I love connecting with other bloggers. I love reading their stories and learning why they chose to start blogging. Like many of the bloggers I have connected with over the last couple of years, they have something to say. When people deal with chronic illness and they feel that no one is listening, it is much easier these days to get things off your chest by starting a blog.
I met Lisa through another fellow blogger. Lisa has been gracious enough to talk about fatigue please take a minute and learn what 4 things you need to know about your body and fatigue…….
Written By Lisa Helms
You’ve tried explaining it to your spouse, your friends, your co-workers, but there just aren’t the right words to make people understand just how extremely tired you are. Like “I’ve been up with the baby for 3 years straight, with no coffee, and no sleep, and it’s all I can do to stare at a wall right now” tired. It’s just so frustrating. Prior to the onset of this ridiculous disease, you were so active, so how can you really help people understand how exhausted it is just to be upright every day?!
Fatigue is one of the most debilitating conditions that people face with an auto-immune/neurological disease. It can significantly interfere with a person’s ability to function at home and work, and is one of the primary causes of leaving a career early or being forced out of the workplace entirely. Fatigue may be the most prominent symptom in a person who otherwise has minimal activity limitations. I mean think about it!! Your body is waging a war against itself daily! You should get a reward every day just for brushing your teeth!
According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, fatigue occurs in approximately 80% of those with MS. If you talked to 100% of those affected with other autoimmune/neurological conditions, you’d probably find that it affects 80% of them too. To make matters worse, this type of fatigue can be exacerbated for the most ridiculous of reasons. Everyday conditions, such as humidity, increase and decrease in temperature, lack of sleep, a common cold, or time ticking by can make staying awake a near impossible task. Throw in all the medications we have to take, the fact that our bodies are fighting us in every measure, and that our nerves are frayed (literally), somebody just toss me a pillow!
So, here 4 things you need to know about your body and fatigue.
- If I’m tired, I NEED a nap. I don’t just want a nap and I’m darn sure not being lazy. If I could get my coffee via IV I would.. but it probably still would keep my eyelids from drooping closed. Why don’t we just let all of my white blood cells attack your body for a while like they do mine and see how you feel, hmm?
- If I’m a little cranky, I NEED a nap. Fatigue can cause irritablitiy. You know when you’ve come home from a long day of work and just want to go to bed? Well, I already feel like that all day long, so by the end of my day (if I can make it that long) being awake is just painful. I know it can be frustrating for you that I am always so tired. I miss my active and alert lifestyle too. Please know that I deeply appreciate your unconditional love and support.
- If I ask you to repeat yourself 10 times or look at you like a deer in the headlights when we’re talking, I probably cannot concentrate because I’m so drained… and I NEED a nap. Fatigue can cause short term memory problems and difficulty focusing. When I’m fatigued, all I can think about is sleeping …. And maybe breathing.
- If you love me, you’ll buy me a travel pillow and blanket <3 (yes, I do pull over to the side of the road and nap if I get tired while I’m driving….to the grocery store… 3 miles from my house.
Peace and Blessings,
Lisa Helms
To read more of Lisa’s writings, please visit www.heyyoudontlooksick.com