boy am I hit by fatigue again!
Fatigue is engulfing. There is no pushing through it or taking control of it. There is no second wind or magic meds. It has to be treated with kid gloves and we have to submit to it.
When we don't we can run the risk of some potential dangers and embarrassing moments. A few I have encountered are:
There areis no words available to express the severity of fatigue, it's a feeling that engulfs you no matter what you do to try to prevent, ease or deal with it, the only thing that aids it is sleep. That said, once a 12 hour sleep has been had it's very common that another sleep is needed after just taking a drink. Getting to sleep can be a little like insomnia at times too, it's a rather contradictory condition.
It's a very powerful condition and not one that should be taken lightly. I am blessed that my kids work with me, they have my back and do their best to try to understand. Kirsten does the mom duties where needed and Charley helps with more chores, neither of my kids are high maintenance thankfully. Life stops for the entire household, not just the bearer. It's tough and frustrating to watch it happen to someone, especially when you rely on them to be the adult. I, in no way undervalue my kids or the support and sacrifices they make.
Fatigue brings you to a halt, it brings you down and zaps you of your days. It steals the things you want to do each day, not just need to do. It eats you up and has no mercy at all. But it's temporary, how temporary depends not only on each person but each appearance of it. I've had sessions of fatigue last a few days and at the worst I've had it last 5 weeks.
It's understandable how fatigue can lead to depression and anger. We don't want to be fatigued. We can't do anything such as take a pill or eat more fruit. We can't work through it or press forward. We have zero control over it.
My fatigue has lasted a few days now, day 5 after the week 4 of Methotrexate and no new side effects, the cough is 95% better but a milder case of fatigue is here. I have no idea if it's the symptom of rheumatoid arthritis or the sjogrens syndrome but then again, fatigue is fatigue.
Thankfully though I can get up and potter round the house, sit down, nap then get up and do something else. I'm thankful that it's only mild, I'm thankful that my kids are who they are and that they will do their best to help me but I'm also thankful that they tell me how they feel about it, I need them to know they can be totally open with me about how it makes them feel, to know that I care how they feel and that I will still try to take their load and be their mom. I just may not have any control over it for now.
If you know someone with fatigue, I challenge you to look out for them, just putting on a shoe is all one can do sometimes, go show them they are still valued and loved and you support them and willing to help them it really is an extremely debilitating condition and we often need our closest ones to just assure us they are trying to understand.
Debs
Fatigue is engulfing. There is no pushing through it or taking control of it. There is no second wind or magic meds. It has to be treated with kid gloves and we have to submit to it.
When we don't we can run the risk of some potential dangers and embarrassing moments. A few I have encountered are:
Slurring speach -Sounding like I'm intoxicated when I'm tea total.
Loss of balance - Appearing intoxicated be it standing, gripping something or attempting to put something down.
Limited concentration - Starting a sentence but forgetting the end of it, not just momentarily, it becomes lost, watching tv and forgetting the plot while the programme is still showing. Answering a question you've been asked. Attending things you know are important but just don't have the mind to focus.
Driving - If you want to stay alive, forget driving during these episodes as well as using any other machinery.
Hygeine - Brushing your teeth is a huge effort, if you manage it you're either sat where you woke up or you're struggling to get back to where you can sleep. The same is applicable for showering.
Life - During a fatigue episode you need to take a break from life. Literally.
There areis no words available to express the severity of fatigue, it's a feeling that engulfs you no matter what you do to try to prevent, ease or deal with it, the only thing that aids it is sleep. That said, once a 12 hour sleep has been had it's very common that another sleep is needed after just taking a drink. Getting to sleep can be a little like insomnia at times too, it's a rather contradictory condition.
It's a very powerful condition and not one that should be taken lightly. I am blessed that my kids work with me, they have my back and do their best to try to understand. Kirsten does the mom duties where needed and Charley helps with more chores, neither of my kids are high maintenance thankfully. Life stops for the entire household, not just the bearer. It's tough and frustrating to watch it happen to someone, especially when you rely on them to be the adult. I, in no way undervalue my kids or the support and sacrifices they make.
Fatigue brings you to a halt, it brings you down and zaps you of your days. It steals the things you want to do each day, not just need to do. It eats you up and has no mercy at all. But it's temporary, how temporary depends not only on each person but each appearance of it. I've had sessions of fatigue last a few days and at the worst I've had it last 5 weeks.
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| Photo taken from Here |
It's understandable how fatigue can lead to depression and anger. We don't want to be fatigued. We can't do anything such as take a pill or eat more fruit. We can't work through it or press forward. We have zero control over it.
My fatigue has lasted a few days now, day 5 after the week 4 of Methotrexate and no new side effects, the cough is 95% better but a milder case of fatigue is here. I have no idea if it's the symptom of rheumatoid arthritis or the sjogrens syndrome but then again, fatigue is fatigue.
Thankfully though I can get up and potter round the house, sit down, nap then get up and do something else. I'm thankful that it's only mild, I'm thankful that my kids are who they are and that they will do their best to help me but I'm also thankful that they tell me how they feel about it, I need them to know they can be totally open with me about how it makes them feel, to know that I care how they feel and that I will still try to take their load and be their mom. I just may not have any control over it for now.
If you know someone with fatigue, I challenge you to look out for them, just putting on a shoe is all one can do sometimes, go show them they are still valued and loved and you support them and willing to help them it really is an extremely debilitating condition and we often need our closest ones to just assure us they are trying to understand.
Debs
1 comment:
Although my fatigue is not tablet related I can understand the desire to want to sleep all the time but also fighting it, I stand by my earlier comment on you blog that our amazing but so are your children I admire your strength and tenacity to not let it beat you Woman you Rock stay strong xxx
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