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Do you ever feel like you got hit by a truck?

M

mrs. vr

Guest
I don't feel horrible all the time, but every once in awhile, I get this incredible fatigue. It literally fells like I got hit by a truck, or ran into a brick wall, or am trying to move in one of those scary dreams where you can't.

Yesterday I was running around, dropped the big kids off at religious school, took my little one grocery shopping...and totally deflated in the middle of shopping. I had to just pay and get out, even though I wasn't all the way done with my shop.

We got home and I forced myself to put things away, then i lay down on the sofa and EVERYTHING started to ache. It's a weird dull ache, almost like when you're getting a fever. Everything feels achy and kind of twitchy. ( I have no idea if I'm explaining this well, I'm still so drained and yucky).

I got in bed at 6:30 last night, and was too tired to do anything but pick up a book til about 10:30 or so, then I spent a half hour online and had to go right back to bed. I was also weepy, just reading the book, which is not my normal state of being.

I know that this can be related to a constant state of inflammation (which according to my labs, I'm in), but this can't be normal for ANYONE! I had to FORCE myself out of bed to take my husbands pants to the dry cleaners this morning, and just that wore me OUT.

so to summarize:

I am absolutely drained

I ache

I'm weepy

I HATE IT!!!!!!!!!
 
Short answer = yes
Long answer = being "hit by a truck" is a good way of putting it. I say "the ceiling's fallen on me"! I feel that this type of fatigue is something quite different from being merely tired... I can handle being tired, or even very tired, but sometimes I feel I can hardly put one foot in front of the other to walk.
 
aw hiya Mrs Vr - in answer to your opening question, yes. sometimes i feel as if i'm carrying the truck around with me too lol.

its a horrid feeling, an abnormal tiredness.. and a tiredness of my mind as well as my body.

with me, it seems to come on suddenly, last for days, then i realise it's gone and i've got some energy back. i have no idea if there is even a cause & effect thing happening - the lethargy 'seems' to just come and get me when it feels like it.

you're not alone with this, so just hang on in there, and it will pass. in the meantime, listen to your body - if it's screaming "rest!" then do so. housework & such can wait.
 
M

mrs. vr

Guest
The worst part is, I stay home with and homeschool our three kids. So, I HAVE to push myself through that. There are rare day's like today though, when a good chunk of the day is spent teaching them from someplace horizontal. We manage to do ok,and get everything done but I do feel bad when my husband comes home, and I just crawl right back into bed. (I'm actually in bed now, the kids are done with school and playing, thank goodness they're old enough to mostly entertain themselves when they need to).

In retrospect, this has been a very long couple of weeks. Last week, we had an appt for someone every single day, on top of our regular activities. We were busy all weekend, and then Monday was the day I got stuck at the rheum with them for three hours, and yesterday, I spent four hours with my mom at chemo. Maybe my body is just saying "enough already, you dummy!"
 
Yes, definitely! I'm always tired early afternoon, but I write that off as normal - I'm up early, I work full time (from home) - I have a slump around 2pm.

Some days though, it's like wading through treacle/being hit by a truck - I just don't have the energy for anything, I cry at the drop of a hat, everything is just TOO MUCH.

I tend to go to bed, tbh - my boy's at school during the day, so when I feel that knackered, I just do whatever bits of work won't wait, then take myself off to bed with a book, a hot drink, and my electric blanket. I've long since given up pushing myself when I feel like that - it's just not worth the stress.

Sorry you're feeling so low.

ETA - sorry, didn't see your last - no wonder you're exhausted! That would be a lot if you were in perfect health, never mind dealing with chrohns too. Definitely think it's your body telling you to slow down a wee bit
 
This is my life. I know exactly what you are talking about, I feel it every day. There are days I feel like I literally can't move, my legs won't support me, sometimes my knees give out. I have constant aching pain in my lower back, hips, thighs, and knees. After a really full day (by which I mean the average person's normal day), I ache and throb all over. It feels like someone has replaced my blood with molasses. It affects my ability to think, too. I feel like someone has turned down a switch in my brain and everything gets clogged and slowed down and cloudy. My cognitive processing, short term memory, and executive functioning are all greatly diminished. I want to sleep all the time, no matter how much I got or how regular my sleep schedule is. This has been going on for 11 years and most doctors don't even take it seriously.

So many people with Crohn's describe this, I feel like there has to be a connection. My nutritionist suggested that it's an auto-immune symptom, but what that means exactly, what the mechanism is, and the cause are all still unclear.

I have had hundreds of tests and tried dozens of treatments and not one thing has worked even a little bit. I don't want this to be my life. I want to go to graduate school next year and if I feel like I'm barely holding on with my classes as an undergrad, how on earth will I survive graduate school?

But to mrs. vr, I find your weepiness to be an interesting symptom. For me, that only happens when I'm depressed (I'm bipolar). And depression can certainly cause every one of your symptoms. Depression I believe can also occur when your body is in a state where its absorption is compromised and your brain lacks the nutrients to function properly. I'm not sure what you could do about that. I'm not a big fan of anti-depressants generally. I do take one, but it's a low dose and it doesn't have the typical side effects. I would talk to your doctor about it, especially if in addition to feeling weepy, you have depressive thoughts.
 
M

mrs. vr

Guest
AgB, it's very interesting you mention memory loss. I was sitting here at five o'clock, and my husband calls and say's "have you taken Sam to baseball already?" (Sam is our 12 year old). Of course, I had COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN, and he was supposed to be there then! I did find out that a good dose of adrenaline helps at least a little bit, cause we did get up and get there pretty quickly...however, the minute i got home, I got a call to come back...he broke his wrist sliding into 3rd base! We spent the evening in the ER. About 30 mins or so after we got there, the aching really kicked back in again.

Re: depression, I don't have clinical depression, however, after going through some major stress in our family a couple of years ago (financial and health all at once, we thought my husband might die for awhile), I did start taking lexapro for anxiety. However, the fatigue doesn't seem to be really related to anything specifically.

I also forgot a regularly scheduled thing on Tuesday when this bout started, right before it hit me. About two years ago, before we had all the stress, I had a friend visit from out of town. While she was here, we went to the grocery store. Later that day, I could remember going to the store, but NOTHING from the time we were there. That scared me. Very interesting connection.
 
A

AndyCrohnsPatient

Guest
Yes. I just try to just relax when that happens but it hurts to much to some times.
 

fenway1971

Sports Crohnie
Fatigue, yes. Feeling totally unmotivated, yes.

Gotta learn to take whatever rest you can get. I also find that regular exercise helps if you discipline yourself to do it.
 
B

Babe123

Guest
yesi get that.. sometimes im that tired i cant sleep.. its weird. i get especially tired in the afternoon.. more tired than i ever used to. although i sometimes wake up tired.. i dont get it.

i get aches and pains every where. its a nightmare being in college..being nackered and trying to concentrate in lessons and then walk to and from class (which is a very long walk).. im never going to cope when ive got a full time job :(
x
 
AgB... interesting what you say about cognitive processes... my brain turns to mush at work sometimes... weird, suddenly it's all gone and I'm no use to man nor beast (as we say around here)
My brain turns to mush at home too, but it's less of a problem if I'm just trying to decide between peas or beans!
 

Kev

Senior Member
Fatigue!!!! Big time... Wasn't sure if it was age, or disease.. but then I think back to me just 4 years back.. before I got ill.. Either I aged 20 in those 4, else its the disease. Brain is mush... I used to think I had something on the ball, a little more grey matter than grey hair. I could whip thru a crossword puzzle (in ink) in less than 10 minutes.. Rubiks cube took a little longer (no record breaker here).. I have a collection of Chinese puzzles (executive office toys passed along to me by fellow execs.. many engineers.. who couldn't ever suss them out.. ) Now.. I can't figure out the wiring to my old N trusty stereo system. ME???? My background is in electronic engineering specializing in computers...
Not to sound too egotistical... but thats akin to Fred Astaire not being able to do the Chicken dance. That's when I feel like I've been hit by a truck, a big one
 
My fatigue symptoms started 10 years before my Crohn's symptoms. It's really hard to say what's a result of what. Especially when I got to college and actually had to think, it feels like my brain just isn't getting enough fuel. I don't know how I survived to my senior year.
 
I work in construction, luckily I'm in management, so it's not as physical as it was years ago for me.
But, I remember days when I fell to my knees with my head on the ground, because I couldn't walk any more.
the lads I worked with knew me, and they would just walk around me (probably saying "he's skiving again!!!"

By the way, hi folks, I'm new here.
 
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