Fatigue and SFN
 

I recently reread Nancy Mairs's essay about her experiences as an MS patient ("On Being A Cripple," 1986). In it, she notes that fatigue is a universal and untreatable symptom of MS.

My SFN has come with the symptom of great fatigue. My days are shorter, and my best moments are few and not at the energy level of my pre-diagnosis days.

Do we know if fatigue is a characteristic and untreatable symptom of SFN, or is there a way to overcome it? I mean, is there a way to really resolve it, not just "have a better attitude," etc.?

Fatigue is a very big part of my illness... I have found that sometimes I need to push myself; And sometimes, I need to just go with it and rest. It is just something I have learned how to interpret over the years.

Exercise does help - not a whole lot, but some...

Mere

Fatigue is my new normal. It never goes away....PLUS I can't sleep without meds. UGH. What is with being exhausted yet unable to sleep.:confused::mad:

I fatigue easily these days too. But the ribose was a major help for that. I am still using it daily at night.

mrsD, could you share your thoughts on d-ribose again, please? My search reveals that it is commonly used by body builders to add muscle strength, but clinical tests of its effectiveness are inconclusive. Is that about right?

And what dosage do you recommend?

This is the ribose thread. I have my experiences and how I started and what dose I now use on it. Lots of other medical links too.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/sh...ghlight=ribose

The tiredness is sometimes worse than the pain, I am going to give Ribose a go , although with all the meds and supplements I am fed up taking tablets yuk;(

Fatigue
 

I also find fatigue to be worst and most disabling symptom to appear with my SFN. However my neurologist, a Mayo trained specialist in SFN states that Fatigue is NOT a symptom of SFN. That has left us hunting for another reason for the Fatigue. However we haven't gotten very far even with extensive testing. Her differential is auto-immune and she rightly states there are so many auto-immune disorders that have yet to be explored.
One rare disorder that fits PN and fatigue is Fabry's disease.
Please let me know of any other thoughts on this.

I think your mayo trained neurologist needs to ask more of her patients if they suffer from fatigue during the day. It may not be a symptom of sfn but it can certainly be a result of sfn. Pain can certainly grind you down, disruption of sleep patterns, taking much more effort to do things than before because of limitations resultant from PN, possible autonomic complications for some of those with sfn, living with uncertainty everyday are just a few reasons i can think of off the top of my head.

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.