Fatigue is awful - anyone else?
Anyone else suffering with extreme fatigue that you can hardly lift legs and arms? I have no energy to even cook or eat.
The fatigue can be absolutely overwhelming at times. It’s one of the hardest parts of RA to manage and cope with. While you wait for others to share how they deal with it, you might find the comment section of this article really comforting and reassuring. You can access it here- https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/understanding-fatigue#comment-thread. All in all, please know you’re not alone in this. So many people with RA deal with the same thing, and hopefully you’ll find a bit of comfort here hearing from others who truly understand what that exhaustion feels like. Stay encouraged, Latoya (Team Member) I started to use ivermectin for inflammation and found I also had less fatigue when I took it. 12 mg once a day for one week.
That’s great that you found something that helps with fatigue as well as inflammation. Did you notice the fatigue improving right away, or did it take a few days on the medication? -Latoya (Team Member)
I never knew the fatigue could be so debilitating most days I cant get out of bed my limbs are so heavy and all I want to do is sleep and my consultant said there was not alot she could do for fatigue
I hear you. You're truly no alone in fighting this battle against fatigue. I want to share another article that gives some tips and advice on how to manage fatigue in hopes that it can be useful to you- https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/symptoms/fatigue-and-weakness. No matter what, know that you’re doing the best you can, and that counts for so much. You'll be in my thoughts, Latoya (Team Member) Hi
. In a bizarre way your consultant deserves points for honesty. Our contributor Andrew wrote years ago about the fact that fatigue is poorly understood and not treated: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/ra-fatigue-complex-poorly-understood. That said, in recent years there has been research into the root causes of fatigue. I want to share with you this other article on fatigue: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/morning-fatigue. If you check out the extensive comments section you will see a good conversation, including links to research into findings on potential causes of fatigue, which will hopefully lead to real treatments. Best, Richard (Team Member)
Absolutely! I'm doing somewhat better now (18 months after diagnosis) but early on I was so tired! Basic stuff like doing laundry was exhausting. Add to that, sleeping was very difficult (uncomfortable, constant shifting and still feeling the pain in my joints). The worst of both worlds.
My experience has been that once the meds FINALLY got working (took almost a year to get things right), I did better.
Best of luck. Hang in there.100% that seems to be the way it worked for me. Granted, it took my doctor 20 years to find a med that worked, and my RA doc never gave up, but once it got going, things were better. Now I only have to deal with the 30 years of damage the basically unchecked RA did! You are not alone! Keep on keepin' on, DPM Hi
. So great to hear things are improving for you. My wife, Kelly Mack (a contributor here), has a very similar story to . Both diagnosed as children, before modern treatments - with the damage to show for it. She also finally found a treatment that brought her inflammation levels into the normal range for the first time. The continuing of the trial and error method of finding a treatment is certainly frustrating, but at least there are now some options for people, to hopefully, avoid the damage that people like Kelly and Dan experienced. Best, Richard (Team Member)
