Always tired... (My journey to cure my fatigue)

I've never heard of "worming". If you really want to pursue it, please make sure you talk to your doctor and make sure it would be safe for you to do.

Orion,
Just checking back on how you were doing and I have to say that your experience sounds similar to mine lately with the fatigue thing... I have fibro and myocfacial syndrome (it's a muscle-tendon soreness thing) as well as ongoing fatigue to where I feel I could just drop. A few things I have found to help me are:

*A sincere devotion to good coffee to start the day (2 cups max)
*Malic Acid and magnesium as I posted previously
*Cat naps whenever possible
*A daily of B-Complex (I get mine at Sams for cheap... It's in my gut if I need it and the excess just goes away with my urine.)

Malic Acid, magnesium, calcium and a derivative of B-3 and B-12 are needed in the production of energy in the cells. These should be present in our diet but if you have an absorption problem or fibro like me you may need more. One thing I have found is that if there is an emergency I am able to move mountains and then am beyond exhausted later. Even so, I can get things done when I must.

I also have S.A.D. which my doc explained is a type of semi-hibernation left over from my Northern European ancestors who lived on grain stores and slept the long winters away during the ice age. (Hence the love of all things carbohydrate!) The ones who were best at it lived thru the ice age.

As far as the Effexor goes... been there, done that... Actually went totally paranoid on the stufff and thought the neighbors were all watching me. It only took two weeks and I was bonkers... Wouldn't wish that feeling on my worst enemy. It's a powerful med and works very well for some and very badly for others. Good luck wiht your problems...

Hi

More and more studies are linking chronic fatigue syndrom - and many other conditions as a matter of fact- to high toxins accumulation in our bodies.
Increased levels of toxins, chemicals, additives and other pollutants in our food and environment are causing havoc in our bodies
Louis Kuhne, a naturopath of the early 20th century, cured many illnesses on the basis that all diseases are caused by the accumulation of waste in the body; this 'surplus' have to be eliminated in order for our system to function normally. He devised a panoply of cures using water, baths and a vegetarian diet to heal his patients. I got introduced to his technique about a year ago and I'm now a big advocate of his 'Detox Bath' that consists of a daily friction bath using solely cold water and a sponge! The only thing: you have to do it regularly in order to flush out the toxins and waste accumulation. But then you'll experience an increased a sense of well being and vitality by doing it!
Cheers

Orion, I can completely relate to what you are saying about wanting your life back. It's not depression causing the fatigue, it's the level of fatigue that causes depression because we are unable to do the things we enjoy. I'm sorry your last vacation didn't give you any relief. Hang in there and vent whenever you need to.

Take care

If you're ready to committ to a daily routine, why not try the friction Detox bath that Kuhne devised? I mean it's natural, uses only water but takes 10 to 15 minutes of your time daily! it's like brushing your teeth except that you're activating other areas to clear out the deposits that could be the reason of you feeling sluggish...

Well, yesterday I had my Pulminary appt. He asked me alot of questions, more than I thought, and determined that my lungs are fine, he can here a great amount of air flow. He ordered a pulminary test just incase, but that's not for another few weeks. He want's my primary care to run more blood work on stuff that hasn't been checked yet. I have an appt with my primary care next week, and I'm going to try and get blood work done then.

My "other" doctor, wants me to continue taking the Effexor for another 2 weeks @ 75mg. If in 2 weeks, I don't feel better, he wants me to up the dosage to 150 daily. I'm hesitant on doing this. If in 5 weeks, 75mg hasn't made me feel any better, would increasing the dosage really do anything?

I think I'm going to wait for the results of my blood work, before increasing to 150.

My big yearly vacation is in a 8 days. I'll be gone for 8 days, away at the beach. I always relax when I'm there. I'm really looking forward to it, and I hope this helps my recovery for whatever is wrong.

I have't had any other symptoms other than what was mentioned. Sore stiff neck, fatigue/lack of energy all day, and a unexplained right Lat muscle soreness.

I have been able to walk in the evenings, and at a pace that could almost be considered joging. We'll see how this continues to help.

Thanks for the reply! :)

I guess I was taking the Effexor because I thought anxiety could be doing this. My doctor has only known me for a few weeks. I'm not going to up the dose, and if in 2 weeks this stuff doesn't do anything for me, I'm going off it.

I should also mention that my doctor that I saw on Wednesday wants me to do a sleep study. I'm going to ask for this from my primary care when I see her next week. We're also going to do more blood work. I've been on Effexor (75)mg for almost a month now, and I don't feel any different. Still tired, still have a sore neck, still have muscle pain.

I'm going away for the weekend. So I'll reply to anymore posts then. Thank you all for your advice. :)

I'm off to take a cold shower!

Well, saw my doctor today. I'm getting blood work done for lyme disease finally. I'm also going to have a sleep study done as well here in the next couple of weeks. I have my next doctors appt when I get back from my 8 day vacation, and it just happens to be on my birthday. Maybe... just maybe, on that day, I here some good news. I do have a lot of the symptoms of lyme, but it still doesn't fit with why I felt better being on vacation 4 months ago.

Ah well, one more thing to rule out. I'll report back then. I hope this birthday brings great news!

Orion, sorry it took me a while to respond - I've been really sick. I'm glad your tests are coming back okay, but I know it can still be frustrating to feel sick but to have nothing show up on the labs. No one knows for sure what triggers CFS. SOmetimes it's a virus like epstein barr. I think there are theories that sometimes a really stressful event can trigger the immune system to get wacky and attack itself. Did you take your vacation? I had a week long vacation in a nice dry cool climate and my symptoms improved while I was there. I still didn't feel great but I felt good enough that I could do more than I normally do. I think the thing that helped me feel better was the climate and the cool weather. Keep us posted on what you find out. Take care

I'd like everyones opinion on this.

I've been on Effexor XR now for 2 months. I've gone from 37.5mgs, to 150mgs. I haven't felt better at all. I see my doctor on Monday. I'm trying to think of the next best step for me.

Up the dosage, or try another med?

My reason for thinking is, I've read a lot on CFS lately. I've noticed that a lot of people cannot work, cannot do anything.

I can. I can work, go to family outtings, sometimes participate in activities (playing catch, soccer, football), but I'm left very tired afterwards. My neck is always stiff now, and my left lyph node is the only one swollen, but just barely. It's usually really swollen first thing in the morning, then reduces throughout the day. It's NEVER SORE. I also haven't had the muscle pains in my LATS for over a month now, so I don't know if that has nothing to do with hit or not.

I'm wondering now if I just stressed myself out to the point where I made myself so fatigued, it's all it knows.

Would upping the doesage help this at all?

Well, I'm tapering off the Effexor, and switching to Prozac. My family has a history of stress and depression, and I was told that this was the one that works for them. I'm starting at 10mg, and moving to 20 in Two weeks.

I'm seeing my GP tomorrow. I'm going to ask to have my adrenal glands tested. I've done a lot of research, and things are looking pretty clear for having that problem.

1. I was drinking over 14 cups of coffee daily
2. I was HIGHLY stressed for over 6 months
3. I was exercising every single day
4. I was not having any relaxation time (friends, getting out)

This would make perfect sense, but I've been wrong in the past with just about everything else ;-)

This is one more stepping stone, that seems to make ALL the puzzle fit. It would explain why when I went away on vacation during the beginning, I felt better for a week. Then, after being back in my stressful enviornment and drinking tons of coffee again.

However, I also think that the exercise was helping me to fight this off. Once I stopped working out, it got worse (to what it is now).

KC,

I know my doctor tested me for lyme months back, as well as as few weeks ago. She said she didn't see any build up of antibodies in my system.