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Is fatigue normal?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 4/12/2011 2:01 AM (GMT 0)
about 7 weeks ago I fell out of remission and I am currently within a flare up of my UC. I had waiting 5 weeks to see my doctor, and after the appointment I was put on Asacol, Ursodiol, and 6mp again. Now, for the first 5 weeks of the flare up I had noticed the obvious symptoms, and they were bothersome, but not too bad. However, the past 9 days I have experienced great fatigue. The first few days of the fatigue I would have to lay in bed 3 hours after waking up! It is starting to get more manageable, but only if I get 9.5 hour sleeps a night (in college that isnt too easy though..). Basically I have noticed a substantial decrease in energy.

Has anyone else experienced fatigue with the return of ulcerative colitis? Could is possibly be from the meds? Any input would be great!
Posted 4/12/2011 2:18 AM (GMT 0)
I am tired all of the time.  I am flaring right now, but I was still exhausted before.  My last flare was last summer.  I started flaring about two months ago.  It's not so much that I need to sleep extra (which I would give into to if I didn't feel like I was sleeping my life away), but I just can't motivate to do certain things in my life.  Fortunately, I'm single with no kids, so while I would like to be more productive, I feel it's ok not to be sometimes.  I am sure many people see it as me being lazy, but I would love to get out there and be active just as much as the next person.  Good luck with your symptoms!
Posted 4/12/2011 4:20 AM (GMT 0)
You're not alone. Fatigue bites. Its just how it goes though. You have to learn how to deal with it
Posted 4/12/2011 7:38 AM (GMT 0)
Yup unfortunatly I too get fatigued durring flares .. the worse the flare the more exhausted I am. Hang in there and I hope you get some relief soon
Posted 4/12/2011 8:57 AM (GMT 0)
As teachtoreach mentioned before,

I am the same, I wake up and I just have no motivation to get out of bed, not even to switch the tv on just sit there! as for the Tiredness yeah I get this all the time part of this illness unfortuantely, the only thing i can suggest is just force your self to do something go for a walk/run/ be with a friend. It is hard to do this i know but thats what I try to do. Hope you are coping

Posted 4/12/2011 10:44 AM (GMT 0)
So, has the fatigue been more since you started your meds? UC=fatigue during flares. I am forever exhausted - unless I am taking pred.

Could be the flare, but also could be the meds. When I tried Imuran (similar to 6MP), I was so exhausted that I had a hard time getting through the day.
Posted 4/12/2011 12:35 PM (GMT 0)
Even in remission I am always tired. I feel like my body is constantly fighting itself and that is causing the fatigue. However, I noticed that when I started on 6mp that my fatigue magnified. Add that to flaring and it can mean triple the fatigue.
Posted 4/12/2011 12:41 PM (GMT 0)

Red_34 said...
Even in remission I am always tired.

Bingo. Of course it does not help that I have my daughter every weekend and she wears me out and keeps up at night. I was exhausted yesterday and when I got home I just went straight to bed. Taking my vyvanse today it always erases that exhausted feeling.
Posted 4/12/2011 12:51 PM (GMT 0)
I've been in remission pretty much for five years, and I still need more rest and have less energy than ever before the UC. I've found that I do much better if I rest when I need to - no more running all day for me, I have to have some down time to recharge the batteries.
Posted 4/12/2011 3:17 PM (GMT 0)
Fatigue has always been a major symptom of my flares, too. I try to nap when possible and take short walks everyday. I think staying hydrated may help, too, but when I am feeling really miserable it can be difficult to drink as much as I need.
Posted 4/12/2011 8:38 PM (GMT 0)
When I was coming out of my last flare I was extremely fatigued, and couldn’t figure out why. It turned out to be a combination of steroid induced diabetes, anemia, and a urinary tract infection. Once my PCP addressed all of those I felt VERY much better.

Bottom line, UC isn’t the only reason for fatigue. Get it checked out.
Posted 4/12/2011 9:18 PM (GMT 0)
I was fatigued at some times in the past but there were always reasons: anemia, dehydration due to too many BM's, some meds such as 6mp caused me great fatigue. Like others there were bad times I couldn't get out of bed or off the sofa.

Now that I am in remission I have not had fatigue at all, except the normal kind after a very long day.

I agree with wodin. Look for the source of your fatigue, don't accept it as a fact of life. Unfortunately some of the meds can cause it.
Posted 4/12/2011 9:51 PM (GMT 0)
I have fatigue all the time. Whether in a flare or not. I have been since being diagnosed. My colon is healing from the remicade and I'm still very tired. It is hard. I sleep 10 hours a night and get a nap everyday about two hours and I'm exhausted from the time I get up until I go to bed. I also seem to forget things more. This is my number one complaint about uc. I use to never take a nap and now I can't function without it. I know how you feel. My doc said some people with uc even when they are in remission have chronic fatigue all the time. She said guess that is you. I have had all my blood work checked and I take every vitamin there is and they don't work.
Posted 4/13/2011 2:01 AM (GMT 0)
Don't forget low vitamin D levels can wipe you out too...have you been tested lately?
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