Can symptoms get way worse due to being tired??

[trevvian]

Just wondering if anyone else falls apart when they are tired...details below.

Had been feeling fairly good all fall and into November. Then in December, all heck broke loose at work and I've been under enormous stress, not to mention working 60-70 hour weeks.

I'm not getting enough sleep, I'm not getting any exercise, and I'm not eating right. I'm staying coherent due to coffee and Provigil.

And...this week, my gait went all wonky. I've had very mild foot drop in the past, but nothing like this. I seriously thought I was just imagining this and feeling sorry for myself...limping out of habit or something. But I went for a walk with a close friend & she said she could tell something was wrong. Even though I was trying hard to walk normally.

So...I'm just wondering if others see this kind of deterioration just due to being tired? Is this normal? I'm just looking for others experience, not medical advice. My neuro's office sucks at getting him messages; not worth my time to call.

And it's not worth treating; I can still walk & talk & see. And I don't want to do IVSM. But I have to enroll in benefits this month and I'm thinking I may want to bump up my FSA $ if I'm going to be sick this year.

[JerryD]

Your question is multi-faceted. And every case of MS is very individualized. My experience is that as I get more fatigued, my deficits increase. My balance and right leg begin to fail me more and more. I also found that an UTI is a major cause for my deficits to worsen. And one never knows when that will 'pop' up. It's like 'Russian roulette'. So much fun !

[palmtree]

I can answer your question in one word: YES!

During the beginning of this "journey", my neuro put be on a gram of Solumedrol a day for five days. It was through home health so no one was there to observe me. By the 5th day, I was bumping into walls from lack of sleep. All my symptoms got so much worse that I ended up no the hospital to recuperate.

Ah, those were the good old days when we could go to the hospital to get well. Now it's tests, surgery and discharge.

[kim-mastro]

Oh yeah-tiredness and stress are enemies of people with MS! I teach 8th grade and chaperoned the Washington,DC trip for many years. Big time exhausting!!! I have stopped going on the trip because I usually ended up having an episode shortly after the trip. Yet another thing MS has forced me to give up. Not complaining - just saying.

[Nicoly3467]

Yes, fatigue makes some of my daily challenges much worse...spasticity & walking, standing, even thinking, etc.

[Thinkimjob]

Yes indeed. Two days of eight hour car trips. Ten days of "oh poor me" relations, with me nodding and going, "mmm", "oh dear", "yes", "mmm" while internally screaming

[trevvian]

thanks

Thanks for the input. For some reason, I feel like I get better advice on the forum than at the doctor. Or maybe it's just good to have my experience validated without people feeling like I'm just whining.

I'm going to proceed on the assumptions that I'm not crazy, that I really do feel like crap, and that it is probably fine to wait & see if it resolves upon resting.

It's a good impetus to force myself into better self care.

[kim-mastro]

Hey trevvian. We're all on the same "trip"! Even though our neuros went to school, they don't have MS. The great part of this forum is so many of the people are willing to share their experiences.
You're not crazy. Waiting may help. Good luck! I hope you feel better soon. Just know that it may take awhile.

[Barrister16]

Yes, my symptoms get worse when I am fatigued. You are not crazy!

I start walking sideways when I am fatigued and my foot goes numb. I take that as my cue that I need to slow down