I know a very bad thing to do , that it would be great to have a symptom thread. A symptom thread can get kind of long and for a newbie to the site, it could be a little overwhelming to read through hundreds of posts. Narrowing it down to a week may be a little easier.

The idea would be to list the symptom in the thread title and everyone can post their experience with that symptom, what relieves it for them, and vent about that symptoms. You all know I have a lot to say about the MS vise grip (a.k.a MS hug).

Since fatigue is one of the most common symptoms and one that causes many MSers to leave the work force and can greatly affect our activities of daily living, I figured that would be a good place to start. So....Discuss your fatigue.

I get both mental fatigue and physical fatigue.

Mental fatigue generally happens when there is too much going on around me and I can't absorb and process it all. It can be so frustrating as I love to be around people and love the hustle and bustle of being out and about, but it is so exhausting. I no longer am able to go to many places and events due to such. I now go to quieter gatherings, such as family dinners, friends houses, etc.

I also experience physical fatigue. My legs wear out so quickly. They start to slow down and feel heavy and then I am just dragging. There is nothing I can do but stop and sit down or lay down for an hour or so. My arms get fatigued just brushing my hair sometimes. (Sheesh, I really need to just get it cut shorter.) Simple tasks can sometimes become a major task for me. I can get fatigued just making a sandwich for lunch.

I have to nap or lay down for about an hour or so every day. It's my only way to make it through the whole day without becoming a blob on the couch. I usually feel refreshed afterward and can carry on with my days activities.

I do not take any medication to help with fatigue. I did try Provigil once and it didn't work for me and my insurance doesn't cover it. I have not tried anything since. Naps and periods of rest is what helps me the most.

I used to suffer debilitating MS fatigue. (Mainly it was during an exacerbation,
but sometimes between flares too. When I stopped taking the MS modulating
drugs, and started LND(Low Dose Naltrexone), my debilitating mental and
physical fatigue stopped. I still get extra tired, if and when I do to much.
Doing too much, with MS, is a lot less than what "normal" peeps can do.

I do not take any "upper" drugs, as they make my heart go pitty pat!!

I think that fatigue was probably my first symptom of MS. I was more tired than most people for years. I usually manged it by resting for an hour or so after teaching and going to bed fairly early.

Since retiring it isn't as bad, but I do spend more time in bed than before. I too find that I need an hour or so just to lie down in the afternoon and rest.

I am sure that one of my problems is that I do not get natural sleep. I take ambien CR and still cannot sleep much some nights. I am tired but not sleepy. I would love to fall asleep naturally but it just does not happen.

I was just in Chicago and walking on concrete on long city blocks is hard. I could only make it about two blocks before my leg and back began to really hurt. My leg also gets heavier and heavier with each step. Once I sit down the pain subsides. I find shopping with a shopping cart a lot less painful.

I took something for about two weeks for fatigue but it only made me constipated. It was the antiviral med. I can't remember the name. A neurologist once gave me free samples of provigil, but I was afraid to try it.

Amantadine? It didn't do anything for me. I had no problems with Provigil, but it wasn't much help either.

This is a great idea. I used to have both mental and physical fatigue but since my 60 pound weight loss I really don't have the physical fatigue. But I will still rent a scooter if I go to our local big amusement park. Long walks, heat, hills. Yep, I'll spend the money on a scooter.

The mental fatigue is something different. To much stimuli is the worse thing. My husband goes Karaoking a lot. And the sound systems in the bars are so loud, it's kind of dark and it just wears me out completely. I don't like surround systems in a movie theatre.

In my 20 years with an MS dx, I have never dealt with what I'd call fatigue. But I'm PP, and very often Primary Progressive just doesn't mimic RR or SP symptoms.

I've had long, often eventually permanent, tiredness or weakness in my extremeties in the months prior to the eventual loss of the use of them. But I never felt overall fatigued with the necessity to actually go to bed or to sleep.

I'd love to hear from other PP folks to learn of their experiences regarding fatigue. For you others, how bad has your fatigue affected your daily activities?

MsBluIs

Great idea, Trish...

Fatigue...I've experienced it for many years. It was my major sx with fibromyalgia (wonder if that was early MS fatigue?)

I've not been experiencing fatigue as much as in the past...don't know why either. I hate this sx...it's so debilitating...

Sally - I've LDN can help with the fatigue we experience. I'm glad that it helped you.

Barb & Doydie - I have found that using the store scooters to be so helpful. My body doesn't give out within 10 minutes of shopping. I can now complete the entire shopping trip. If they don't have a scooter, using the cart is helpful. Most of the places I go to have a scooter though.

Msbluis - For me, the fatigue can make me stop in my tracks. It doesn't matter where I am, when my body says stop it means stop or I'll make you stop. It's like moving along happily and then hitting a brick wall. Then I have to spend some time resting to recup. I can longer do the things I used to do. A shower alone can be so tiring. There have been times that I've showered and have to rest with my towel on until I have the energy to finish getting dressed. It's not all the time that that happens but sometimes. Like I mentioned, brushing my hair can be tiring too. Making meals is a chore. Since I am only cooking for myself, it makes it much easier and I make quick meals, ones that don't require a lot of energy.

Yes! Yes! Yes! The shower is a big one sometimes. I have been much better since I have been on Tysabri, but there have been many, many times when I have wrapped up in a towel and had to lay down.