Fatigue

Fatigue can be a lot. I was never officially diagnosed with fatigue, but I have certainly experienced it many times. Imagine waking up for the day and you are unable to get out of bed for thirty minutes to a hour. Sometimes it's exhausting, draining, and could even be very painful.

Living with fatigue sometimes prevents me from being successful in some of the things I would like to get done every day. Things like going daily grocery shopping, walking a mile, and more. I feel as if I was hit with a garbage truck and was left there. Not only is fatigue physically difficult, mentally, it is hard as well. I am not a dependable person when it comes to remembering things due to my fatigue.

Fatigue impacts my memory

If it was not for myChart, I would not remember my appointments anymore. Being in social media and getting the opportunity for collaborations is great, but I sometimes forget to post. I know its not anyone else's responsibility, but sometimes I wonder if it's too much to ask people to remind me to post a hour or so beforehand because I will honestly forget.

For me, brain fog and fatigue go hand in hand. I used to be late to class, and I mean almost every class, in college due to fatigue. It's like a itch you cant scratch or a big scar you can not get rid of at times. I don’t know if others felt this way but sometimes it feels as if I could pass out because of my fatigue. When standing, overdoing something or exerting myself too much can lead me into a bad position.

Fatigue doesn't discriminate

One thing about fatigue is that it does not discriminate. Plenty of autoimmune diseases cause fatigue, but living with both lupus and chronic kidney disease can sometimes cause a set back.

I am also a mother of two, and sometimes I just have to suck it up. Your children at a young age know that mommy is sick but they do not completely understand why I might not be there all of the time. My daughter was looking for me during my last emergency room visit. It broke my heart because they kept me in the hospital for three days and she couldn’t come see me.

Adjusting to fatigue

I have learned to adjust it to my life even though it took a lot of time. It was not easy to accept that fatigue will always be in my life no matter what. It's hard to cancel plans when you planned for them, all because you do not feel good and your doctor says it's not a good time. I learned to not let this condition have me like it use to. I use to be stuck in my room sleeping because of the fatigue. For me, cardio thirty minutes a day keeps the fatigue away.