Combating Fatigue

[marianna]

On another thread I had briefly mentioned that I am taking Provigil which is like a stimulant to help me with something called Hypersomnolence. (BIG mouthful THERE).

Anyway, it's very powerful used to help cocain addicts kick the habit...used for Parkison's etc....and I take it every other day because it can make you over-stimulated and I hate that.

I will also be participating in a sleep study to see what is possibly causing this fatigue (i.e. could be sleep apnea where you forget to breathe during the night and causes you to wake up and have a fitful night of sleep).

The appt. isn't until the middle of September and the fatigue is still there lurking but the meds help me stay more "alert".........I really hate depending on medication and the drug costs $40.00 with copay....to actually buy it outright without insurance is $400.00 (Where is Michael Moore?)........anyway...what are some healthy alternatives besides medicine that are helpful in combating fatigue besides drinking coffee since coffee only lasts so long with me.

Thanks for any assistance! :angel:

[minerva]

i suffer from fatigue when i'm stressed. it's awful.
i think these help....

1. regular sleep, not staying up late at night
2. waking up, doing some exercise, shower with water that's set at body temperature or colder.
3. i use peppermint body wash to zing me up
4. a good coffee
5. surround myself with cheerful people who liven up the day.
6. if i have to watch tv, i choose comedy...honestly if you are fatigued, a giggle wakes you up.
7. avoiding alcohol on those fatigue ridden days.
8. open up the windows, letting the air and the sunshine in.
9. trying to surround myself with 'life'....houseplants and cheery colours around the house help.
10. putting on music that wakens you up....like a nice salsa.

maybe all i've mentioned adress the 'mood' not the 'condition'....but psychologically i find them helping.
i've never taken any drugs for fatigue, but next time i feel so bad, i'm off to a doctor. it stops you from enjoying life to the full.

[marianna]

For me my quality of life is suffering immensely due to this "chronic fatigue" and I want to cry at times with frustration. I yelled at my doctor the other day and told him I was at the end of my rope with all of this. 40 SHOULDN'T be this awful to reach.....I want to continue going to the gym, to socialize but when it's an effort just to get out of bed (and this is not mental but physical) I become so downtrodden and frustrated........I love music and when I drive to work sometimes I listen to "Bring Me To Life" at full volumne...it helps. And with Fall around the corner that bothers me a little because our days gets shorter. I know alot of women suffer from SAD which is Seasonal Affective Disorder (http://www.here-be-dreams.com/other/sad.html)

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

--Seasonal Affective Disorder - SAD - is quite simply a mood disorder that can cause depression during periods of the year when sunlight is less common. Sufferers feel the effects during the dark winter months.

--The symptoms and effects of SAD are the same as for any form of depression and can include weight gain and excessive sleeping, decreased desire for social activity, lack of energy, etc. The distinguishing mark of SAD is that the symptoms come on during the autumn (fall) months, last through winter then fade away as the sun returns in spring.

As with all forms of depression, SAD affects different people to different extents. A mild case of SAD is known as the "Winter Blues". In this case the sufferer might hardly be aware of the effects. In others, SAD can bring on full-blown depression affecting all areas of life.

---------------------------------


The first step is the hardest yet most important in anything like this I think.

[minerva]

marianna what you typed it's like what i am like.
sad affects me a lot.
a couple of years ago we went to london to visit my in laws.
we went there for two weeks. the first week was brilliant, the sun shining, i was in a good mood (on holiday...who wouldn't be?)
the second week i was a wreck....it rained incessantly, the sky was dull all the time...my eyes felt so heavy i couldn't keep them open...and i found myself crying for nothing. i figured out it was the weather because there was nothing i could possibly complain about.....

[marianna]

To be honest I think women are the most in tune with their bodies and nature and why we suffer more from depression and from depression which hits us in the Fall.........I took some Tylenol PM the other day and it knocked me OUT but the next day I was lethargic...didn't want to take the provigil since I want to take it every other day....it can become addictive and I forced myself not to take it though I was feeling "out of it". I took it today and feel fine but at the same time I am like...I DON'T want to depend on a drug and I WANT to take control back in my life. I tried Vitamins, exercise, fruits you name it.

I guess we can call this: marianna's venting thread on chronic fatigue and anyone else who has it can join in (but then that would be too long of a title) :D

[Listen2theOcean]

I really feel what you are going through cuz I get these feelings as will. But it pissed me off that I just wont stay like that got to do something about it. you can google it up and you may find more then what I got, but once I found out that what I did helped me out. Now I am surviving with it.

whenever I feel depressed, fetige and down :

1) I used the original Bach Flower Essences i found in the pharmecy. They had differnt
typs of it, according to what you are going through. If you feeling lonely, upset, depressed, fatigue...many thing. I used the one for emotional balance the drops type. you can read all about it in this website.
http://www.bachflower.com/
if you are in muscat you can get it in muscat pharmcy ( MSQ). If not you can order it online. If you can't offored it this time or just want to try it, I will be happy to order it for you why cuz helping any one to feel better makes me feel better as will but i am not markting the product.

2)Eating dark chocolate the 75% really works with me. My friend interoduced to me at first I didn't believe her that it makes your mood better. When I did that it did work for me wonders.

3) still relying only on this may not help, I use them usually to let me keep moving. I feel better, so I strat excersizing every day different way. Changing things in your life makes you feel better. Sometimes I dance tell I really sweat out, I change the type of dancing learning lessons using DVDs, Internet Videos...act. Such as belly dance, hip hop, pop..act.

4) nothing really left up my mood then walking out side in the nature without shoes. Ether in a garden but mainly walking on the sand shoes less and my feet in the water.
It really works out try it, you will feel much better but don't walk with someone who will spoil your mood. If you don't have no one to go out with for a walk that won't spoil your mood go for a walk alone maybe with your mp3 player if you love listening to music.

5) change the arrangement in your living room or bed room, or let someone volunteer to do it for you if you don't feel like doing that.

6) listen to affirmations you can try to find free ones and download them. Or you can find the writen affirmations and write them on a paper while keeping reading them many times a day. Search how can you write your own, to feel more comfortable about it.

7) use hypnosis if you believe in it or will give it a try. You can find free and paid ones online ready to be downloaded according to the conditions you are facing. Or you can search for DVD or CDs in your area or order them online. Here in Oman I didn't find any.

8) ya one very importent thing I found out by chance. When you are feeling sad, angry , guilty, hate someone or hate yourself or the world don't try to block or deny your feelings. Tell your self ( talk to yourself honestly it will work ) don't think you are crazy, crazy humen knew how to cure them self :-P I keep telling my self it is okay to accept these feelings, you can't controll your feelings but you can controll your behavior. So just I accept whatever feelings come up, it hurts but it won't kill. So if you felt to cry just cry don't fight it.

9) be patient with yourself give it the time it needs to go over things and heal out. Whatever you do, the time will be needed to go over whatever feelings you are in.

this what i remember for now, what worked for me in times, good luck.

remembered :-)

10) Read books that helps you out of your sadness feelings and motivate you. When you are allright, keep them available in your house, so whenever you really feel blue read them.

[minerva]

wow good points listentotheocean! (darn your nick too long)

[sameerb1]

i remember doing a presentation on fighting fatigue and presented to the management...

nice tips there yall

[minerva]

i remember doing a presentation on fighting fatigue and presented to the management...

nice tips there yall
ah that's cool...can you put it up for us? (if you still have it)

[marianna]

Thank you gals :love: :love: for the tips and it means alot.......I guess when you feel like you reached the end of your tether the whole world becomes just you and your fatigue...hard to explain but I will def. post what the results of the sleep lab are once I go through it.

I have rearranged my living room and that helped some.......I think my fatigue has to do with something biological and only the docs can diagnose that but in the meantime I want to improve my quality of life while I still have some sense of sanity about me. :)

[sameerb1]

ah that's cool...can you put it up for us? (if you still have it)

hmm...i dont think its a good idea putting in company stuff here...

but i will see if i could get some pointers from there to post it here later

[purple]

I find that pro plus and red bull makes me feel alot more alert.

[Listen2theOcean]

-Breathing in a certain way makes you feel better you can’t google it.
-smelling flowers gives you a lot of energy especially the ones with smells you love.
-colors gives you energy depending on what type of energy you want more chose the color.
-certain foods gives you certain energy find books about them and you can give it a try.
-being outdoor under the sun gives you positive energy.
-bathing using sea water will left you up high.
-using less any thing electronic it decreases your energy ( computers, tv…act) it drinks your energy.
-reading about the best way to take things positively anger makes you drawn more and more.
-being creative with your self and time helps.
-take massages with pure oil or do massage using your own oil and hands ( different oils used for different things) find your choice.
-pressing into points on your hand or legs helps you out ( check hand & feet map energy dots online)
-reading quran phrases on the water you are drinking increases its energy.
-doing a test online regarding your yin and yang may help you to discover what might help you personally the most.

this what I got so far, some I tried my self it helped some I didn’t some I feel lazy to do…..end sleep :-) when not in the mood for nother.

[hijabi]

On a more medicinal front = ginger is great for fatigue. I suffered from PND and I hate taking drugs so I used the ginger to combat the extreme fatigue I suffered as a result. Its also antibacterial btw

Boil fresh ginger root til the water is slightly coloured and you can smell the ginger. Use the water to make tea - add a tea bag, fresh honey and some milk. Or just milk and honey. The longer you simmer it the bigger the kick. Also works for morning sickness and nausea

[hijabi]

Oh and put a drop of lavender oil in your bath before bed or on your pillow - itll help you sleep better. Camomile is great to help you feel relxed and sleepy. As for depression theres always St Johns Wort (but be careful if youre menopausal or taking certain antidepressants)


So you need:
To wake up and get going - ginger tea
To get to sleep - lavender oil and camomile
To feel better - omega 3 fatty acids, St Johns wort, Vit B6, 5 HTP (you can get all these as supplements or perhaps even as a single supplement) Other than their antidepressant actions some of these have other great benefits like anti aging, increased energy levels and better brain function too. BONUS!

http://www.depressionremedy.com/learn-more/5-htp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John's_wort#Use_as_antidepressant

I know how hard it can be, but I used all these and honestly Im a different person now without the dangers and possible side effects of long term pharmaceuticals.

And most importantly - remember God. When you wake up, when you have lunch before you go to bed... Hes always there and just believing is sometimes enough to make it all feel a little better