Absolute fatigue!!!: I took my MTX on Monday evening... - NRAS

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Absolute fatigue!!!

Diddydriver profile image
16 Replies

I took my MTX on Monday evening and then went Christmas shopping on Wednesday. Oh my God I am still so very tired, loads to do but can't be bothered. My feet are very painful, legs heavy and shoulders ache. Can anyone tell me if they have experienced this and how long is it likely to last. I have been too exhausted to even write to you wonderfull people.

If I forget at a later date I wish you all a very happy Christmas and a pain free new year. Xx

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Diddydriver profile image
Diddydriver
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16 Replies
lainee profile image
lainee

Hi DD merry Xmas to you too. I take mtx and Embrel with the mtx I get really tired and cold the day after and generally feel blah. I now take the mtx late Sunday afternoon so Monday is off day but at least rest of week is okay. Xxx

Diddydriver profile image
Diddydriver

Thanks for you reply Lainee, I really think I did too much last Wednesday, still not fully recovered. Maybe it is just Xmas with lots more to do and no help from anyone. Let's hope that this coming week is better. X

nomoreheels profile image
nomoreheels

Maybe it's just that you did much more than you would normally do DD? More carrying, even more walking & I feel it for the rest of the day even the day after. Yesterday was a prime example & in the rain, that didn't help. I was aware the more I did the more tense my body became & that always results in pain & fatigue when I stop.

Try to pace yourself a bit more or if you can, not helpful now, but do a little each time rather than everything all at once. Better still & maybe try this next year, do as much online shopping as you can, particularly heavier or bigger pressies. x

pm52 profile image
pm52

Hi, I know exactly what you mean, I take MTX on a Friday and Embrel on a Mon and the day I take Mtx I sometimes feel totally wiped out by lunchtime, and like you, I carry on regardless and then do too much. It is not tiredness (like some people say) it is EXHAUSTION - feeling as though it is impossible to transport your body anywhere. I have Psa not RA but the symptoms are pretty much the same. All I can say is treat yourself gently and kindly and stuff the people who say "Oh you look so well, doesn't really look much wrong with you" I get that a lot - my walking stick seems to be invisible to them, including my fingers that won't bend and I am unable to grip anything. You may also be having a flair, in which case you will be feeling exhausted. Keep talking to the lovely people on here, they DO understand because they are experiencing it too. It is a good place to vent and feel less alone when others just do not understand. Hope you feel better soon and have a lovely Christmas.

Diddydriver profile image
Diddydriver

Yes I agree with you I have done too much all at once. I can't seem to get it in my head that I am not as I was. This R A has really knocked me for 6 I have always been an active and busy person, taking it easy is just so unnatural to me I find it hard to adjust but I know that I must. I still feel lazy when I sit down during the day, even though I am in pain my head says just get on with it and stop moaning. X

Cagsie profile image
Cagsie

Oh definitely yes, the exhaustion feels deep deep within you. This past few months I had tests and more tests, trips to the hospital, fasting for intrusive tests. Had decorators in as wall and ceiling needed replastering. All the usual Christmas stuff And hospital appointments. All just too much. I'm now on enbrel and Leflunomide, was on MXT but felt dreadful with it. Tried for two years but gave up. Fatigue is a symptom of RA and can be as debilitating as pain. I'm a fine one to say but you have to listen to your body. Ensure you get enough rest, if you do a lot one day do less the next. So hard this time of year, my house is a mess, I've 12 cakes to decorate, no decorations up. Oh well maybe today. Merry Christmas, hope it's a pain free one for you x

Diddydriver profile image
Diddydriver

I do feel a little better knowing it is not just me and other people are exhausted as well. Wouldn't it be nice if we had a magic wand to do all the work for us. We all just carry on regardless. X

Luv2shoppp profile image
Luv2shoppp

I agree Diddydriver. It's been a while since I've been on here and I'm right with you. I also take Enbrel and my disease causes me fatigue. It comes out of nowhere even when I'm not doing anything. I don't take anything else but Celebrex from time to time. The Enbrel works well enough. My doctor had me to start the Celebrex due to the change in colder weather. Fatigue sucks pond water. However I'm glad that's it without the joint pain. You have a Merry Christmas as well and hope you get better. :-) 🎄🎁🎅🏽

Katerina_Juliet profile image
Katerina_Juliet

Hey diddydriver. Yes it's normal. I'm on methotrexate and Enbrel. I take Enbrel on a Sunday and mxt on a Monday and feel exhausted on the Tuesday. I also get flare ups when I feel like I have the 'flu. Every part of my body aches and I can't find any energy. Other states I feel much better and just get as much done as I can but of course I suffer the next day! It's just a case of pacing yourself which isn't always practical of course. as others have said, no one can see the pain you're in and you look quite normal so it's hard for anyone to understand just how you feel and wonder if you're just being dramatic. You just have to be strong and look after yourself the best you can but never give up! Merry Christmas to you and take it easy!

allanah profile image
allanah

Been there, done that every year and I never learn , I'm my own worst enemy at not listening to my body!! But try to pace and realise days after drugs can need more rest periods in them. I learned to delegate and Xmas had been much more enjoyable since !!

Diddydriver profile image
Diddydriver

Thankyou so much to everyone, it always amazes me that people will take the time and effort to reply to help someone who is in distress. It just shows that even though sometimes we think we are alone there are still people who care. I have read all the replys, and will try to slow down and rest particularly after taking MTX. Do take care and enjoy your Xmas. Xx

farm123 profile image
farm123

I have grown to dislike Christmas and the 'have to have or do' things that go with it. The youngest children are now early teens so there is not the magic for them now so they are not too worried. One of my older ones is currently in New Zealand and the other one is expected a baby with his partner and visiting her parents during the day. I don't put many decs up as you only have to get them down later on and nobody is so keen to help then. Internet shopping for me.

My MIL is still capable and insists on cooking dinner although I go down xmas eve and help prep veg and then we visit my parents for evening so I don't have too much on the day and we have a quiet Boxing day.

I have now come down with a cold and have low WBC and neuts so not sure how recovery will go so I must prioritise my kids presents - if other people's are not wrapped so what!!

Prioritise what is most important and try not to worry about things not being done. I know often family members do not understand but your health is more important and they will just have to put up with it.

Farm

agnesmay profile image
agnesmay

I inject my MTX on a Monday Evening, Tuesdays & Wednesdays I am exhausted, on the days that I feel nearly "normal" I tend to do too much. My Rheumy Specialist advised me to "pace" myself which I found difficult to adapt to at first but I think I am improving in that department. I sometimes feel I can't be bothered to do things, so much needs doing in my home but it will have to wait until I feel more energetic.

Jora profile image
Jora

Oh, how I empathise! I listen to my body, but am not good at obeying it. I think I've said before that I've always had two speeds: flat out (busy, busy) and flat out ( on the bed!). Pacing has never been one of my skills, but I am gradually getting better at it. I should get it by the time I'm 80!

I recently had an open studio. That involved about 250 people through the house, plus the preparation. I knew I'd pay for it, but this time it has been worse than usual. I flared badly, so took myself off for blood tests ( with rheumatology's approval). The next day, the specialist nurse rang, horrified by the results. She wondered if I had stopped taking the medication ( though of course, it's impossible to siphon off the last infusion of Rituximab). I hadn't; on the contrary, I even increased Prednisilone from 4 to 5 mg. I have an urgent appointment with the consultant next Monday.

Since that flare, which has only subsided about 50%, I have twice been out Christmas shopping, and twice have had to abort the plan and come home by taxi. We are only talking about Chiswick High Road -not Oxford Street!

When I have intense pain, then that is the worst thing - until I get this overwhelming fatigue! Then, I'm convinced that It's the most debilitating thing. I just HAVE to succumb to it.

Wishing you a Peaceful, Pain-free and moderate Christmas! Jo RA x

rrivette profile image
rrivette

I can totally relate. My exhaustion comes out of nowhere ... I can feel fine one day and so exhausted the next day I can't move -- regardless of whether I overworked myself the day before or did nothing the day before. And I can find no pattern to relate it to the usual suspects: MX and Actemra injections that I take on a weekly and bi-weekly basis, respectively. I also have RP (a auto-immune companion disease to RA), so it's a double whammy. <sigh>. I've learned to accept it and listen to my body.... Hope you feel better and to all of us, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Patsyjoray10 profile image
Patsyjoray10

I experience it a lot. I never get anything accomplished.

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