This type of malady can be debilitating.
If you have fibromyalgia and work outside the home, on the days when fatigue slams down on you like a lead blanket, how do you cope? This kind of fatigue isn’t just about being tired because you didn’t sleep well the night before, says a community member — it’s like being starved of food or oxygen. Another says that the fatigue of fibromyalgia is often more difficult to deal with than the pain.
So what do you do? How do you get out of bed when you don’t really have a choice?
Several people say they have found some relief by taking regular doses of vitamin D, which they feel gives them more energy. “Be sure to ask your doctor to check out your vitamin D level,” urges one. One woman suggests also having your doctor check your iron levels at the same time. “Being low on iron can definitely make your butt drag,” she says. “I felt the same way you are feeling and no amount of vitamins or caffeine or anything helped me. Once I was given meds to fix my low iron I pepped up.” Many people suggest the strategy of building rest into your day. “A one-hour nap is usually helpful,” says one man. A woman notes, “On my days where I am completely exhausted, I give myself permission to go to bed at 8 p.m. and leave the chores for another day.” (Sounds like a wonderful idea. Vitamin D does work and when those of us who’ve reached middle age, finding some kind of therapeutic remedy is a m.u.s.t.!)
Others confess they haven’t really found any reasonable solutions for combating the fatigue, other than “a mind thing.” “It’s either do this, or not have a house and be homeless. Not something I want to do,” says one woman.
Other community members have tried complementary approaches, like acupuncture and chiropractic, to help manage their fatigue and get more sleep. “It saved my life. I could only stay awake for about 3 hours during the day and I’d have to take a 2-hour nap,” says one man. “I’m self-employed, so that was a blessing in one regard, but I don’t make money unless I’m working so it was also very frightening.” He suggests looking for an acupuncturist who also does electromagnetic therapy, which might facilitate some coverage by health insurance.
Nearly as bad as the physical fatigue is the mental fatigue, say many people. (True) One woman reports that she’s resorted to taking down notes of her conversations. Another woman is relieved to learn from other community members that not being able to comprehend what she’s just read doesn’t mean she’s losing her mind — instead, it’s “just another symptom of fibro.”
Those of us who work, fighting this fatigue indeed is a daily battle. There are times I wish I could simply curl up in a ball and stay in bed however, as was previously stated, even when am completely exhausted, down to the bone, I have to find that motivation…(and sometimes I need to dig waaaay deep) to get out of bed, start the day and get to work so I can pay my bills. Lying in bed isn’t a luxury I can afford to keep.
I also wonder if all the synthetic foods we eat (it’s everywhere), livestock injections (i.e. hormones and antibiotics), processed foods (the list goes on and on) doesn’t add up and pollute our bodies? And while we’re at it since when did raising plants and animals in a clean “organic” environment get to be so freaking expensive???
If you think you may suffer from Fibro, please see your doctor. Listed below are the signs and symptoms of this chronic illness and should be addressed as soon as possible:
What Is Fatigue With Fibromyalgia?
Fatigue with fibromyalgia is described as crippling, exhausting, and flu-like. You may experience fatigue on arising, even after hours of bed rest. And many people with fibromyalgia have disturbances in deep-level or restful sleep, so the fatigue they feel is not easy to treat.
The fatigue with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) often coincides with mood disturbances, anxiety, or depression. People with fibromyalgia may describe their sleep as unrefreshing or light. Some people with fibromyalgia have pain and achiness around the joints in the neck, shoulder, back, and hips. This makes it even more difficult to sleep and worsens their daytime feelings of sleepiness and fatigue.
Experts theorize that there are similarities between fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, which is a condition primarily characterized by ongoing, debilitating fatigue. Often, people with fibromyalgia describe the fatigue they feel as “brain fatigue.” They report a total loss of energy and difficulty concentrating, a condition called “fibro fog.”
What Are the Other Symptoms of Fibromyalgia?
In addition to chronic fatigue, symptoms of fibromyalgia may include:
- Abdominal pain
- Anxiety and depression
- Chronic headaches
- Dryness in mouth, nose, and eyes
- Hypersensitivity to cold and/or heat
- Inability to concentrate (called “fibro fog”)
- Incontinence
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Numbness or tingling in the fingers and feet
- Painful menstrual cramps
- Painful trigger points
- Poor circulation in hands and feet (Raynaud’s phenomenon)
- Restless legs syndrome
- Stiffness
Fibromyalgia can cause signs and feelings similar to what people experience with osteoarthritis, bursitis, and tendinitis. But unlike the localized pain with bursitis or tendinitis, the feelings of pain and stiffness with fibromyalgia are widespread.
(Source)
NO ONE SHOULD SUFFER IN SILENCE! 😦
