Extreme Fatigue

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Cagney69
Cagney69 Member Posts: 9
in Living with arthritis
I have very bad osteoarthritis which has pretty much affected my whole body.
My joints get very sore and very painful.
The thing that's affecting me more is muscle weakness. My neck is so weak I'm struggling to keep my head upright, which is making me tired as it requires a lot of effort. I feel so fatigued right now I can't even find the energy to make a cup of tea. It's really a lousy feeling!
Can anyone relate to this ?

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  • MarzMac
    MarzMac Member Posts: 47
    edited 14. Jul 2020, 12:26
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    Hi @Cagney69

    That sounds really challenging. I wonder if you could benefit from a chair with a well-positioned headrest, at least for working at your computer. I use one of these for work and I worried that it would increase the overall weakness in my neck but I don't think that's been the case.

    An Occupational Therapist (OT) can offer advice on aids and equipment to help with different symptoms, or Occupational Health if you're in work.

    Have you seen this article on our website?

    https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2019/april/5-ways-to-help-with-fatigue/

    There's another page on managing fatigue as well https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/managing-fatigue/.

    Best wishes

    MarzMac

  • Mike1
    Mike1 Member Posts: 1,992
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    I sympathise and understand the pain, despite being on Morphine that is how I am most of the day. Even having sat in my recliner since 2pm my back, neck, elbows and hands are in agony. Pain makes you tired as does not being able to sleep, I went to bed at 12:30pm last night and have been up since 02:45!! With regard to your neck get yourself a front fastening soft cervical collar, I have one and it is great, they are obtainable from your OT or for about a tenner on-line. It could well be that the fatigue is caused by Fibromyalgia as well, I checked on-line and all the symptoms matched mine but when I went to the GP he stated that there was no specific test and that at the end of the day my meds would not change and it would just be another label to add to my existing issues!! Worth getting checked out by your GP though and ask about your meds too.

  • RadarsBear
    RadarsBear Member Posts: 9
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    Hi Cagney69,
    I'm with Mike1 on this one about the neck brace. My husband found a neck pillow, in of all places Pavers, it's got a removable cover and fastens round the neck with a popper. It's been a God send to me. I think he paid about £10 for it. I prefer using it because it's soft enough to sleep in but still firm enough to support.
    As for the fatigue I sympathise with you, it's horrible, and I personally think one of the worst symptoms of arthritis, but you can help yourself to lessen the fatigue in a few ways. Firstly don't be too hard on yourself, if your body says "rest" then listen to it and rest. Try to go to bed at a reasonable time. Even if you can't sleep, you are resting and it will help the body recharge. Take baby steps when doing tasks, but keep trying. If all you can do today is get out of bed and sit in the garden, that's great! Maybe tomorrow you can add something small to your list, and keep building up slowly.
    As for the muscle weakness, sadly that is a vicious circle. Your muscles ache so you rest and don't use them, but because you don't use them they become weak and hurt when you do. My advice is gentle exercise. I do chair based exercises which help to gently strengthen the muscles. It's helped me gain a lot more mobility and even helped with the fatigue.
    The main thing is don't beat yourself up and don't give up! We are here for you and we all know EXACTLY you feel. I'm newbe here, but it has helped me enormously. Just being able to talk to people who completely understand is fantastic. Better than any medicine!
    Sending you hugs ((()))
    RadarsBear 🐻♥️
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