PN - Fatique - How Much is Normal?
 

Wondering how many of you out there suffer minor to severe physical fatique/exhuastion during the day from PN? I have NEVER been even a "napper" in my life - have had PN 7 years - but this past year even a two hour visit to the doctor and I collapse on the couch and fall asleep for a couple of hours - I cant shake it... I was not like this when i first got sick... Have recently had bloodwork done that showed high cortisol and low thyroid - but the doc said those were still "OK" - tired of being tired! Yes, I did have the flu for a long time here in the past couple of months - but this started before the flu:confused:

Any thoughts?

it tires me out that is for sure. i do somthing and then im tired. holding my arms at shoulder level or above i get tired in minutes. I often fall asleep during the day, but am up to usually3 am. it has made me tired for years now. the pain , numness, and extra effort required to do something just tire me out.

Very tired....
 

......at first , more like lethargic. It's been 8 months now and it seems to be on a come and go basis.

Exhaustion?
 

I'm not sure how much of the exhaustion, trembling, shaking, buzzing is coming from the neuropathy or how much comes from the Sjogren's Disease. Many, many of the members on the Sjogren's forum complain of the exhaustion. But when we come from one of those 100+mile trips to the doctor's I could just die from the tiredness. Seems as if it's difficult to even breathe.

But I don't sleep. I envy people who can nap. I know a nap would help so much. So Kmeb, in my thinking, it's which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Billye

Fatigue--
 

--is a common symptom of almost any neurological disorder. The most well-documented occurences are with multiple sclerosis, but are hardly limited to it.

In any case in which there are erroneous nerve signals--due to de-enervation of the muscles, damage to the sensory nerves, whatever--correspondingly more effort must be made to manage and use the muscles and to effectively notice and utilize the propriceptive body signals/feedback that most "normal" people take for granted. This also involves using muscles that are not normally involved in certain motions/positions in a compensatory way, and this adds strain to them. Moreover, de-enervated musclature simply involves more energy to get going and keep moving, as the proper efficient signals are not getting to them.

I've personally found that keeping muscles as strong as possible through exercise helps, although this must be done to individual tolerance. Having a good vitamin staus, especially of the B's, which promote nerve structure and mitochondrial energy release, also is useful.

I don't sleep but feel run down. Maybe from lack of that but I always had a sleep problem. I think being in pain can cause fatigue. Everything takes that extra push. You have to work much harder to do little things. I also think it is a vicious cycle cause if I allow myself to rest too much it is hard for me to get going again. Before this issue I never noticed how far things are sometimes like for ex a bathroom in a store its in the way back. I also think some of the fatigue is mental for me maybe not for you. I hate using that word mental cause I do know for a fact that the pain is real not mental but also having to face this every day takes its toll and is draining.

Since
 

I had to go out for a short time I came home fell alseep in my chair,
so i'll get my nights and days mixed up. I think it is both for us
Billye..I'm got to get someone to help with the house,just to much.
Hugs Sue

I am tired all the time now. I never was a napper, but now I nap whenever I can especially on the weekends. I work full time and when I get home, I just want to put on my jammies and curl up with my blanket. I do exercise and then wears me out too.

I think some of our fatigue is from all our medications as well. It is a vicious cycle.

It is one of the most frustrating things for me with the PN (besides the horrible pain).....the constant exhaustion. I have always been a "go getter", a workaholic, and a "yes" person to meeting everyone's needs and assisting them. Now I am lucky to make it thru an 8 hour work day. I hate the limitations this stuff has put on me, and then it makes me depressed. I am slowly having to learn to adjust my lifestyle and I resent it. It is 9 in the morning and I am already tired after getting a full night's sleep (I have also been very sick with respiratory stuff going around here so that doesn't help :)
So, bottom line, I push myself when I can so I don't give in completely to PN, but I also try to recognize when my body has had enough and requires adequate rest and rejuvenation!

My energy level is so low. I figure pain + depression + whatever unknown process is causing my PN + drugs = fatigue. It's a wonder we get out of bed at all! I try to push and push, but also, not to be too hard on myself for resting a lot. It's a struggle for me every day.