I agree that people are tired out and exhausted from coping with pain and illness.
When I use the word Fatigue I mean it like it is used in oncology or MS. After radiation some pts. would have trouble getting out of a chair to get a glass of water. When Fatigue strikes me I find that I will think about how badly I really need that glass of water as it's so hard to find the energy to walk to the kitchen or get up from the chair.
I wish there was a better word to describe what we are suffering from but my physician friend said the radiation analogy would make better sense to most doctors . She said (internal med.) so many patients (all kinds) complain of tiredness and "fatigue"that it becomes meaningless as a symptom.
Maybe we should have a contest for the best word to describe how we feel because fatigue just doesn't get it!

Well, that kind of makes sense--that it becomes a bit meaningless. Not that doctors shouldn't believe someone... but I don't know a single person who doesn't struggle with some level of fatigue. Some more than others... and some people bring it on themselves by committing to too much and not getting enough rest.. but even people without medical problems complain of fatigue often.

I have POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) and one of the symptoms is chronic fatigue.. very similar to CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome). So, I struggle with fatigue a lot, but I am also bedridden and being in bed all day and all night for months on end has made me more sleepy than when I was in college and moving around a lot. Beds are made for sleeping.. so it seems I am always tired and wishing it was bedtime.

However, before these specific problems (POTS and neuropathy) started, I had other chronic pain (since I was 8) and I always felt exhausted. It just makes sense.. I spend day after day for years on end fighting to overcome this pain.. and it is exhausting. I do notice more since the POTS and things have started... but it's always been there and it seems as if it is a greater level of fatigue than my peers/friends.

For 2+ weeks, I have been sleeping 10-11 hours a day and still cannot recover my energy. When I am not sleeping, I do not have any desire to do anything except go back to bed. I don't know what this means.