Fatigue is
such a misunderstood symptom of that that I thought it deserved a second
write-up. (See the first one here.)
Unfortunately, it is understandably difficult for others to comprehend how
fatigue affects you daily as a person with MS.
Fatigue is a
common symptom in chronic illness and in many cases it is severe and often
debilitating. It can be triggered by daily activities or by events that
are more elaborate. Those of us with chronic illness will often have to “pay a
price” for engaging in an activity and then require a period of recovery. Once
fatigue kicks in, there is no other option than to rest. The body “hits a wall”
and cannot go further, no matter what.
Exhaustion. It can overpower
you even as you wake up in the morning. The thing is that after a while we
begin to hide this exhaustion. We learn to smile through the pain, but faking
it does not make it. This feeling haunts you. A lot of us pour an incredible
amount of energy into living each day.
Fatigue
management involves pacing yourself and using what energy you have for the most
important things. It may involve asking others to help or just accepting that
not everything will be done.
It is not
our fault that we have to leave the party early to make sure we don’t fall
asleep at work (if we can still work!) the next day. It is not our fault that
we are tired beyond imagination because in life there are some things we just
cannot control. Sometimes MS just controls us.
Living With Fatigue –A publication by the MS
Trust
