"brick wall" fatigue?

[heliotrope]

Am I the only one who literally "hits a brick wall?" I can wear myself out after about an hour and a half "active" time. If I stop and sit still or lie down, I will fall asleep for 15 or 20 minutes. It's enough to temporarily lift the fatigue, but if I try to do something else active, I will end up feeling unsteady, nauseous and awful for the rest of the day.
Would love to know if anyone else experiences this and how you cope. This has become my major symptom, and it's seriously restrictive.

[hunterd]

I did it again and I did not edit your post, I just hit the wrong button.

you are definitely not alone on this subject. I tell my wife exactly the same thing after an hour or so of what you call active time. My problem is that I have 4 nieces and nephews under the age of a grade, a couple of them have not even started school yet. That means that when they get excited there is a lot of screaming and yelling and "over exerting" themselves (and me too). I usually get home and take a nap sometimes it is a quick nap and sometimes it is a couple hours. There is no rhyme or reason he as to the length of my nap.

[poohb3ar]

can definitely relate!

luckily, my body usually warns before i hit the brick wall by internal than external shaking.
it's taken a long time to heed the warnings before it's too late. if i wait for the shakes, i can literally land in bed for a day or two.

the way i have to view each day is that i have a 'tank of energy'. i've learned what activities take how much 'gas'. ie. cooking takes about 3/4 of my tank where washing dishes takes only about 1/4.

when i feel good it's easy to get caught up in the moment,( especially if playing with 2 yr old grandaughter!) then be exhausted rest of day.
try to pay attention to what is causing you to 'hit the brick wall' and avoid or limit doing that. if i'm doing housework, i'll only do one task for about 20 to 30 minutes at a time then rest for about an hour. that may be extreme for you.

it's a matter of paying attention and figuring out what works for you.
most of the time it is so frustrating! like yesterday DH, DD and grandbaby went out for shopping and ice cream. they really wanted me to go, but i knew it would be way too much for me especially since i've been sick.
i hated not going, but it would have been worse to go and cut short their fun by having to take me home.

it's not easy, but you have to pick and choose what's most important.
good luck with finding a balance.
watch out for those brick walls! they can hurt!

take care & God bless ya!

[Ikaika]

the way i have to view each day is that i have a 'tank of energy'. i've learned what activities take how much 'gas'. ie. cooking takes about 3/4 of my tank where washing dishes takes only about 1/4.

take care & God bless ya!

If you haven't already read this, and given to everyone we know , look up "The Spoon Theory" on 'youdontloooksick' dot com. It's worth a spoon!

Brick wall- yes!
Superman in a room of kryptonite- yes!
Buried alive- yes!
Swimming in superglue- yes!
Is this what it feels like to just 'slip away'?- yes!
The dream where you are trying to run/ scream but you can't- yes!
UGH NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE IT!- yes!
Heavy lead- yes!
Body is a mega magnet- yes!
The list goes on...

I just try to say thank you in everything! It helps to lighten the load of it all. And the irony is it's too tiring to describe to anyone😰.

Keep calm and give thanks- we can and ARE doing this!!

[heliotrope]

Thank you... seriously. I'm so grateful to talk to someone who "gets it." I was diagnosed years ago, but in trying to manage progressing symptoms, I'm discovering that my symptoms are largely invisible to everyone except me, unless I'm "can't get out of bed" tired. Some of them are atypical for MS, so I'm having a hard time getting things managed. There are days where it feels like no one - including doctors - are listening.

And being young and having symptoms this bad (I can pull a full day of work only if I set my own schedule and can "pace" myself) is incomprehensible for most of them. Everything becomes "anxiety." (So explain to me why I fall asleep after a long walk... on a day when I've been able to "do nothing"). It's infuriating and terrifying...

[Diamond57]

Poobr3

You nailed it on the head!!! Thanks!

Diamond

[golfwidow]

Re: Brick Wall

You are not alone. I find more and more I have to manage my time and activities. I still hit the wall, I just try to prioritize what I do ---
My closest friends still give me the " but you look fine" line !

After 10 yrs of this disease I seem to be struggling even more with hitting the wall.

Thankful for what I can do - try to stay positive -

[AriD]

Hi, I hit a "brick wall" several times a day. I start falling asleep whether I'm driving, working or at home. The fatigue is overwhelming and comes with feeling lightheaded and even more weak in my legs than they already are. Resting for any amount of time does give me more ability to get up and going again. I recently was approved for modafinil after multiple rejections by my insurance company.

I started on a full dose but it made me feel really weird. A half pill every morning has helped a lot. The fatigue doesn't hit so quickly and I feel like my thought processes are clearer. made a big difference for me.

[artteacher]

I feel it too

I call this type of fatigue my "zombie" fatigue. I am so exhausted I don't have the energy to care about anything. I am usually stuck in my recliner all day. The times I do get up and am walking, I feel like I am stumbling around. I am usually able to recover after a day, but this last time it took a few days before I was functioning more normal.

[Jake62]

My feeling is that of a collar made of lead gets put on my shoulders along with dizziness.

[Ikaika]

Blob. Just a blob.

I call this type of fatigue my "zombie" fatigue. I am so exhausted I don't have the energy to care about anything. I am usually stuck in my recliner all day. The times I do get up and am walking, I feel like I am stumbling around. I am usually able to recover after a day, but this last time it took a few days before I was functioning more normal.

That's a good way to put it- "don't know, don't care". My grandma used to wear a sweatshirt that said that, i wish I had it still to wear .
To think and to feel would be like asking a mouse to lift my couch.
We ARE strong tho and we DO care!

[daraslyte]

That's a good way to put it- "don't know, don't care". My grandma used to wear a sweatshirt that said that, i wish I had it still to wear .
To think and to feel would be like asking a mouse to lift my couch.
We ARE strong tho and we DO care!

I too feel as though i dot have energy to do anything , i get fatigued fast when i do , do stuff and it dont have to be alot that i do. i find myself wanting to sit around alot because i do not have energy to do much.

My husband and kids dont understand , i keep reminding them i am on disability for a reason. I do not like making that my excuse but i am out of work for a reason not because i want to be but because i know its not safe and my doctor feels the same way.

[twasabug]

My fatigue lasts days:-(

I can do a couple hours work. what I consider light but when I stop look out. I do some light work for 2 or 3 hours then I sleep for 2 days. When I wake up the next morning I feel like I have the flu without fever and then by the second day I start to feel better but its really the 3rd day that im back to my normal fatigue. Takes a lot to do stuff but it has to get done. One time I tried to walk 1/2 mile out then 1/2 mile back, almost didn't make it back. was 1/2 way home and could have fallen into coma on side of street.

If I do more then lay in bed I get so tired so easily. I think for me that's the worst part of MS. I used to teach hanggliding which is running up and down a 150 ft hill with a 50 lb glider, Now I cant even push mow my yard :-(( I would not wish this on anyone.

[frosty123]

yes

the best way that I have described my MS fatigue to my family is, if I have pushed past/through my limits and I was sitting in a chair and was thirsty and a glass of water was out of reach...I would remain thirsty. They then understood, not tired, it just is literally not worth the effort to move. Awful.

Currently, my latest round of steroids has helped considerably with this (and other) symptoms.

[AliceWonderland]

Walking through a poll of molasses

I have begun to visualize my fatigue as walking thru a swimming pool filled with molasses. Each step takes so much effort, and it takes so much energy to push forward. I do it because I have to get to the end of the pool; there is always something at the end that I need: my bed, food, water, go to work, etc.
I do it, but it's so hard! And doing this each day is wearing me out.