Fatigue

Angieheardie

Is it normal to be overcome with fatigue? Earlier this year my leg gave way it was a really strange experience. The dr thought I may have had a TIA and had to go to hospital straightaway! I was cleared of a stroke but told it was the methotrexate drug that I took. My rheumatologist was cross with the stroke consultants conclusion of drug being responsible and said it was more likely to be the inflammation being badly managed. The doctor had a letter from stroke consultant to advise referring me to orthopaedic - so mwhy the wobbly legs and complete overwhelming eel of fatigue - anyone any ideas????

Starburst

Unfortunately, fatigue is a common symptom of inflammatory types of arthritis, especially when the condition is particularly active. It can be very debilitating. Are the wobbly legs a new feature? My legs feel weak as a result of active RA in my hip, both knees feet and ankles. It might be worth phoning your rheumy clinic for more reassurance.

DebbieT

Hi,

I have OA, PsA & Fm.

You haven't said which type of arthritis you have but I assume it's an autoimmune type because of mtx treatment. The autoimmune types can all cause fatigue unfortunately :? It's really hard to learn to live with isn't it? I advise pacing during all activities, even static ones. I have severe Fibromyalgia too, which also causes the bone weary fatigue, so I completely sympathize with you.

I hope between the Rheumatologist & Neurologist they make a decision that they both agree on, it must be very unsettling that their opinions differ :? x

bubbadog

I'm afraid fatigue is part and parcel of Arthritis, we all suffer from it. And legs giving way is another thing that is caused by some types of Arthritis. We have to deal with a lot!! It's a case of learning how to cope with it from time to time.

dreamdaisy

Fatigue? Oh yeah, for sure. It rarely goes away. It's part of Living with Arthritis. DD

barbara12

Hi
Like the others have said fatigue is part of arthritis...I have OA and I am constantly tired ..I do try to keep busy if I sit down I fall asleep.. sorry I cant help with your symptoms, but I do hope you get some help and answers very soon. x

stickywicket

I think, as the others have said, fatigue is part and parcel of an auto-immune arthritis. I also found that knees/hips giving way was also part and parcel of it when they were in need of replacing. However, my legs have never given way due to fatigue alone. Neither have I heard of this happening due to methotrexate. It's a bit of a mystery.

Boomer13

Hi,

I indeed have the overwhelming fatigue; it really has taken over. I find I can sometimes fight the pain but I never am able to shake the fatigue. I often have to go a lie down immediately. My legs don't give out, but they start to shake and get very weak, then I get faint and will go down if I ignore. It's been bad enough sometimes that I couldn't be upright for longer than 15 mins :? . I haven't received an explanation for this in myself.

I am speculating here, and am no medical person, but I can imagine that inflammation pressing on a nerve(s) could cause a single joint to give way.

Glad they ruled out a stroke.

Hope you are able to get a good explanation from your docs.
xxAnna

Angieheardie

Hello arty buddies. I have rheumatoid arthritis, I am 48 and have had it for nearly 20 years.

I'm so glad you have all reinforced fatigue is part of RA - when I told my consultant I was getting more tired he said that wasn't a factor! I recently returned to the drs for them to see how bad i get, they advised for me to go back if i still felt bad but last friday i had my foot op so havent returned - I think that may consider referring me - i am assuming the chronic fatigue syndrome clinic.

The funny thing is I was put in touch with a friend of a friend and it turned out we have the same rheumatologist! The rheumy told her that there is no such thing as ME/CFS!!!!!

I think I'm now starting to question my rheumy, as it wasn't through him that I was referred to a podiatrist for my protruding bone displacement on my foot - I was referred after having treatment for a verrucas which I also didn't know can take as long as 25 years to clear up due to lack of resistant with an auto immune disease!!!

It's the realisation of the tiny things that affect u.

Nice to hear from you all.

X

applerose

I have RA and am not on any medication other than paracetamol when I need it. I get very fatigued, especially after a day's work. My rheumie said it's one of the symptoms of RA. I think you can only rest when you need to.

Angieheardie

Hi Christine
I'm starting to think my rheumy is an idiot!!! Thank u for your reassurance and I hope u manage to keep on top of your RA with paracetamol!

Best wishes

A

bubbadog

Hi Angie, hope your dealing with your fatigue as best as you can, we all find our coping mechanisms, have a restful weekend!

jandod

Hi Angie
I have to say that fatigue is a real problem to me. I have had RA for 25 years and my joints are fairly well controlled at the moment (compared to how they have been anyway!!) but I have not found anything that helps with the fatigue and I find it more debilitating than the pain side of things. If you are limping or having some obvious difficulty people can see that but they cannot see the fatigue you experience and therefore people have a lack of understanding of how it affects your life. People seem to think that if you get a good night's sleep you will be OK but as we all know it's not as simple as that! Only those who suffer with debilitating fatigue can empathize!
Jan

premierscfc04

I agree totally with Jandod's reply.

I can take a variety paindullers for the pain/discomfort, but in the 20 yrs I've had RA its Fatigue that I never been able to control of.. :?

trepolpen

some doctors still beleive there is no such thing as ME/CFS/ & fibromyalgia , most are older & dont understand so like others said get refered to another consultant if you can

with RA fatigue tends to show your RA in not under control very well & need some stronger drugs , never had problem with methotrexate like that & never seen anyone mention it , had RA myself since mid 90s & some on here a lot longer so you are not alone

dreamdaisy

Rheumatologist's deal with theory, not reality. There are people who dismiss ME etc but what do they know? My first rheumatologist told me I was orthopaedics problem - guess whose gang I joined? :roll: . You sound as though you could benefit from a fresh approach, could you ask for referral to another rheumatologist? DD

Angieheardie

Hello everyone.

I realise that I am not alone in suffering with fatigue and whilst reading your replies I am glad to hear that fatigue, does indeed, seem to be a factor. In fact, I had to pop to the doctors on Friday for med review, he noticed the rather large black wedged orthopaedic shoe on my foot from having my op 3 weeks ago and asked after the fatigue I was experiencing. I explained that I have a rheumy appt in a couple of weeks and was going to challenge him about the fatigue which I had done previously but my rheumy shook his head!! However, my doctor said that he totally disagreed with my rheumy as the doc suffers with joint pain and said, if u have a bad day with pain it's can be very draining and deliberating - I feel someone did understand and I feel more confident in tackling my rheumy. As for mods, well rheumy tried to increase methotrexate from 7.5 to 12.5 and I reacted to it badly so back to 7.5.

Thank you for all your replies. Rest day tomorrow ensuring foot is well elevated for good recovery prospects!!!
Best wishes all x

Boomer13

It seems to be more and more accepted in the medical community the ME/CFS are very real entities. I was reading a study yesterday that found many sufferers have a particular type of retrovirus. Retroviruses are known for their ability to escape detection by the immune system, thus they are not detected by standard antibody blood tests (ie. there is no immune response). The retrovirus can escape the immune system, live and replicate in the nervous system or other tissues, causing the various nasty symptoms that the sufferer experiences.

I was reading into this a little more lately because, even though my pain levels have eased off a little, the fatigue is still extraordinary. I've come to the conclusion it's probably caused somewhat by pain, muscle/nerve dysfunction (in my case) and maybe one of the CFS/ME-type problems/fibromyalgia. Doubtless, sorting out the complex causes is not something that many in the medical field are able to do.

Your GP sounds sensible attributing it somewhat to pain. That's sure true with me; if my pain gets out of control, I'm guaranteed to be absolutely exhausted. Not meaning to ramble on, just thought you might find the ME/CFS info interesting, given what your rheum said to you.

cheers,
xAnna

johnsouthwales

is this the same ME that the medical profession denied exists back in the mid 80s?

Boomer13

myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Boomer13

And, the perfect reason not to read to much on the internet: The article was reading that I found a different link to was retracted, and, the theory connecting it to retroviruses was disproved.

Apologies.

Angieheardie

Hi all

Certainly sounds like fatigue goes hand in hand with RA etc as well as depression. I am now three weeks on from having an op for a bone replacement in my foot. I thought I would get out of the house and went food shopping with my elderly parents - both have their problems. They saw it - me with fatigue for the first time. It may have been early for me to go out for an hour but I was told to be mobile and whilst resting - leg raised above groin. I think I scared my parents a little but I hope it made them feel young again just for a minute at least! I'm grateful to them for their support and my wonderful family for having to put up with me.

If I'm not happy with my rheumatoid next week - then, I think u r right in getting a fresh opinion. I too have had this for twenty years. I'm thinking of getting involved to publicise effects of such a disease!!!! What do u think?

Boomer13

Hi Angieheardie;

I found this:

http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/CFS_-_The_Methylation_Cycle

I thought it was interesting. I too have a horrendous fatigue problem with or without my psoriatic arthritis pain. I haven't found out if I have another condition, ME/CFS along with PsA, or if it's just all wrapped in one condition. I had a huge fatigue event today with neuro symptoms too. I'm getting to the point where it's so devastating I'd be willing to try anything. Mine has been going on for ~8-10 years.

My mum is 84 and I'm 47 and she does better than I do most of the time. It's not funny, is it?

Hope your weekend is going ok,
xxanna

Angieheardie

Greetings all,

Well I had my review appointment with my rheumatoid consultant - definitely think its a waste of time now.

Apparently I have put on 20 kilos - yes - 20 kilos since my last visit in April. Well, I was mortified. I replied saying "that's 40 pounds" amazed at the amount considering that I wasn't weighed in April 2013!!!! :roll: my rheumatoid said that was some doing!! I explained that I had never put that amount on in 4 months - he simply wrote a ? Mark next the Aprils weight entry.

Having walked in the room on crutches and post op shoe protecting my foot - he asked what I had done. I explained a bone replacement op. he wanted to know "replaced with what"!

We went on to discuss fatigue and other things - guess what - I'm to just keep on taking the medicine and watch my weight having NOT put on 20 kilos and see him in 6 months. Well fatigue subject - I saw him smirk!! He shrugs it off. I feel invisible. Insignificant. He may not think I have fatigue but in the waiting are a leaflet entitled 'arthritis and fatigue'. I'm now about the compose myself in writing to my rheumatoid consultant asking to be redirected to someone else!!!! It's not good when you're dealing with depression as well to come fade to face with an arrogant consultant!!

Fed up - another 2 weeks convalescing until I see my podiatrist and I hope to be back at work.

:oops:

frogmorton

Gosh Angie

That is some weight gain :shock: Ridiculous isn't it? Surely if no-one weighed you last time....????

I am so sorry your appointment was so upsetting and you felt it was such a waste of time

I bet you are feeling fed up . If you are sure you can't 'work' with him then maybe your only alternative is to ask to see someone else :?

Take care and let us know how you get on

Love

Toni xxx

stickywicket

For anyone with arthritis a good relationship with one's rheumatologist (if it's an auto-immune variety of arthritis) and GP is essential. I don't know how people cope if they don't get on with theirs. I've always been very lucky. Two of my rheumatologists have retired but both they and the current one have been great. An appointment should never be a 'waste of time'. Even if it's just a matter of “Good. We'll see you again in x months” it has given both of you a chance to ask questions and get answers. If this isn't happening for you then, yes, a change of consultant might be a good option.

Why not weigh yourself either just before or just after each appointment then you will have your own record?

I'm wondering just how odd his question about your foot was, though. I know ankles can be replaced but I didn't think other foot joints could and I've never heard of bones themselves being replaced. What exactly did you have done? I'm intrigued. If you've already told us I apologise for a failing memory :oops: