[Lucydog]

I lead a pretty busy life, Im a mother to a 2 year old, work part time and am generally a do it all sort of girl!! Anyway I have started to get really really really tired. I dont mean tired after a long day at work sort of thing, but that bone weary, cant lift your head up, need to sleep for a week sort of tired. Im just utterly shattered and can hardly keep my eyes open. I never used to be like this, well not in my 'before' life anyway!
Im not anaemic and all blood tests seem ok. So is this sort of thing normal with being a para? After all I guess we have more physical lives, even if it means getting in and out of the car 10 times a day or something. I was wondering if anyone else feels like this? Im ok for a lot of the time and then suddenly I have to go to bed because Im so utterly tired out. Any thoughts?

Cheers
L

[Joed]

I have days like that too, Lucydog...like someone has snuck into my room at night and drained all the blood out of my body.

I think we become much more fatigued than we know....and then it catches up to us in one fell swoop. I try to listen to my body and then obey it if I can....whether I agree with it or not is another matter!

It's confusing to my husband, because I'll have enough strength to do a certain thing one day, then the very next day I'm useless! Sometimes I'll even need help getting to my car, yet on a better day, I can walk around my property to prune my roses.

Any mother of a two y/o is going to get incredibly fatigued...even more so for you. Be sure to allow yourself enough time to rest throughout the day.

Yeah, right!

[Avocado Baby]

Yeah...it happens to me too. It took me 4 attempts to get into my car yesterday and I just didn't seem to have the strength. Today I've done it 3 times with no trouble. Joed is right. I think sometimes our bodies just get a bit tired and all the extra workload on our upper bodies catches up on us!

[sjean423]

I agree too, how could you NOT be tired!! I to have days that I can do a lot, then, bang, it catches up to me. But what concerns me is that it is new, and your being a para is not. Glad to hear that medically you check out OK tho'. Are you on any new meds?

[dom]

yes lucy, i get very tired [to the bone] i seem to remember having loads of energy pre-accident but after my convalescence i don't seem to have got over the weakness aspect
maybe it's just getting older but i don't think so because it was such a dramatic drop in energy levels i am more 'bent over' than usual and my wife sometimes says 'sit up straight'which i do for a time then relax back into a bad posture maybe its because i am more sedentary than before and need aerobic workouts to 'energise'me?

[mttb14]

Hi Lucy,

John and I both have days like that, I put it down to the lack of a solid nights sleep for the past 8 years. John has more energy than me and he has the SCI, but I wake up more than he does, due to his huffing and puffing, spasms etc at night, he takes a sleeping tablet, so he gets to sleep through the milder spasms, but I don't, so I spend most of my life wishing that I could sleep straight through for a whole week without waking up. I always feel ready to go to sleep, maybe its the fact that I'm getting older with less energy.

When you bumped your head the other day, maybe your body is trying to get over the shock, and is wearing you down, while it recovers. Also depression can make you tired and wanting to go to sleep.

Alternatively, check your boiler is running ok, as carbon monoxide can make you really sleepy, and it is better to be safe than sorry, just something the gas engineer said to me the other day. He was telling me about the number of people who do not have their boiler checked annually, and one of the first signs is feeling sleepy followed by headaches and flu like symptoms.

Otherwise drink red bull it gives you wings, which will save you the energy from pushing your wheelchair, or having to get in and out of it!

Maria

[jane]

Lucy.

I have lots of days like that, and there is usally no pattern either. this morning it took me all my effort to drag myself out of bed and i have physio this morning.

i just assume that we use more muscles and the tire easier.

[Kit]

Lucy if this persists I would recommend that you go and see your GP as it may be completely unrelated to your sci, exhaustion like you are experiencing isn't normal over a long period of time.
I have ME also known as chronic fatigue syndrome and some of my symptoms are the same as those you are experiencing.

Kit

jane, on Jun 28 2006, 08:06 AM, said:

Lucy.

I have lots of days like that, and there is usally no pattern either. this morning it took me all my effort to drag myself out of bed and i have physio this morning.

i just assume that we use more muscles and the tire easier.

[russ1]

Lucy - I have weeks like this too. It's usually related to stress in my case. I don't deal with stress as well as I used to before my SCI as the coping mechanisms I had just aren't available anymore (they were usually to go exercice to extreme levels which would get me a huge endorphine high and then help me sleep ) and as a consequence I don't slep well - then I get more stressed and because I'm tired cope even less well with it. It's a vicious circle that is difficult to break.

I still find that exercise and and a few good nights sleep along with some positive action to address any issues that are causing me stress is the best bet. Be careful if you go and se the GP. You may get diagnosed as depressed and get landed with anti depression tablets which IME are just about the worst thing ever. You'll feel a bit better but you'll be so spaced out that you'll be unable to do anything productive in the way of work etc.

Hope you're in the mend

[jane]

Be careful if you go and se the GP. You may get diagnosed as depressed and get landed with anti depression tablets which IME are just about the worst thing ever. You'll feel a bit better but you'll be so spaced out that you'll be unable to do anything productive in the way of work etc.

how true is that - my GP says the same and as i have pointed out to him - the thing that is making me maybe down i can't change so what good would tablets do. My GP is a big believer in excersise to stop you feeling tired, and to an extent he is right but it is hard to motivate yourself to do any when you are really exhausted.

[Dancingdolphin]

[quote name='Lucydog' date='Jun 27 2006, 08:03 PM' post='11613']


Hi! I only work 3 days a week + have no children and get exhausted. Never used to get tired
even though I had a really hectic life b4 SCI.
You have a 2 yr old..so I'm not a bit surprised you're tired.

Need some human duracell batteries..:-)

All the best

Karen

This post has been edited by Dancingdolphin: 03 July 2006 - 08:22 PM

[Kit]

I agree steer well clear of anti-depressants, I've never taken them even though they were recommended to me on numerous occasions, it took a long time for my doctor to refer me to an appropriate specialist who could deal with my health problems and the associated conditions they brought on. In my experience your body will tell you if you are just tired or if you have something wrong...