Overwhelmed...

[ttmont416]

For the past year I have been dealing with the diagnosis of MS, and doing the daily injections. My main symptom is fatigue. It comes and goes, but lately seems to stay regardless of how much sleep I get. I pretty much stay in bed on the weekends, but during the week I have an office job, I am LPN. Working in a home with multiple patients would be way to overwhelming for me, so I work in an office, talking on the phone the majority of the day giving advice, but it can get very busy.

Dealing with fatigue makes me wonder how am I gonna be able to function in 5 years from now. Will I have the energy to come to work everyday? Did I mention, my job is about 45 minutes in traffic each way. Plus trying to make my dad happy and go back to school for my Rn, but I dont even think if I actually got to my RN, I would be able to do it. Have no energy and the fatigue takes over my life now. I cant plan things ahead like I used to, I have to go day by day to see how I feel that morning.

I also question whether I will get to the point where working is too much and I need to stay home and get disability. I am a busy body so that will be hard for me. My mind is all over the place. Between my job, school, and wanting to have a baby someday. Just not sure what to do.. Plus I feel like no one around me really understands exactly what Im going through on a daily basis.. Words of encouragment?? Thanks...

[sengelhardt]

I have only been dx for 6months, so I certainly don't know all there is to know about MS, but from what I can tell, the sx change day by day. Maybe for now you are dealing with fatigue, yet years from now it might not be a factor??

I also don't know you and don't know your history.. but Have you spoke with your Dr about it? Have you tried ALA or other meds to help? I know my Dr is always mentioning how she has the tools available to help me during any issues, and to just ask.

MS does suck, you never know when you wake in the morning whether your eye sight will be normal, your legs are going to work, heck even if you wake up 'normal' by the middle of the day life could change. The unknown has got to be the worst part in my opinion.

I wish you the best, and suggest not putting so much stress on yourself. Do the best you can, and take life as it comes. My favorite sayings are "it is what it is" and "keep calm - carry on" I have to remind my self of these sometimes when I get down in the dumps over having MS and having to do the shots. I will also say that since I stopped Copaxone, I feel better. I think it had a lot to do with how I felt on a daily basis. I didn't recognize it until I stopped. I am now getting ready to start taking Rebif, I hope it doesn't affect me the same way.

good luck, and I hope you get to feeling better!

[marybenes]

Please talk to your doctor about your fatigue issues. There are meds for that. If you don't exercise, consider some type of light exercise which has been proven to actually help with fatigue.

As for having a baby, I have friends who have had babies after being diagnosed. Live your life the best you can every day and do something good for YOU every day.

[Nabbosa]

Fatigue can go away

TT -

I had fatigue issues for a while, too, but they actually improved a lot when I began regular exercise.

Then I changed jobs, to a much more hospitable workplace (nothing to do with the MS - the atmosphere was just horrible in the old place), and this also made a huge difference. Remember that stress affects the immune system, which can mess with the MS.

And then I ramped up the exercise program even more over the summer and lost 25 pounds. Either the weight loss, or the ton of exercise, or maybe both, have made my fatigue almost non-existent. I also sleep a lot better now. Poor sleep (not enough, or not sound enough) can also contribute to fatigue (MS or otherwise).

OH - another thing to consider is that a lot of MS patients have other autoimmune disorders, too. Hashimoto's thyroidosis is a common one, which causes hypothyroidism. This also causes fatigue. When I went on medication for that a couple years back, it transformed my life. And the hormone levels were not off all that much. This can also mess with sleep, and cause more fatigue.

So, long and short of it, I'd also encourage you to talk to your doctor. But I also wanted to let you know that some people do see the fatigue situation get better.

I'd also say that the first year or 18 months after diagnosis, I was also worn down from the psychological aspect of dealing with the diagnosis. It wasn't depression, it was just the weight of having to work out what a chronic disease meant for my future. So don't be too hard on yourself. It takes a little while to sort things out, and that's okay.

[Thinkimjob]

As Janis sang, get it while you can. I'm about to quit work (before I'm sacked). Cannot keep going any more. Lord knows what I'll do then.
I don't mean to be negative. I've had 13 not-too-bad years.
I enjoyed it while it lasted.
Try not to worry about what might happen one day in the future. You need the energy for the here and now. Says I, the queen of do as I say, not do as I do.