What Causes The Fatigue?

[lgtaylor100]

As a newbie I haven't been given a good answer to this question by doctors? What have you been told causes the fatigue in POTS. Is it low blood volume to the brain. What helps?

[comfortzone]

That's a good question but faces a very broad array of possible answers or clues....I say this because there are so many co-mobidities - the less than well understood Fibromyalgia, Joint Hypermobility, the dysautonomia, obstructive sleep apnea - even intermittent cervical cord compression - somewhere around here I have a book with theories - but there is more in common with POTS and like things with Chronic pain - even Chronic Fatigue syndrome....with other things - than fatigue from POTS alone....so bottom line - I guess is I don't know off hand ... but if I dig up that book and find anything useful I'll pass it along!

[HopeSprings]

Good question. I read (somewhere) that all these rapid heartrate episodes is like constantly running in place - that would be tiring! Also, a lot of us seem to have sleep problems, unrefreshing sleep, not enough deep sleep or REM sleep and other sleep disorders. For me just trying to get through a day dealing with all these symptoms is exhausting. I spend so much time just trying to FOCUS. I am trying to focus my attention, my eyes, work through the dizziness and brain fog. It's tough. And I would think fatigue is just a classic symptom of most illnesses. We're sick. I'm sure there are a dozen other reasons... which I'd also like to hear about.

[ladyt]

It does seem like most people whit some sort of cronic illnes do batle fatigue in on form or other, or in many forms and shapes.... Like for most ms patiens fatigue is the domenat symtoms before and often after other symtoms arive on the scene...

It seems like living whit pain tiers one, thyroid stuff tiers people, depression tiers people, the list could go on on on...

For me that was not the domenat symtom when younger really. I was very active, but i would have short periods i gess one could call fatige of some sort. And some activites would wear me down more than they should. But at that point of my life i actually sleept a lot, and well. Seldom during the day though, I have always needed to gett to sleep in the early evning or night. And i could never do like others and sleep in. Over the years the fatigue has grown.

Sitting and the lilte walking i do tiers me, some days more than others. Some days i can se why I am heavly in brainfog and body fatugie others not. And often its hard to seperat what is happening in the body. Was is fatugie what is the rest..?

And when not sleeping well for years, no wounder on getts tierd. When i do take sleeping pills ansd they do work, I do feel refreshed in the morning. A almost strange feeling. But whit doing stuff i gett gett easly tierd etc etc. But whit a racing hart i dont think that is weird.

But starting to write this i had some thoughts on the subject of a difrent kind, I hope u havnt drifted off before getting to this part=)

Last saturday, that nigth i actually sleept well (for being me, the first part of the nigth i sleept 4 hours not interupted, usaly am lucky to gett 2 hours whit out waking up in the begingin, and then the rest whit smaller intervals)..

I had this strange headacke though but i feelt much better in other ways. like not tierd and fatugied. I wasnt really awar of how tierd and fatuiged i really am before it ligthend up. So i lilte part of me though, yeahhh a miracle, but sitting and in the shower other sytoms started to grow. Bad, the end of it i had to return to bed.

Sorry to use to many words to explain this.

Returning to bed at first i feelt horible, but laying there (not flat, i never do that, i am reclained to some degree always) the headpain when from worse to better, and as long as i kept my arms and feet still they where less painfull. And the momenterly fatuige i had washed away. And saturday and sunday. I could actually read and so more imortant remeber what i read. I didnt feel fatugied at all, exept for after i had been to the toilet..

I couldnt type ore read long on the computer either, but i was mostly clear in my head. Its was bizzar, but i really liked that part bigg time=) Ther rest of the week the bizzaro sytoms stayed, i tryed to do some stuff, whit more or less bad outcome, but also some sort of small victorys (well maby not the right word, when i actually puched my self to do somthing, and not feeling good after).

But my sleep whent back to normal bad and whit it the tierness. But still this week, being on the computer have had other effects than normal. Like not so much brainfogg, but a growing headace/pain, and painfull weaking arms. Like now.

I whent to my subtetut gp, i got here to take my bloodpressure, insteed of getting low when siiitng and standing , it got high. I puls was the same old weirdo as ever. So this week have been a bizzar one for me.. Whit difrent forms of symtoms, like a difrent headace, difrent nausa, difrent bodytemp etc etc.. But for a couple of days i feelt sort of inteligent when laying down and not moving. That was great.

So what is fatigue? and why do we gett it? difrent reson for difrent people i gess... wasnt that a great answer

But as naomi said it its just a classic symtom of most illneses....

[potsgirl]

I agree with nowwhat! My doctor diagnosed me with chronic fatigue and I also have small fiber neuropathy - chronic pain in my hands and legs. Along with severe orthostatic intolerance, autonomic dysfunction, and vulvodynia (I won't bore you with the whole list of heart issues), it's enough to make the toughest of us whimper once in a while - or cuddle up for a long nap. So, it's probably not just the POTS, but everything that ties into it as well. Do you also get really weak? What meds are you taking?

Cheers,

Jana

[lgtaylor100]

Hi Janna -

Yes, I do get really weak. After any activity, even for half an hour, I need to lie down for hours. I have recently been sent to a neurologist who is testing for several neurological disorders because of the weakness.

To answer your questions about meds - I am taking 12.5 mgs for attenolol and 5 mgs. ambien. My doctor has prescribed flexoril, but I rarely take it because it increases the fatigue. Also, I was recently prescribed Savella which is for fibromyalgia,(not even sure if I have that) but I shook all day from it so I probably won't take it again.

Lynne