Extreme fatigue support page

[[bl...]]

Hello BB'S!!

I hope you all are getting some relief!

 

I was mia for 10 days due to having a long window!! So thankful to! However, sxs returned 4 days ago. Fatigue, anxiety, panic attacks etc. I shall continue to push forward!! 

 

Stay strong!  &

[[sh...]]

In the past I have taken Green Tea tablets to help with fatigue. Ironically, fatigue hasn't hit me except for the few days that I tried to taper Wellbutrin down along with the others. That fatigue went right down to the bone! My arms felt like weights!

Regarding green tea, since it does have caffeine, it would be an individual thing depending on your level of anxiety. 

[[Mi...]]

Sorry, but I'm going to do some major whining here. I don't know how you people can hike, exercise, work, etc. For four days this week I've been barely able to get out of bed to eat. And I'm microtapering VERY SLOWLY. There must be something terribly wrong with me. I'm not healing, just getting worse. Is there any hope? Anybody else who is in as bad a shape as me? I feel so broken.

 

Thanks for letting me vent.

 

MirandaJane

[[MT...]]

MJ, I would suspect that your gastroparesis and the nutritional issues you likely have as a result contribute greatly to your fatigue. How are those things going for you? I noticed that when I had gastroparesis, even when I seemed to be getting adequate nutrition with supplements, I was somehow fatigued and weak in a way that didn't make sense to me. I wonder if it doesn't affect the entire nervous system in some way as it's a nerve issue. Hang on. You're gradually getting to where you need to be.

 

MT

[[Lo...]]

Well the last 2 weeks has been terrible , nearly bedridden again and totally housebound. Thought i was starting to turn a corner around the 5 month mark only to be slammed again , amazing how brutal WD can be but i guess we just gotta hang in there.

 

Sorry about the morbid post , just need to vent.

 

Hope you all are keeping well

[[bc...]]

Sorry Lockie that you are still struggling with some tough symptoms....they just don't want to leave.  Mine don't want to leave either. I still have all my symptoms and some new ones that popped up....and they are all very intense, with no let up at all.  I may be going through this till the day I am completely healed...ugh.  I hate this ride.  I just want to get off.

 

Hang in there Lockie....we will get thru this..

 

Sending healing hugs to all BBs....we will all get there.... :hug:

[[Lo...]]

Thanks becalm ,  im coping most of the time but sometimes it gets a bit much you know? So brutal seeing small improvements then getting slammed again for weeks . Had all 4 seasons today to the extreme - anxiety, fatigue, soreness , derealisation and 3 hours of heart palps just to throw a new one into the mix , cycled through like a merry go round i even had half hour window. At least all the other symptoms have pretty much gone or very mild.

 

Sorry you are still suffering so badly a window would have to be close. How far out are you now?? Its a rough road but we just gotta hold on! Keep strong becalm - sending healing hugs your way 

 

MT i noticed you dissappeared again! i hope this means your having another nice window.

 

 

[[MT...]]

Hi fellow fatigued friends.

 

Lockie what you're experiencing is so frustrating. I had a big uptick in symptoms at 5 months. You've got a miserable combo there. Becalm, I'm sorry to read that you're getting slammed too.

 

I've been wiped out all week. I want to be able to feel good about the hiking and stuff I was able to do but all too frequently I'm slipping into discouragement that I've felt so bad this week. Every day seemed like it was a little worse with fatigue being the most intense symptom (not including the usual not sleeping).

 

I did manage to spend some time at the university where my hubby works yesterday to help with a planetarium show and a brunch for the students. I was dragging myself every second but I wanted just a bit of normalcy.

 

How do others make those decisions about where, when, and how hard to push? I've been pushing so hard through all of this and right now I feel like it's backfiring.

 

MT

[[bc...]]

MTfan....sorry that you are going thru a rough patch.....but you have done well to be going out and doing things.  It is hard to know when to push thru things and when not too.  You have been doing a number of things and I think you are doing very well.

 

For me....at 12 weeks out...I feel I am not moving forward at all...the depression is soooo bad along with the fatigue and anxiety (plus other symptoms)  I am not functional at all and have lost all interest in things and feel emotionally flat.

 

Hope you will have more good days coming up.....Sending you healing hugs and thoughts.......

[[Mi...]]

Lockie, bcalm, Blueskies, MTFan, blessed, shudda - I'm sorry to hear you are having such awful symptoms. I'm right in there with you. Only I'm still tapering - and have more than a year to go, depending on how fast I can tolerate it. To hear that there will be many more months of misery after I finish my last dose is SO depressing! I can hardly get through today - anxiety near panic, exhaustion, depression, etc.. You all are rock stars for your endurance.

 

Wishing you the best,

MirandaJane

[[MT...]]

Bcalm, I sure remember the emotional torture with the paradoxical emotional flatness. At about 3 or 4 months post jump I noticed I actually laughed when listening to a David Sedaris book on CD and I realized I hadn't done a real (not faked) laugh in probably a year or so. That told me it would come. Now I'm not flat at all. I've had to learn to cope with very strong emotions again, even feeling moved by something beautiful. It will come.

 

MJ, I know how discouraged you are to have such a long time in front of you. Since you're tapering nice and slowly your chances of feeling better sooner are better. I did a bunch of off and on and tapered over 3-4 weeks twice and cold turkeyed z-drugs. You have plenty of reason for hope and for taking good care of yourself. Learn from some of our mistakes. Mine at least. I believe in your ability to get through this.

 

MT

[[Lo...]]

Hi becalm, i know the emotional flatness all too well! It lifted for me in my 4th month and feel like my personality is back. I can talk to friends and have a conversation (even a laugh) if the DR isnt too bad. This is one of the first ones to leave. Sorry you are suffering , hang in there buddie!

 

Hi MT , Pushing through is a tricky one and i know all too well it can go either way really fast. I never venture too far from home as there is nothing worse than getting stranded too far away lol. Sometimes i push and it pays off and sometimes it backfires spectacularly! I try to push just out of my comfort zone but not too far incase i need a hasty retreat. This is a tricky one and im glad you bought it up.

 

MJ - i know what your saying and it is a long hard road but you WILL get there. Listen to your body and dont push too hard , the aim is to stay semi functional not get to the finish line first! If you push too hard and get dysfunctional its going to take a long hold to get semifunctional again and you wont heal any quicker anyway........ take it from someone who pushed too hard all taper and jumped way too early i caused my body a lot of chaos due to my stubborness!

 

Hope you all are keeping well - big hugs from Australia

[[bc...]]

Hi MJ.....I know this is a tough journey....but you will get thru it and you may find that your withdrawal is not difficult at all. 

 

Hi MT....  Glad that that emotional flatness does go away...I am waiting for that laugh.....a real genuine laugh.  Take care.

 

Lockie.... Good to know that the personality does come back.....I am still looking for mine.  Haven't had a window of clarity yet.

 

So...the apathy, depression, fatigue and anxiety need to go.....NOW would be great. I think we can all use a break....we deserve one.. I sure hope all of you are having as good a day as you can possibly have.

 

Sending healing hugs and thoughts to all.........

[[Lo...]]

Hang in there becalm , it will come. We are all tired, battle fatigued, worn out and sore. Its criminal what this poison does to us and at the bottom of a wave and during acute you just cant see hope but trust from someone thats been there it does get better. My last 2.5 weeks were near on acute again but got a shimmer or normality last night and sitting at a better baseline today. We will beat this!

[[MT...]]

I wore myself out doing the holiday grocery shopping and baking some cookies yesterday. But I'm aware that the last two years other people had to help with every aspect of menu planning, grocery shopping and cooking as I was barely putting one foot in front of the other. I haven't baked like that in 20 years. Stupid benzos and wd.

 

Today I'm in bed so far but that's OK. My kids fly in tonight. Yay!

 

I know this time of a year is a challenge for all of us. We want to feel better, be able to do normal things but our bodies and brains have their limits. Let's try to look for even the smallest successes (pouring yourself a bowl of cereal, walking from one room to the other, wrapping a present, smiling at someone you care about) and keep our eyes on the prize of recovery.

[[Lo...]]

Hi buddies hope you are all keeping well and merry xmas eve!

 

I have seen a considerable improvement over the last few days, symptoms have gone from brutal to managable. So glad month 5 is over , it was horrible. Still fatigued and sore but nothing on the last 4 weeks.

 

Keep strong buddies my thoughts and prayers are with you all.

 

KEEP FIGHTING 

[[Mi...]]

MT fan, Lockie, bcalm - thanks for your encouragement. I'm trying to stay semifunctional, but I can't get out of my house, can't drive, can't be around people - all I can do is take care of my basic needs. Fortunately, I have a loving husband who can support me financially and emotionally, but only two friends who are sticking with me.

 

Today was a bad day - in bed almost all day. Feeling flu-like, weak, shaky, only got up to eat. So far to go. I want to cry. Maybe I will. What the hell. No Christmas for me this year. My son and husband are going to my sister and brother-in-laws house for dinner. I couldn't stand being around people or driving 40 minutes to their house, so I will stay home alone. Boo-hoo. Gotta quit feeling sorry for myself. I'll be glad when the holidays are over. Dentist appointment on Dec. 30. Big scare!

 

Thanks, guys,

MirandaJane

[[Lo...]]

Hang in there MJ and try not to stress too much about xmas. Im sure your family understands as much as the "normals" can.

 

Merry Xmas 

[[Mi...]]

Thanks, Lockie. I'm having a better day today, so far. One day at a time.

 

MirandaJane

[[Hi...]]

I am on 7mg  ativan  i just cut .5 in the last couple  weeks im reinstated  and i am so so sick i updosed cuz i couldnt take the torment  and now i cannot stay awake  sleeing 15 hours a  day nodding  durring  the day it feels like  im body giving out  so i cut and the methadone  too then went through  a bad wave then felt pretty  good for a week  now i cant stay awake  again and im filling  with terror i need  medical  assistance getting  off this stuff again  but im not doing  well idk where to go im so scared i cant taper and a detox will destroy  me i need help i cant find any anywhere i cant handle the psychotic symptoms and the terror.  But this severe fatigue is scaring  me its not just weekness i cannot wake up and when i do i wake up into a nightmare

[[Lo...]]

Hi Hip ,

 

I remember talking to you in the early days and sorry you are doing so badly. You have an extremely complicated situation with the methadone and benzo taper. I cant even imagine the horror you are going through.

 

Opiate WD is a lot shorter than benzo WD , would you be better off stabalising on your benzo and completing your opiate WD first then start your benzo taper again? Im no doctor and definitely not qualified to give advise on your situation.......... Just throwing it out there.

[[Lo...]]

Hi guys ,

 

how are you all?? Hope your Xmas went well and wasnt too chaotic! The last 4 days have been pretty good as far as WD standards go . Still sore and tired but that seems to be it ! Mild DR and a twinge of anxiety every now and then but symptoms are very managable right now. No soul destroying fatigue, no "im gonna die" anxiety. I have actually went out twice today  . It doesnt feel like im in a window more like my symptoms have eased up a notch. Really hoping things are finally taking a turn for the better..........

Fingers crossed.

 

Keep strong buddies, hope you all are keeping safe and well

[[MT...]]

Hi everyone.

 

I managed to power through the past few days and enjoy most of it despite very little sleep. Had a great visit with our two sons and lots of good food. They left this morning and it feels like wd filled in the space. Two nights in a row wide awake, I'm so tired I've been just lying down or sitting and all of my symptoms are kicked up. Still, I'm thankful for the bursts of normalcy and a far more normal holiday than the previous three. I told my family how much I appreciated them hanging in there with me being a mess for 3 years.

 

Lockie, I'm glad your baseline is improving. We're all getting there bit by bit.

 

MT

[[Mi...]]

I got through Christmas okay, but was hit by exhaustion and depression yesterday. In bed most of the day. Being in bed makes my depression worse, but what else can I do when I'm so tired and shaky that I can barely get up to eat?

 

Today I am much better physically and mentally. Go figure. I wish I could have some prediction of what is going to happen from day to day, hour to hour. Even better, I wish I had some control over my life! Maybe someday. I'm still tapering - at 9.45 mg. Valium and .16 mg. Ativan. Still a long way to go, as I get bad sx if I go faster. I don't even want to think about protracted withdrawal.

 

I've been watching Game of Thrones reruns. I love the show, but not sure if all the violence is good for my anxiety. Trying not to get scared about dentist visit on Wednesday.

 

I hope you are all well and having good days.

 

With buddy love,

MirandaJane

[[Us...]]

I have some news that may help some in this group...  If you started a benzo due to fatigue, anxiety or any other mystery illness type symptom...  This may have been caused by a latent virus that was stirred up due to high stress.  Taking benzo's actually feeds viruses, therefore symptoms get worse, then the incredible strain put on our bodies to withdrawal and try to recover the balance in the nervous system.  I am beginning an anti viral protocol in hopes of alleviating the burden of that on my body.  If this resonates with anyone, please feel free to PM me.  I can also list the protocol here if it will not offend. 

Peace to you all.