The Symptom Series - Fatigue
I thought I'd use more alliteration for the title of this series of blog posts because, why not?! I will be going into a little bit more detail about the main symptoms that I suffer with and how they affect my day to day life. So first up... Fatigue!
Where better to start when describing something, than with a dictionary definition, but now, onto my personal journey with fatigue:
I have suffered with unexplained fatigue for as long as I can remember. When I was about 17, I would have a full nights sleep, go out for lunch and then fall asleep in the car on the way home, and then I would take a 4 hour nap in the afternoon to recover, ready to take on whatever evening plans I had. This was normal to me, this was just the way life was.
Now, my fatigue does vary from day to day. Some days aren't as bad as others, however, most days just walking 10/15 minutes into town or even to the end of my road is a real struggle. Sometimes taking one more step can knock the last little bit of energy out of me! Sometimes I need help to get up because really, I'm just too exhausted to move. Something that I've been working on after my diagnosis is asking for help when I need it. I am realising that I don't need to struggle to do things alone and that I don't need to be ashamed to ask for help.
So... how can I begin to describe this fatigue to you...? Well, First of all, it feels worse than the 'I've pulled an all nighter' kinda tiredness and more of a flu-like exhaustion. It tires out my whole body and makes some simple tasks either really long or really painful. Like walking to the shops - This takes twice as long because I have to pause every few minutes to take a break and regain a little bit of energy.
I have to thank my husband, Pete, here for being so patient with me when I'm slower than usual and for looking after me when I don't have much energy to look after myself.
I think fatigue is one of the reasons that I decided to write this blog. It allows me to express myself and I can educate people in this illness while I'm sat down on the sofa, which doesn’t exert too much energy.
Before my diagnosis, I would try to push myself and do everything I could because I didn’t understand that I was actually ill. But now, I have to try and ration my energy throughout the day and figure out which tasks are highest on my priority list and which tasks can be adapted to make them more energy-efficient! I do still worry that people might think I'm just lazy but I am learning that self care is really important and that giving myself time to rest and recover is essential.
So I hope that this post has either informed you or made you aware that you are not alone in the struggle with Fibromyalgia.
Thank you for reading,
KP
Fatigue - Extreme tiredness resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness. - Oxford Dictionary
Where better to start when describing something, than with a dictionary definition, but now, onto my personal journey with fatigue:
I have suffered with unexplained fatigue for as long as I can remember. When I was about 17, I would have a full nights sleep, go out for lunch and then fall asleep in the car on the way home, and then I would take a 4 hour nap in the afternoon to recover, ready to take on whatever evening plans I had. This was normal to me, this was just the way life was.
Now, my fatigue does vary from day to day. Some days aren't as bad as others, however, most days just walking 10/15 minutes into town or even to the end of my road is a real struggle. Sometimes taking one more step can knock the last little bit of energy out of me! Sometimes I need help to get up because really, I'm just too exhausted to move. Something that I've been working on after my diagnosis is asking for help when I need it. I am realising that I don't need to struggle to do things alone and that I don't need to be ashamed to ask for help.
So... how can I begin to describe this fatigue to you...? Well, First of all, it feels worse than the 'I've pulled an all nighter' kinda tiredness and more of a flu-like exhaustion. It tires out my whole body and makes some simple tasks either really long or really painful. Like walking to the shops - This takes twice as long because I have to pause every few minutes to take a break and regain a little bit of energy.I have to thank my husband, Pete, here for being so patient with me when I'm slower than usual and for looking after me when I don't have much energy to look after myself.
I think fatigue is one of the reasons that I decided to write this blog. It allows me to express myself and I can educate people in this illness while I'm sat down on the sofa, which doesn’t exert too much energy.
Before my diagnosis, I would try to push myself and do everything I could because I didn’t understand that I was actually ill. But now, I have to try and ration my energy throughout the day and figure out which tasks are highest on my priority list and which tasks can be adapted to make them more energy-efficient! I do still worry that people might think I'm just lazy but I am learning that self care is really important and that giving myself time to rest and recover is essential.
So I hope that this post has either informed you or made you aware that you are not alone in the struggle with Fibromyalgia.
Thank you for reading,
KP