I'm well aware that this post is going to seem more than a tad stupid to some, but I mentioned it briefly in a reply last week, it works for me and I wondered if anyone else might find it useful.
This fatigue that gets us all down, the sudden feeling that someone has just pulled the plug and all your energy has drained away... it's demoralising. And I realised I was beginning to feel a bit sorry for myself every time it happened and think "Oh poor me, I have PMR" and droop. Made me feel like I was sick, or a victim. So I gave it a name. I now call them my SDORFD moments - Sit Down Or Fall Down. I know I'm one of the lucky ones because when those moments hit if I sit down, shut my eyes and stay still for a while it does pass - not as simple for some of you.
All the same, saying to myself "Here we go - SDORFD again!" instead of Poor Me genuinely makes a difference. Makes me smile anyway. There's a rather nice raffish ring to "SDORFD Again", vague reminders of long ago late Friday nights out on the town with friends, emptying one too many bottles of wine.
That's it, for what it's worth. Just a different way of looking at one of the more annoying aspects, and if anyone out there finds it of use, I won't feel so daft for posting it!
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Mai45
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Not daft at all - a very good point! You have to learn to accommodate PMR - like having a gorilla in the house...
It's a good one that sums up exactly how I feel when it hits. Even though I have had mobility problems for a while I used to be able to just stand and come round. Now I only go to places where I can find regular benches. My 82yrs old walking partner is very happy that I now enjoy sitting and letting scenery go past me. If I thought I could ever get up I would sit on ground. I am certainly thankful for my crutch even more than usual.
I like SDORFD - it gives us a legitimate excuse for just stopping and resting, rather than getting frustrated with STFD (S*****g Tiredness, Feeling Desperate).
I just found out I snoozed through 6 episodes of the latest Netflix programme I started yesterday. I remember most of first one but thanks to Netflix automatically starting next episode I know it switched off at episode 8. lol.
Actually, in my experience those episodes come on their own schedule and whether I sit, stand, rest, or keep moving, they will go away on their own schedule. For me they are worse at 7 than they were at 15. I assume it is the beginning of wonky adrenal time.
I have tentative travel plans for July but am thinking that traveling long distance by plane, and then driving alone for several hours might not be a good idea.
I had Travel plans booked 3 months in to PMR. I recommend asking for wheelchair assistance. Most airlines do it for free. It saves worry, queuing and standing around. The porter’s face when I got up like Lazarus later was a treat!
Don’t drive on arrival. Rest up a bit on your way, preferably overnight.
Definitely request airport assistance - you get there feeling human. Is there any way you can reduce the distance to drive? At least have a night in a hotel when you get there before driving. I do long haul flights and then drive home - a good 4 hours on a good day. But I am not alone and if we get there in the afternoon we always consider stopping part way home.
Wow! what a great sleep though! You can anticipate it all over again and then sleep for another 6 hours! I properly look forward to a programme all day and as soon as it starts my eyes begin to flutter.
I don't have the falling asleep in front of Netflix problem. If I just keep watching reruns of New Tricks and The West Wing, at least I know what's happening when I wake up!
Brilliant! I will definitely be calling these blooming awful attacks of fatigue SDORFD moments. You can put so much emphasis on saying 'I'm SDORFD!' Of the side affects of this disease the fatigue is for me the worst. It's so frustrating!
Thanks Jean! Who knows, we may make it into the Urban dictionary yet... Why should all the new words in our ever evolving language be the sole prerogative of the youngsters?
Really good idea to change concept of the difficult time- turning negative thinking into more positive upbeat thinking! Think we have to do this a lot with these conditions.
Although I'm not a fan of, and am quite cynical about many of the Popular Psychological theories around 'Mind over Matter (Reality?!)' out there, I'm sure that the Human Brain / Mind can, to some degree at least, change how it interprets and then processes what 'adversity' means in context, in order to survive and adapt to it.
Your post was great for me! 3 months into PMR ride and still trying to balance activities and rest. I get the impression that many of us were formally energizer bunnies so switching gears is problematic. When I go into self imposed rest I feel like all the starch came out of me. Never took a nap in my life, now sometimes I fall asleep for 15 minutes. Rest is something new on my radar screen and adjustment takes time.
Oh I do like that , I've had a lot of SDORFD, SINCE Christmas, seems all I want to do is watch the cricket, and sleep , very frustrating as I look forward to the ashes series. ... I think I over did the Christmas thing, paid for it for the next week . Picking up now a bit , mmmmmm , must learn to pace myself better, I'm down to 4 mg pred now, but still on 20 mg of methotrexate . Some pain still , mainly in shoulders, but I do get sleepy a lot . Have a better year everybody . From sunny and warm Australia . Ps for you cricket lovers, congratulations to your wonderful Alistair Cook . A real gentleman ,
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