Serious Fatigue

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Trish

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Hi, newbie to the forum here but not a newbie to Crohn's. I've had it for 9 years (I'm 32 years old) and I've been in remission now for almost two years. I've steadily put my weight back on since my last bout but I've gained a lot more than I wanted to. I was so used to eating as much as possible to keep the weight on, now I have terrible eating habits. :ylol2: go figure!

Well, I've been exercising to not only to get my weight under control but to also keep my body active and I always wind up feeling so run down after my exercise. I do a treadmill on a low setting for about 20-25 minutes and when I'm done I can barely stand. My legs will just start to hurt so much that I have to lay down and take some Advil.

I have read that it may be a B12 deficiency and that I could get shots to help me feel more energetic. The only thing that really seems to work for me is high quantities of caffeine and that's not good for me.

Have any of you ever gotten B12 shots before and if so did they help even with the Crohn's Disease?

I'll discuss it with my doctor the end of the month when I see him but I'm just curious what others with Crohn's have done about the fatigue. :)
 
B12 shots may be worth looking into.

Also try different types of exercise. If your legs are hurting where is the pain. A bike will put very little stress on your joints as opposed to walking and you shouldn't be in as much pain. Don't ride a bike though if you have an abscess or fistula or if you are recovering from one. I did that and got and abscess again within a day of riding my bike.

As always talk to your doctor but you are already going to be doing that.

Finally, welcome to the forum.
 
Thanks for the welcome Jeff!

And it seems no matter what I do my joints and body hurt. I do think that has a lot to do with the Crohn's in general though. I did a little more reading today about the B12 shots and I think I might try it out and see if it helps me.

I also called the University of Penn Hospital today, here in Pennsylvania. My GI has been wanting me to go down there for a while now but its quite a hike for me. They have a department just for IBD patients so I made an appointment. I'll bring up to them as well about the fatigue and see what they suggest.

Ugh, I have had more abscesses than I can count. It's been two years since an infection but the fistula are still there. I think riding a bike might really aggravate my backside too much, I have a very small hole in my butt-cheek where they had to drain an abscess last time and it tends to get irritated easily. None of my fistula closed, even with Remicade. :( Mean old fistula.

You make a good pint though, the treadmill might be putting too much stress on my joints. I'm going to take a break from it until I figure out why it hurts so much.

Thanks Jeff! ^__^
 
hiya Trish, & welcome :)

yes - i have B12 injections every 3 months, and have had for many years now. i cant really say that they give me more energy as such - but they do take away the signs of the deficiency that i sometimes start to feel when the injection is due.

the most noticeable signs are dizziness and tingling in my hands/fingers, and an overwhelming tiredness.

i've always had achy legs right from childhood, and any leg exercise such as treadmill, walking uphill, or aerobics is guaranteed to bring on the pain. i dont know if this is Crohns related or not - i suspect it is.

i'm not sure if its the same where you are, but here in the UK i don't think anyone can get B12 injections unless they are proved to be lacking in that vitamin, or have had that particular part of their bowel removed.
 
Okay so you are in the same boat as me since I can't ride a bike either due to just having an abscess a few weeks ago. If you want to continue to exercise then try to figure out what parts of the body you want to work on. If you hae exercise bands they can do wonders. You will get a light workout with not too much stress on the bones and joints as well as you will get toned. With bands it's all about the repetition and not the amount of strength it takes to pull it. That being said make sure you don't get super easy bands or super hard ones. Get bands that slightly challenge you and another set that challenges you a little more. Test them out in a sporting goods store as they always seem to have a lot of different bands. Good luck
 
I can't stand my fatigue but for now I'm still chalking it up to Pred withdrawal, if it continues, a new suspect may arise....
 
tired too

Hi, never posted before... but I'm 30 and have ad CD since I was 12... been on many medications and had a wonderful 11 year remission (normal CD symptoms during that time, but never anything severe). 2 yrs ago I had a perianal abcess that I had drained and now is a fistula with a seton in it for about 1 1/2 years now. For the last year my body has slowly been containing a flare up. Since November I have gone downhill, with pain and fatigue. Abdominal pain (a snake like bubble that has gotton less). Been on Humira now for 2 months... it is slowly beginning to work, but I AM SO DAMN TIRED I CAN"T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! Started Iron infusions once a week since my hemoglobin is 9.9 (very anemic). I am hoping this will boost my energy since I still have hardly an appetite and have lost much weight. I am 5'2" went from 129 two years ago to 95 pounds now. I used to have energizer bunny strength now I have none. Blood results say my B12 is fine so hopefully this Iron thing works out. I am so sick of feeling tired!!! I am sure you all can relate.
 
Oh, brother, can I relate. I'm no spring chicken; but when my overall fatigue was at it's worst... it was humiliating. Literally, a 30 minute mild exertion resulted in my being down for the count for 1 - 1 N 1/2 hours. I literally couldn't do anything w/ getting exhausted easily.. Even socializing, holding a conversation. 1 minute I would be OK, the next.. bingo. Couldn't keep my head up, eyes open. I could fall asleep sitting up... Made me feel old even beyond my years. Terribly hard on the ego... your feelings of self worth evaporate. I am not back to normal, may never get there... but my typical energy levels on LDN have been soooo .. 'welcome', .. 're-assuring'.. almost even 're-invigorating'. Much of my lack of energy is due to the disease, but some of it I think is some mild/moderate depression accompanying the damned disease
 
hi Fuzzycasty - welcome to the forum, and i love your username :D

hopefully the blood transfusions you're having will start to kick your energy levels up - a low count like that is enough to exhaust you, without having Crohns or a poor diet! are you taking any meal replacements or supplements while you can't eat?
 
dingbat: Ah okay, at least the injections help you some. I think I'll discuss it with the doc and maybe give it a test-run. I don't get the tingling but I defintely have the tiredness and dizziness. Sometimes I'll be walking somewhere and it hits me and I almost lose my balance. I'm not entirely sure about here in the US but I'm almost positive my own insurance won't cover it unless its necessary, so we're both on the same page there. And thanks for the welcome! ^_^

Jeff: I'll have to look into those exercise bands. Sounds like something I might be able to handle instead of the treadmill. Thanks!

BWS1982: I wasn't on the prednisone but something similar for about a month after my last huge flare. I can only imagine how they can make you feel when you have to stop taking them after being on them for a while. :( Hang in there, I here that goes away the longer you are off them.

fuzzycasty: I wasn't on the Humira but I was on Remicade and that made me tired as well! The Imuran was even worse! I stopped taking because it was making me so tired and now they are going to try me out on a new one, not sure which one yet though. I also had anemia like that and got the iron infusions. Boy did they help a lot! Do you feel like you're getting some of your energy back? I'm sure they have you on the full amount of treatments with an iron count that low. I remember my hematologist telling me he was surprised I could get out of bed mine was so low. He said my red blood cells were so small. I had no idea what he was talking about lol. I'm so clueless. :p I really hope they help you, I know being anemic is no fun. :(

Kev: :( Coping with this disease is not easy. Think of it like I do: Anyone who can handle all the pain and anguish this disease dishes out is one heck of a strong person. After I was diagnosed, I got very depressed. I don't think it's fair for anyone to have to deal with any kind of disease. *hugs*

Thank you everyone for adding to the topic! It helps a lot to here everyone's sides. ^__^
 
i drink at least 2 smoothie boosts a day... sick of ensure! the smoothies are actually good and have a lot of calories and protein... still pooped, sux b/c the mind wants to do so much and i have "episodes" of energy where i feel normal and then all of the sudden I crash. Was at a funeral luncheon today... had to get up and go to my car because I thought I was going to fall asleep at the table lol. Anyway... pain is still less and I have 4 more infusions of iron left. Energy and appetite will come back in time... just sick of waiting!!! Wish you all well!
 
I have been using this one B 12 vitamin, but it is the type that you place under your tongue and it disolves. It says that it is equal to having a B12 shot.
I went on it after I went off of pred. It works really good for me.
 
I take a supplement which has a large dose of b12, but im still really fatigued. I also take iron. I noticed many people hear mention taking a b12 shot and iron shot.

would a shot be better absorbed than a vitamin tablet or something that dissolves powder? Maybe im just not absorbing with my multi-vitamin because as i type this i think im gonna collapse. im desperate.
 
i drink lots of redbull and sugary drinks.. its soo bad for me :( i jsut cant help my self

x
 

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