Fatigue: the Life Robber

Toward the end of May, Ron and I stayed with our grandchildren, ages 9 and 11, and all was well until I played an innocent game of tossing two basketballs simultaneously among the four of us. You had to be quick so that you didn’t end up holding two balls or getting hit by one before you passed the other one. It was great fun. The four of us were having a good time. We laughed when we forgot where to throw the ball next or ended up getting hit by an in-coming ball before getting rid of the first one.

But the next day it was no laughing matter when my body started screaming. O.K. I do have a bad knee that had a right to complain. And my arms and shoulders hurt—that was the voice of unused muscles speaking. But the fatigue—it rears its ugly head most days whether I’m active or not. And that day it demanded four naps!

I’ve learned that fatigue is a common factor for those of us with chronic conditions and/or injuries. And most days I’ve learned how to handle it—usually with two naps. But it’s those days when its demands overshadow my plans that cause me to despair—to grieve for my former life of good health.

Before post-polio, I could and did plan multiple activities for one day and even more for the evening. My calendar was full to the brim. This person was a Type A in all caps. But whammo—I could no longer even plan one thing in the AM and another in the PM. I couldn’t go out during the day and again at night. In fact, I try not to plan two activities on adjacent days now.

Fatigue: the guest that came to dinner and decided to become a permanent houseguest. It comes with a rest-of-your-life warranty. Oh, we’ve all tried this supplement, that juice, this new Rx and even some things that we shouldn’t have touched with a ten-foot pole, but fatigue is a reality in our lives.

Fatigue doesn’t travel alone either—it brings relatives: moodiness, loss of socialization, weight gain, tempers, etc. We each have our own “cousins” that travel with fatigue. And we each have to experiment and find our own coping mechanisms.

I’ve simplified my life. We’ve down-sized from 2,000 sq. ft. to 1200 sq. ft. That has made a big difference not only in my fatigue, but in my hip and knee. I also take naps and drink green tea. One polio doctor who spoke to our support group suggested that naps should be at least twenty minutes long; we should really rest—not watch TV or read a book, and if we have music on—it shouldn’t have any words. This advice has helped me, and for what it’s worth, I pass it on to you.

                                         abcd