Friday 3 August 2012

Fatigue, my nemesis

Many people with auto-immune diseases (such as MS) suffer at one time or another from fatigue. This is not I'm a bit tired and need a nap, this is (like a car running out of fuel) I'm going to break down and stop - no matter where I am or what I am doing.

Recently the fatigue has been crippling me. I was (before my annual leave) back in the Monday to Thursday go to work, come home, eat, sleep and rest in bed all weekend routine. Life was passing me by and it was getting to me (big time).

I rang my MS Nurse to ask about fatigue meds. I'd tried Amantadine earlier in the year with no effect. I wondered if I could try Modafinil again. I'd take it before but it was so effective that it kept me up at night. Now I take so many meds at night that make me sleepy I wondered if it might 'trade-off'.

The nurse wrote to the doctor who wrote a prescription as I'd had it before. Collected from the pharmacy and first dose taken.

Last night I was exhausted when I got home, I had plans that involved doing nothing today. Right now I feel that I might actually have energy. If my body worked I think I could do stuff. Sadly my legs are still stiff and inclined to give out, I still have no balance, my hands are still numb and it took me a minute to come up with the word routine in the paragraph above!

Day one so a long way to go... first hurdle will I be able to sleep tonight?

Incidentally the possible side effects read (largely) like a list of MS symptoms!

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