Oh, the fatigue...

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AgB621

AgB621

Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
223
You know that feeling where you've been cramming for an exam and you've studied non-stop for several hours and your brain just won't process anymore? That if someone were to ask you something as simple as what you want for dinner it would take upwards of half a minute for your brain to process what they said? I feel that way constantly. I've literally not had a minute where I haven't felt that way in years. I know I don't get nearly as much out of my schooling as I should and I'm worried about going on to graduate school and having to do even more intense work. I get tired to the point of feeling like I need a nap if I try and study for more than half an hour, I expend what little energy my brain has that quickly.

And there's the problem: my brain isn't getting enough fuel. I know it, I am absolutely certain of it, I feel it. It's a physical sensation. My brain feels slowed down, it feels clogged. It must be an absorption problem. My nutritionist suggested that my digestive system has such a hard time breaking down food that it expends more energy digesting than it gets from the food that's digested. This is the most plausible explanation I've gotten in the more than 10 years I have complained of fatigue.

My dad was recently tested for Celiac through a blood test, which isn't definitive, but it did come up positive. He's going to try going gluten-free, and I might as well too. I'm just hoping it will help. Even a 10% reduction in my level of fatigue would make me feel like I've been reborn.

But does anyone else get this feeling? It's not just my brain but my whole body that feels like it's not getting enough fuel, but the physical exhaustion is far easier for me to deal with than the mental exhaustion. I'm sick of it, and I'm sick of feeling like even if I could do the work in grad school intellectually, the fatigue will make it impossible so it won't matter how capable I am.
 
I've answered in fatigue threads before, because it's something I suffer from. But I've not seen a description that quite has it so much "on the button" as yours! The mental "fog" is weird, and there are times at work when I can tell I'm just not functioning like I know I can. I don't suppose that helps, but at least you're not alone. I'll be interested to see what other people say.
By the way, I've sometimes wondered if it's actually a sign of clinical depression, but with depression, you just don't want to do anything, with this, I really want to do stuff, but just haven't got the energy to do it.
 
I've been clinically depressed before. I'm bipolar. At first my psychiatrist assumed it was the depression. That was 5 years ago. It's definitely different than just being depressed! And you are absolutely right that the major difference is that we really do want to do stuff, but just feel too tired.
 
i am also fatigued, let me tell you i tried gluten free and got more fatigued. wheat is good for me, so attempt to lessen and see how it is for you but i wouldn't do a drastic cut.
 
I'm tired all the time now. I have to force myself out of bed in the morning, and then when I get back from classes I go right back to bed. I've been in bed most of today. I don't really feel that bad I'm just tired. I'm having a hard time concentrating on my studies at home too. I have two exams and an essay due next week. I don't think I'm going to do too well...

I was getting monthly B-12 shots before I moved, and I found they helped with the fatigue. I really should find out how I can set that up again, but I've just been so tired that I don't really feel like doing anything after class most of the time.

Sometimes I've felt like someone scooped out my brains and replaced them with cotton-balls. I've had trouble with memory, and being able to focus. While I do still have some problems with it, it's not as bad the last few months. I'm mostly just tired these days.

I'm going to try taking more vitamins to see if that helps. I've heard that the powdered kind is more easily absorbed.
 
wiles liquid is the easiest to absorb.

i dont care so much about the fatigue its when i feel like im gonna collapse in public that i get scared. does anyone else have these spells of dizziness and like they r just gonna fall down?
 
When I was having problems with dizziness and passing out my doctors said it was probably because my electrolyte levels were low.
 
My understanding of gluten-free is that you can't do it halfway. So, as of this afternoon (I had a bagel at breakfast) I'm officially going gluten-free. I'll try for a week or two and if I feel better, I'll keep at it, and if not as least I gave it a try.
 
ab good luck, but i think if you reduced wheat greatly even if you do have celiac disease you would find a reduction in symptoms.
 
I've been suffering serious fatigue lately. I've had it for awhile now but its gotten out of control ridiculous like sleeping for 20 hours and then being up for 4 or 5 hours and crashing again for another 15. Agent nailed it, I _want_ to do things I just don't have enough energy to do them and when I do get out and do stuff for any length of time it absolutely wipes me out.

I've had the dizziness and mental fog too, totally sucks. Someone will ask a very simple question and its as if the word is in my head but I can't get my mouth to open and say it.
 
Thanks for the advice, hippie. I'll keep a close eye on the fatigue and if things start to feel worse I'll try wheat again and see what happens. So far I'm just as fatigued but some of my bloating and nausea seem a bit better after only one day. I know it's early to tell, but I was bringing a ginger tea to every class last week and today I felt almost okay. We'll see.
 
In the last few days, I have really felt fatigued. I wake up in the morning and still feel so tired. I just want to lie down. Does changing meds help at all? At one point my doctor was going to put me on remicade but I was feeling pretty good so I kept taking the meds I was on.
 
Unfortunately fatigue in varying degrees is part of the crohns journey..

Meds too though CAN contribute to it and as we are all different and react in different ways its something worth discussing with your GI next time. They may recommend a change.

Something to think about though is if this fatigue is new are you beginning to flare or do you have infection brewing?

Keep an eye on how you are progressing and see your GI or other doc if you need to.
 
When I read your initial description of how you are feeling, my immediate reaction was "Finally! Someone knows exactly how I feel!" I have been trying to describe this feeling to my husband for sometime, and I think you hit the nail on the head. I want to do things, I just can't make my body cooperate and my head feels like it is in a constant cloud.

For me, I get this way every time I take cipro and flagyl for my fistulas (which is quite often). I have taken these meds enough now to know for sure that there is a definitive link. I start feeling this way about a week to ten days after my intial dose. I was reading posts on a different forum and somebody offered the explanation that this feeling comes from the infection working its way out of your body, which made a lot of sense to me. I have sort of accepted this as a valid explanation and I know that I will feel this way whenever I take these meds. I just wanted to throw this out there to you in case you are able to make a link between infection and the way you feel.
 
Fatigue ?

I have had CD since the age of 16 I am now 47 . The best I haveheard CD decribed is this. I never feel well enough to feel good nor do I feel bad enough to be sick . Fatigue even comes with all the meds they have Ive been on them all currently on tysabri.
 
Zman said:
I never feel well enough to feel good nor do I feel bad enough to be sick .
Click to expand...

Hi Zman. I've been diagnosed a similar amount of time. What you've written there sums me up a lot of the time. Luckily I've not felt really bad for a while,but constant tiredness is a fact of life!
 
Thanks for the advice soupdragon. I have an appointment with my doctor in February. Definitely something I'll bring up.
 
Fatigue is definitely related to flaring in my case. I think it is the combination of your body working so hard to fight and malabsorption of nutrients. I was always losing weight when I was fatigued. My stricture did not help matters either.

Most mental and physical symptoms can be directly attributed to inflammation. In my opinion there is nothing more important than controlling the inflammatory response to resolve these problems. The trick is finding a method that works for you.

I used herbs, so I was able to use them regularly. I still do, but in smaller doses.

Dan
 
I thought my fatigue was just an inescapable part of Crohn's, or that it stemmed from the amount I'm working, but.. I was wrong. My latest bloodwork shows that I am severely anemic... despite my taking multi-vitamins. I'll be looking at various iron supplements this weekend. When was the last time you had your bloodwork?
 
i am 24 and have been feeling like plain old crap lately, really tired all the time, and having hard time concentrating, though i thought this was just normal for being a young parent who works 45 plus hours a week. i was diagnosed with chrons last year and shortly after went into the hospital for a week due to a flare that was so bad even walking felt like someone was stabbing me. 2 shots of morphine and i was still yelling at the nurse cause it wasnt helping. it was to the point where i was laying there that night and it felt like someone had a knife in me and was just twisting it... finally came the demoral and i woke up the next day in a hospital bed. but anyways, recently i have been so tired all the time i felt like checking it out on the internet and sure enough.... thats how i have been feeling. just want to do everything but just cant cause i get home from work and im exhausted, just want to lay down on the couch. dont even really have energy to clean the house. i recently asked my boss for a small raise and his reply was come to work on saturdays and i will give you more overtime. i looked at him and i said. "im not looking for sympathy but you really dont have a clue whats its like living with this disease. on my weekends im usually catching up on sleep from an exhausting week of work" this is torture. i want the energy i used to have when i was younger. so far i am on humira, 6mp, and pentasa... unfortunatly the gi said i can only have a small amount of 6mp cause something about my blood not taking well to it, basically im maxed out and i still constantly have some slight pain but i think it actually spread more. i work a parts counter at a hydraulic repair shop, plus i do the shipping & recieving and inventory. at the end of each day i litteraly say to myself i made it through another day.
 
i think my next appt im gonna bring up this fatigue issue, but just out of curiosity.. and i know everyne is differant. i always have a slight amount of pain or bulky discomfort in my more affected area. is this normal day to day for the rest of my life type of thing? or will it go away at some point?
 
83, I am 24 also and I feel like an old man walking up stairs, I don't make plans far from my place because I am get so tired, dehydrated and feel like I am gonna faint. I want my old self back!
 
ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINKS MANGO FLAVOUR.


B12 and B6 are recommended for crohn's patients and taurine as well, high levels of glucose, and sugar are highly recommended. Hope you passed ur exams.
 
This thread is sooo me!!

I have such a hard time staying up all day!! I feel like I am drunk at times I get that cloudy.....:confused2:

There are days that I feel it requires all my energy to get up and half-way assembled in the morn.

Green barley helps with the fatigue for me. But it doesn't get rid of it, it just makes it so I can function.
 

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