Fibromyalgia Community

I think the fatigue is the hardest symptom to treat. Some have more energy with extra B vitamins, so you might ask your doctor about that. My tummy didn't like them.

Another thing that helps fatigue is to have a very comfortable bed. I sleep best with my heated mattress pad on low. I seem to get less stiffness with that subtle heat. Others swear by memory foam toppers. There are also feather bed toppers if you're not allergic. I also require a low dose of Ambien to reduce the tossing and turning.

I believe there actually is a test for CFS, but I don't know how accurate it is. I keep forgetting to ask my rheumy about that. Fibro Fog...lol.

Thanks for the feedback! The fatigue and fibro fog are so difficult to deal with and so difficult to try to explain to others.

MeandMyFibro,

As you know, some days it's hard to summon up the energy to chew a meal, much less fix one. That's why it's so important that we have high nutrition foods instantly available.
Let's face it, it's easier to eat junk food. But junk food doesn't make us well. Real food does.

When I'm up to cooking, I make sure to set aside extra portions in the freezer for my bad days. I have some divided plates with covers that I got at the $ store. You can grab a whole meal and pop it in the microwave on a bad day.

I do things like make up zip lock baggies of oatmeal with my premeasured 1/3 cup (I keep that scoop in the drum of oatmeal.) and some raisins and cinnamon or other dried fruit. On a bad day, I dump a packet in a bowl, add hot tap water, stir, and watch the microwave. When the oatmeal bubbles up, I give it a stir. When it bubbles up again, it's ready. The whole thing takes less than 1 minute. Add milk.

When fruit is on sale, I freeze up single serve baggies and throw them in the freezer too. Berries are great frozen. They melt in your mouth. Frozen sliced bananas are great too. All of them work in smoothies too.

If you're doing a roast or a meatloaf, be sure to do enough to freeze for the whole family to eat on a really bad day. (Or do the single meal bit and let them pick and choose their own.)

Always have some canned staples on hand, too. Even on your worst days you can probably open a can.

I fully believe that the fatigue we feel during a flare can be helped--at least a little--with better nutrition. So plan ahead for the bad days and they may not be so bad.

Hope this helps.

BetteK

Thanks for all the tips!

Hello and welcome...MiMi in NC...I have already provided a reply to your post...I guess it got lost in cyber space...as I do not see it now.

I would indeed encourage you to be sure and get your Vitamin D checked...low Vitamin D can cause additional pain for some people and it can also affect other illnesses as well. Once you do this and find out if your level is low, then you should also do your own research on Vitamin D...it does take time and effort to get your levels back within the *normal range*...a lot of doctors do not understand enough about Vitamin D...It took me a very long time to get my level back up...and I do not think I would have done so on the advice that my doctor provided me.

I now take a multi vitamin with extra D...(Source one 50 from walmart is a good brand) I also take the following: Omegas, Super B complex, Magnesium Malate, Fibro Response, Calcium...plus others...as I do have other health issues.

I also have chronic fatigue...and I have been told that there is nothing that will help this...I have good days and not so good days...some being worse than others...I have found nothing which helps...I try to watch what I eat and drink plenty of water every day. I also do gentle exercises and stretches....nothing has helped..

If you find something that helps...I hope you will share it with us.

Take care and good luck.



MiMi

Hi MeandMyFibro... I remember asking that question... It was a long time before my FM diagnosis that I was diagnosed with CFS... I would just crash and start falling asleep standing up... I would sleep for days and nights non-stop for 3-4 days in a row... And at the time there wasn't pain associated with it...Just a loot of weakness... My legs wouldn't work... Knees wobbled terribly when I tried to stand and I would inevitably collapse... Just straight down... Today I say it is like a broken yoyo... I go down... But don't come back up...

Then as the FM got worse in the past 5 yrs it got worse... And as my FM and MS and Parkinson's Disease flared altogether I fall asleep in the middle of anything... and everything... There is nothing that will keep me awake and sometimes nothing will wake me...

I was told to read these websites when I asked about it...

http://ask.healthline.com/health/chronic-fatigue-syndrome

http://ask.healthline.com/hlvideo-5min/how-fibromyalgia-and-chronic-fatigue-connects-213400236

I found them to be helpful...

I wish I could help more but I have to go shower so I canb start my busy afternoon... Have my Hearing Loss of America Association Meeting to leave for soon.... Then my counselling... Then prayerfully some rest... I am ready to crash as is... LOL...

Have a good day... Take care...

Love... Jan/Dakota

Thanks for the ideas BetteK! Just yesterday I was thinking that I desperately needed to get some easy meal ideas and ingredients on hands for those days that I feel I can barely lift my head off a pillow! lol!!! The fatigue has been all consuming lately and yet I know that my family still needs to eat!!!