fatigue ?!

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emmaadams
emmaadams Member Posts: 140
edited 25. Aug 2015, 11:59 in Living with Arthritis archive
hi all and good evening :) ive had a good week this week up untill yesterday when we had massive thunderstorms all night and throughout the day today. I was wondering is there anything that may help me with fatigue ? im just soo tired today .. i do have low blood pressure and am borderline anemic so maybe it has something to do with that but my body feels like its been hit by a truck knees hips and shoulders are really sore ..

i hope you are all as well as can be xx and thank you inadvance for any help or advice you may give xx

Emma xxx

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  • Slosh
    Slosh Member Posts: 3,194
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    So sorry to hear this, you'll get a lot of responses to this as fatigue is a very common complaint on here, and in your case certainly won't be helped by your anemia, though I don't know if low blood pressure plays a part. The general advice is to pace yourself, take rest breaks etc and try to plan ahead for busier days, it might be worth googling "The Spoon Theory ", it wasn't written for arthritis but is very relevant. Days when you feel wiped out are not pleasant and there's not much you can do except listen to your body. Hope you start to feel a bit better soon.
    He did not say you will not be storm tossed, you will not be sore distressed, you will not be work weary. He said you will not be overcome.
    Julian of Norwich
  • emmaadams
    emmaadams Member Posts: 140
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Thanks Slosh i have read "The Spoon Theory " it was a fantastic and have since used it to help describe how i feel on a daily basis to my children and husband .. they know what arthritis is but not how it affects the body or how the pain affects us and how we cope both physically and mentally ...

    i will speak to the GP on monday and see if my bloods are low again
  • Slosh
    Slosh Member Posts: 3,194
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hope your GP visit goes well. I sent an abridged version of the spoon theory to senior members of staff at the school where I work and also to teachers of pupils with JIA. It is one of the more difficult aspects to explain.
    He did not say you will not be storm tossed, you will not be sore distressed, you will not be work weary. He said you will not be overcome.
    Julian of Norwich
  • tedthered64
    tedthered64 Member Posts: 84
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    emmaadams wrote:
    hi all and good evening :) ive had a good week this week up untill yesterday when we had massive thunderstorms all night and throughout the day today. I was wondering is there anything that may help me with fatigue ? im just soo tired today .. i do have low blood pressure and am borderline anemic so maybe it has something to do with that but my body feels like its been hit by a truck knees hips and shoulders are really sore ..

    i hope you are all as well as can be xx and thank you inadvance for any help or advice you may give xx

    Emma xxx
    Hi,
    What does the GP give you to help with the anaemia?
    Ted
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Fatigue is part-and-parcel of arthritis and when one stops to think about it it's not that surprising. Pain hurts, disturbs our sleep, affects the quality of whatever sleep we manage and so we are rarely properly rested and refreshed. Then factor in living with pain whilst we go about our daily chores and routines and that takes an extra toll on the body.

    Low pressure weather can cause an extra layer of lethargy to descend, well it does with me but I know that's coming and can deal with it. Of course the anaemia won't help (that's another common problem on here and usually rectified by iron tablets) but I don't think low BP is necessarily a cause. I hope you feel better soon. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,712
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Like you, I always - still - try to find a reason for the fatigue but I'm not sure how useful an exercise that is.

    If you've had a good week you might have been overdoing things a bit without realising. It can be when one finally relaxes that it all comes home to roost.

    I can't remember :oops: if you've spoken to us of low iron levels before. I don't think you should self-medicate but your GP might want to prescribe iron tablets. They're best not just bought over the counter, though, as low iron can have many causes and it's unwise to treat the symptoms as that might just mask the cause.

    I do find humidity and thundery weather can affect my get up and go.

    I hope things are a bit better today.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • emmaadams
    emmaadams Member Posts: 140
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Thank you all ... Ted i usually just Get iron Tablet form my GP For the Anemia and i generally feel a bit better after a wile ...

    i am At the GP this afternoon so i will let you all know what he says then

    :) thank you all

    Emma xx
  • tedthered64
    tedthered64 Member Posts: 84
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    emmaadams wrote:
    Thank you all ... Ted i usually just Get iron Tablet form my GP For the Anemia and i generally feel a bit better after a wile ...

    i am At the GP this afternoon so i will let you all know what he says then

    :) thank you all

    Emma xx
    Hi Emma,
    My GP prescribes me with folic acid and fultium D for my anaemia, it definitely helps me, might be worth you mentioning it to the GP.
    There is nothing worse than being in constant pain and feeling fatigued at the same time.
    Hope you are feeling a bit better today.
    Ted x
  • emmaadams
    emmaadams Member Posts: 140
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hey all I've just got back from seeing my GP after a very thorough examination and lots of questions hes has said that i have Chronic pain (both legs) due to the arthritis and i quite positive i nerve damage also , he has upped my Gabapentin from a low dose of 100mg to the highest which is 300 mg and i am to take them 3 times a day along with the Dihydrocodeine , if it has not improved in a week or so he is then going to refer me to a pain clinic to see what else can be done.. he has also booked me in and suggested that i go and have a talk with someone about how i'm feeling etc

    i finally feel like im being listened to !!

    hes has also advised me to try and seek help regarding my financial situation as i am currently self employed (hairdresser)and am unable to work as im finding it difficult to get up and about Etc ...as you all know ... anyone have any ideas on who/what to do as i have always been a working woman and have no idea where to start ??

    thank you

    Emma xx

    oh and regarding my anemia he has requested some new bloods xx
  • Slosh
    Slosh Member Posts: 3,194
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    That sounds like a very useful appointment. Hope you don't have to wait too long for the pain clinic appointment.
    He did not say you will not be storm tossed, you will not be sore distressed, you will not be work weary. He said you will not be overcome.
    Julian of Norwich
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,712
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    I agree with Slosh. A good appointment. It always helps if we feel really listened to.

    I hope the new meds help. That's a hefty whack of pain relief so please be careful with them.

    As for work - try here https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/getajob/Pages/default.aspx It's a government site. If you scroll down there's a freephone number for personal advice.

    I hope the anaemia can now be sorted and the Pain Clinic helps too.

    Well done, Emma! You're on the move :D
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • tedthered64
    tedthered64 Member Posts: 84
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi Emma,
    Regards your GP's advice, maybe you should maybe look for work that doesn't involve long periods of standing up.
    Noting that you are a hairdresser this would obviously require a career change.
    This government is making it harder by the day to qualify for benefits so I wouldn't put much hope in going down that route.
    Although it is so difficult, I found that working all of my life, (professional chef) as helped me a great deal, it is only now aged 51 that standing to do my job is becoming impossible and I often wonder if I had of taken my own advice, as in a career change, would things have been easier for me now, but I don't regret a thing because I have had a long and rewarding,although somewhat painful, career.
    Work has enabled my 2 daughters to have visited many places in the world and has provided us as a family with irreplaceableble memories.
    I wish you well on you're journey,
    Ted x
  • emmaadams
    emmaadams Member Posts: 140
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Im having a think about a career change i would love to read books for a living lol i LOVE to read i know that there are those types of jobs but i would have to go back to college to re-sit my English as i didn't do very well in my G.C.S.E i got and E and my grammar isn't all that good ... or i might even see about working in a library ??? ive been thinking about a career change for the past year or so anyways so its not to much of a disappointment.... but for now im just trying to get this pain under control once that is sorted ill be able to make the right decisions etc ..

    thank you all for taking the time to reply and offer your support and kind words :)

    Emma xx
  • Slosh
    Slosh Member Posts: 3,194
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    I've seen hairdressers who sit on a wheeled stool to work.
    He did not say you will not be storm tossed, you will not be sore distressed, you will not be work weary. He said you will not be overcome.
    Julian of Norwich
  • tedthered64
    tedthered64 Member Posts: 84
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    emmaadams wrote:
    Im having a think about a career change i would love to read books for a living lol i LOVE to read i know that there are those types of jobs but i would have to go back to college to re-sit my English as i didn't do very well in my G.C.S.E i got and E and my grammar isn't all that good ... or i might even see about working in a library ??? ive been thinking about a career change for the past year or so anyways so its not to much of a disappointment.... but for now im just trying to get this pain under control once that is sorted ill be able to make the right decisions etc ..

    thank you all for taking the time to reply and offer your support and kind words :)

    Emma xx
    I'm sure in the meantime you could apply for ESA, I'm no expert but the pain that you are in is stopping you from working, so you will lose nothing by applying, I looked on the benefits and work site and to apply you need to telephone ESA site to open a claim and then send in a fit note provided by you're GP, who in you're case seems very supportive.
    Worth thinking about Emma x
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