You all know how it is...a little of this and a little of that...it is always something with RA..one day you may have a bad pair of knees and the next day the knees are okay but your fingers feel like they are broken. I do actually have days were I am at a pretty minimal pain level..but I am still tired. No matter what, I am always tired. I always wear down after just the simplist of activities. Do any of you feel like the fatigue is out of control way more than the pain?I agree. It is the fatigue that gets me too. Pain comes and goes, or stays but is not strong. The fatigue is always there. I'm with you crunchy. All the way. We plan our off days around my sleep :( It sucks. I hate it though....cause I get worn out..but when I lay down I cant fall asleep.
The being tired all the time is so frustrating. I plan my day around nap time.
Fatigue gets you everytime. some days the pain is at its lowest and i think "yipee" so i go at a gentle pace to get things done and then the dreaded feeling washes over me and i need to be horizontal. just walking to the bed from the bedroom door is like swimming against the tide. i lay down and sleep and sleep and sleep, then when i wake up i want to cry as its another day i missed out on.
What gets me is how the fatigue can come on as suddenly as a light switch being hit. I can be cruising along on near-normal and then almost instantly it's like my whole balloon of energy is burst, and every step I manage to take after that is a battle.
Granted, this is way better than the days when fatigue is the word for the day, because it means there was some energy there to suddenly lose. Still, it's so weird that it can sneak up and grab you so fast.
Fatigue is a constant. Energy is the exception. I find it really hard to deal with. I can do at least something for part of the day. But usually by 2:00 pm, there just no more energy. I get too tired to even read or watch TV. But I can't fall asleep either.
I'm finding that the trick around this is to juggle my activities. I will try and do one major job, like laundry or dishes, for the day. Then all other actitivities are quiet time. I'll switch to reading, lower energy tasks like making phone calls, bills, etc. I pick up the house as I go through it.
I'm never caught up. But I know I'm never going to be. With two young kids, that isn't going to happen for you either. That's just harder. Remember that taking care of them is a BIG job. Somedays, that might be all you do accomplish is keep them alive and fed throughout the day. Other times you will be able to do more.
It's hard to say which is worse, the fatigue or the pain. If I am in pain, I can at least still do things. But that unrelenting fatigue that can swallow you up seems to steal life away.
The doctors think my fatigue is related more to the FM than the RA. So, you might want to have them check if you have FM if they haven't already.
I agree with all of you. Fatigue is so hard to deal with. I try to do all my big jobs in the morning because by afternoon I'm wiped out. Can't take naps 'cause then I wouldn't sleep at night, even with my sleeping pills
My kids are grown now ages 19-30 and I am in awe of all of you with small ones. God bless you and keep you strong!!
RK-you hit the nail right on the head....that is exactly how I am. I will be going along feeling pretty good and then "flip!" someone hits the switch and I am wiped. No matter what I am doing I just suddenly get so tired and that is it. And then there are days when I wake up and get in the shower and I keep waiting for that "Im ready to start my day" feeling to hit me and it just never comes . I drink coffee and for a few minutes I think that is gonna do it...but no. And then I will force my self to do a few tasks but I may as well be wearing a lead apron and cement boots....I take a nap...and muster enough energy to get through the busy evening...snack, homework, dinner, baths....last minute projects and things for school...and finally the kids go to bed and so can I. And the kicker...I just lay there for hours...waiting to fall asleep. It is weird..the way this works...it is like a slap in the face. I screwed up your day, now I am gonna mess with your night too...HAHAHA!
RA...gotta love it.