Friday, November 5, 2010
I Really Hate This! Plague of Chronic Fatigue
I am sure I am mentioned this before, but I have chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia. The pain I am used to and can pretty much deal with most of the time. I have had it since I was 8 years old. After my parents took me to the doctor enough and each time the doctor said there was nothing wrong, I simply stopped saying anything. Growing up I rode horses and trained pretty hard. I also had some pretty nasty falls along the way and really didn't know how much pain was actually fibro or just the repercussions of the 20+ years of abuse my body took as an event rider. The pain I can live with...really I can. I don't know what life without pain on a daily basis is like. However, the chronic fatigue started about 5 years ago when I had an issue with my thyroid. I actually had to have half of it removed. The fatigue improved after surgery for awhile, but then again seemed to come back in full force. Thyroid levels are fine, adrenal function is "normal", all bloodwork is just fine. What I hate the most is that I have this awful bone weary fatigue and tiredness, terrible brain fog (can't remember from one minute to the next) and there really is no "reason for it". I have found a few things that help. Vitamin D I have found is very helpful and I have noticed that bad days are fewer since I have increased my levels. Since I am intolerant of heat (heat exhaustion one summer) I am in the house much of the day and still don't get as much sun exposure as I probably need. According to Dr. Mercola we need at least 5000 units of Vitamin D and the optimal time to get it from sunshine is between 10 am and 2 pm. Well, I can tell you that during that time this chick is in the house and out of the sun or I will wind up with a blinding migraine. Another thing that helps, is raw apple cider vinegar. I take 3 tablespoons a day. I am not really sure why it helps, but it does seem to give me a little pep in my step. Some say that it helps the body to optimally use the vitamins and minerals that it is getting through food. I try to stay away from sugar and caffeine although life without my morning cup of coffee just simply isn't worth it. I drink lots of raw milk and lots of water. If I drink a couple glasses of sweet tea, I know it. Anyway, most of the time my bad days are limited, but there are still bad days. Today I was in a lot of pain and didn't get as much done as I would have liked due to moving slower and having to take more breaks. The one thing about chronic fatigue is that while I am tired all the time and bone weary tired some of the time, I have a hard time sleeping and never get a truly good nights sleep. I rarely go into REM sleep anymore. So, here I am at 3:30 am. Been up since 2 am. Actually, I was awake earlier than that I was just laying there with my eyes closed praying that I would go back to dreamland. Not a chance. When I start the "gator death roll" in the bed it is time to get up, no sleep in sight. Tired all the time and can't sleep worth a hoot.....really is ironic don't you think. I will probably get the canner out soon since I made a bunch of chili yesterday and wanted to can up several jars of it today. Thank goodness today is sewing day as I don't think I will be good for much else. Once I get the chili in the canner then I can start on the sewing projects. At least I will accomplish that. Sorry you folks had to endure this tirade/vent of mine. Honestly, I rarely complain out loud. Sometimes though I just feel the need to whine and well......thanks for reading my whine! Blessings from the farm, Kat
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9 comments:
Kat,
Not sure what med( prescription you take, if any) but I had similar symptoms, of bone tired, insomnia, foggy brain and I did some research and added the Vitamin D3, as you mentioned, a good raw B-complex and Thyodine and my brain fog has lifted and I have far more energy and sleep better too. My symptoms are in relation to menopause, so not sure of your age but adding some of these may help you as well. Be sure to talk to your Dr or pharmacist if taking prescrition meds. Also on those evenings when I just can't seem to wind down, or shut off my brain( mostly due to stress) I tak a dropper full of Valerian mixed in water or a hot tea, it really helps!
I too have pain, but due to a back and hip injury cause when a drunk driver rearended us 9 yrs ago I too have learned to live with the day to day pain, but when it really acts up I take Arnica and have Dh lightly rub on some DMSO in the affected areas.
Blessings for your weekend
Sorry to hear you're struggling today, Kat. Minus the pain, I have similar symptoms, but don't sleep well because I spend TOO much time dreaming. My ears ring constantly too-do yours? It gives me a low level headache all the time and stress adds to that to the point that I just have to lay down and close my eyes. I may need to add vitamin D to my regimen too. Hope you're doing better soon!
Hey Kelle, Not on any prescription meds. I try to stay away from them. Yep, I take a B-complex also. Haven't heard of thyodine? Is it a prescription? I did find something at the health food store called Fatigue Fighter that helped also, but now they no longer have it. I am 39 and my symptoms started long before now so too young for menopause and even premature menopause typically doesn't fit me. My problem is that I have no problem winding down. 9pm I am usually out like a light. But I can't stay asleep. About midnight I start waking up. I don't fully wake up until about 1 or 2, but about midnight I am lightly sleeping. I don't do it every night, but when I do it is aggravating. I don't think I could handle DMSO. I used to use it on the horses when I was competing and I can't stand the "taste". Let me know about the thyodine, I would like to give it a try. Thanks, Kat
Hey Kelly, Yeah I have bouts of tinnitis. Mine is not as bad as some say with it being constant. I will have it for sometimes days at a time and then it will stop for awhile before returning. Mine is simply more aggravating than causing any pain. Try the vitamin D, it really has helped me a lot and my bad days seem fewer and farther between. Blessings, Kat
Thyodine is avaliable in health food store, all it is is an iodine that you can take internally. As we age our throid wains off and some of the symptoms you shared fit in the hypothroid list of things to watch for. It's a liquid and you simply place 3-4 drops under your tongue once a day and if your urine doesn't turn a bright yellow or you don't see a decrease in you symptoms you can take 3-4 drops twice daily. Your body will expell anything it doesn't need. Do some research on it and see what you think. Also a lack of magnesium will cause tiredness, insomnia( restlessness and interupted sleep) and you can buy a magnesium suppliment in a powder form to mix with juice or water( it's fizzy and comes flavored or unflavored) You NEED proper levels of magnesium for proper absorbtion of calcium( especially important to war off Osteoparosis(sp?) Go to wwwnaturalnew.com and investigate into the Iodine suppliment, there is a quiz on there somewhere to take to see if you are in need of Iodine. Hope this helps you, it has helped me. Like I said if I'm stressed sometimes I'll add Valerian( extract) to a glass of water or hot tea an hour or so before bedtime, but this is only to be used from time to time as a sleep aid and let me tell you it works!
I just found your blog and read this post with interest because I have had fibromyalgia for the last 18 years. I can totally relate to how you feel, especially about the sleep issues. I have found that drinking an herbal tea made of chamomile, lemon balm, oatstraw, lavender and rose (let me know if you want the proportions because it does matter) helps me get deeper sleep. For me, everything depends on that.....hang in there.....rant when you need to:)
Linda I would definitely love the proportions. I make a chamomile, lemon balm and rose hip tea, but have not used oatstraw before. Please let me know and if you don't mind I will make a post with the recipe in case others are interested and would like to try it. Thanks so much and welcome to the blog. Kat
Kelle, I am going to check today for the thiodine. The fatigue fighter that I had taken at one time was an iodine supplement. I am sure that is part of my issues since I had most of my thyroid removed about 6 years ago. I am sure that my adrenals are probably fatigued as well since I have a very "intense" personality. Read that recovering type A personality. Thanks again, Kat
Hi Kat
Sorry it took so long to get back with the proportions of the herbal brew. I was out of town....anyhow, Rosemary Gladstar is the creator of this recipe and it can be found in her book, " Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health" as Nerve Tonic Formula #1
Proportions are in parts:
3 parts lemon balm
1 part chamomile
1 part oats (I use oatstraw)
1/2 part chrysanthemum flowers (I don't add these because I don't have them)
1/2 part rose petals
1/4 part lavender flowers
I use Tablespoons and teaspoons to measure out the herbs and brew in a quart of water by the infusion method. This then can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. The instructions say to drink 3 to 4 cups a day for 2 to 3 months. I drink 1 cup a day because I find that it is a very relaxing drink and don't want to feel groggy all day. I drink that one cup a couple of hours before bedtime because I find it is a bit diuretic (just so you know:)
I also recently read that a teaspoon of honey before bed helps with insomnia because the brain needs the glucose during sleep. I've been doing this and it seems to help.
Let me know if you have any other questions and once again, good luck.
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