Fatigue

[Farli]

Hi. I have written here before but it was ages ago. I'm in recovery from anorexia but this fatigue is debilitating. It's ruining my life. Everyone else I know that has gained weight and doing 'ok' are either doing voluntary work or in a full time position. This leads me to think this fatigue has nothing to do with the amount of food or types of foods I'm eating. Even my friends that are still extremely underweight are working and doing more than I am. It's driving me mad. Does anyone else think this could be m.e ? Is it common for anorexia to cause m.e ? I can't find any links on the net. Any ideas would be great. Thank u. Stressed and fed up person :-(.

[newn]

Hi

it passes...as far as i can tell it is to keep you from doing things to isolate you and challenge you to go inside and grow further.

Hope that helps

n

[Farli in reply to newn]

Hi. Thanks for your reply. Well it's been around 4 years like this now so I'm not sure and I don't really have an issues doing things other than I can't because I'm so fatigued and I really want to do a course or voluntary work but I can commit because of this. It's draining me and making me wish I'd never bothered with recovery because I'm pretty sure it's not meant to look like this :-(. Oh well keep plugging away I suppose. Thanks for taking the time to reply to me :-).

[newn in reply to Farli]

Hi

i think it is supposed to be like this.

In the process have you discovered triggers or reasons why you became anorexic?

Some of the reasons have made me not want to do courses , voluntary work or work not that I'd find work easily or cope if it were more than a few hourstge fatigue. .. I'm not sure it passes actually. ..it's a bit like having a baby. You spends hours awake at nught feeding you get tired but you never catch up that sleep back you just maybe?

n

[Farli]

Hi newn

Thanks for ur reply. I have found that what triggered me off but I have worked on all of that over the past 5 years and the only thing stopping me getting out there is the fact that I just can't function properly. It's ridiculous and I don't no anyone else that this has happened to during recovery. It just feels like it's been a wasted journey. I'm working on 'pacing' atm I mean I am busy during the days but I get mentally fatigued more than physically which means I then can't concentrate or retain information afte about 1 or 2 o'clock. It's driving me mad and actually is causinf depression which I've never had. I mean I get low about having anorexia so everything it's stolen from me but I don't have a diagnoses if depression but this is making me feel so low I feel like I'm existing and I don't want to exists :-(. I don't know really. I sleep really well and it makes no difference to my energy the next day. Well il just keep plugging away until I find out what the issue is. Thanks for replying. I appreciate ur time. X

[Hidden]

Hi,

I was wondering whether you have had a chat with your GP or team? Is the depression causing you to be tired or the other way around? It could be that you may need more general mental health services rather than specialist eating disorder treatment.

There could be a physical component to this fatigue and perhaps your GP could rule out some of the common causes?

Strange as it may sound a moderate (note moderate) amount of exercise could help. A 20-30 min walk outside could help.

It is also worth running through what you are eating with a dietician. Some are more helpful than others though.

Sorry if this just repeats what you have been doing anyway,

I'm having trouble with fatigue too even though I have put on weight. Another factor could be that the body is using up energy to restore itself after the onslaught of starving.

I wish you all the best

[Farli]

Hi ya

Well I have mentioned it to my GP but nothing really has been said. One of them said they would refer me to the M.E clinic but I must as it I never went back to her as I'm afraid of that diagnoses because I know there's no cure. Having said that I am aware that some people with Anorexia have for m.e.

I've had loads of tests and all of those things that were wrong have been rectified with tablets but still no improvement with the fatigue. I'm not in the MH services anymore because all they did was mess up my life so I left a few years ago and went through recovery myself and still do but I have a good family.

U do go to the gym and do an hour at a push. I try to keep active but when it sets in really badly I just can't go. But I try to go 3 or 4 times a week and do Pilates when I can. The trouble is with me is il push myself past my limits because I feel people r judging me and expecting me to. I have to learn not to. I am seeing a psychologist for my breathing as I had breathlessness and she works with fatigued people so she's working on pacing with me but being me I'm frustrated and inpatient. I want my life back because I've worked my backside off doing recovery and managing. Yes I would agree that a dietician would be good. I eat far to much sugar and I'm trying to cut it down and I hear that sugar can be really bad for u. I don't know I like it haha. As for depression well I am getting depressed because of the fatigue and general state of my life but I have some citalopram so I may just try it. Anorexia does take a lot of energy. It never shuts up and the more I eat the more it shouts. I guess u know what I'm talking about there. I'm just tired of fighting everything in my life. I'm such a go getter usually but I feel like in losing thus battle now. I don't know if I have any fight left. I'm exhausted. I will maybe ask my psychologist about the dietician. Maybe I shld try that. Also I'm changing birth control and am hoping that's a blessing and maybe it's been that causinf the problem. It's kind of my last hope really. Thanks for ur advice it makes sense and I really hope that ur fatigue improves. I know how debilitating it can be x

[Hidden]

Do you know, I have had a very similar experience. I'm recovering from anorexia and at the weight I was before I got ill. But I'm just exhausted all the time. My diet has been normal for years yet I'm sleeping so much. I get up, then eat breakfast quickly because I can hardly keep my eyes open, go back to bed and sleep for an hour or two. Then in the afternoon I can't stay awake and have to sleep for about 2 more hours, then in the evening I'm done in and go to bed 7pm - 8pm. I have managed to recently get a job for 20 hours a week but I'm sleeping around that and yawning all the time . I had blood test about a year ago but nothing showed up. I had more and am getting the results tomorrow. It sounds peverse but I'm hoping they show something is wrong because I'm feeling totally despairing and want a cure! I want to learn to drive but am just too exhausted and other things too. For a while my psychiatrist prescribed me a medication for narcopepsy (though I don't have narcolepsy) and it worked brilliantly, but I had to come off it because it made my acne really bad). I've tried going out for walks, fresh air....I want to go to an exercise class but am too sleepy. I'm at my wits end....maybe I do have mild m.e but like you I would hate to be disagnosed with it. well I'm sorry can't suggest anything to help but I hope you find it a small comfort that you are definitely not alone in this. I'll write again if I do find a solution. And well done in persevering with recovery - we both know that retreating in to weight loss will just make us even more tired so keep going! xx

[Farli in reply to Hidden]

Hi ! Wow ur circumstances do sounds very similar to mine. I know what u mean with the tests. I've just had a whole bunch done by my gynae and I'm also hoping something shows up ! When I saw the GP a while ago about this he told me to eat carbs ! I do struggled with carbs but i added in bread for ages but it made no difference which I knew it wouldn't. I eat bread anyway so I do get my carbs and from other sources. Then I saw a different dr and I told her he told me to eat carbs and she said that's stupid lol she said every one is different. She was nice. It sounds like ur doing to much Hun with the job. I don't work because I know how pushing through it would make me feel. Do u get swollen glands and sore throats ? When I get really fatigued then I get all that and I feel like I have the flu. It's horrid. Maybe we both have m,e in a mild sense. I do feel much better for going to the gym but when I come home I always need to sleep so that's not really idea is it. I'm supposed to feel upbeat and refreshed from exercise ! I also sleep a lot but sometimes I sleep less but either way makes no difference to how fatigued I feel. Shame that narcolepsy pill had such horrible side effects. Well that's odd tho right coz then if u felt better there's definitely something in that pill that's working in the bit that's causing ur fatigue ! Il mention it to the psychologist when I see her. Maybe she can shed some light. Then il post here. Maybe there's a. Alternative. Ive looked into just about everything even adrenal fatigue. I am glad I'm not the only one who would be wary of a diagnoses. If it was something they cld cure I wldn't have a problem but having something like anorexia that has no evidence based treatment and such a shoddy understanding I think it would break me but if it had to be diagnosed to stop people from making me feel like I should just 'push through it' as a friend recently told me i should then I guess il take the diagnoses but fingers crossed it's something else anyway. I'm also switching brith control at the end of the month and I googled it and it had some people saying it caused them fatigue but this one probably does the same lol. Il maybe have to come off them all together but then I suffer bad,y with my monthly I'm to scared to stop taking it. Jeeez what a mess. Anyway please take care of urself and don't push urself to much huni. Sounds like u need to rest and do what ur body needs if that's viable. Tc and I'm always here if ud like to chat no problem at all x

[Hidden]

p.s I am also sleeping 9 -10 hours every night as well as all the sleep in the day, so insomnia isn't the cause!

[newn]

it is a relenless battle and i see managing anorexia as worse than not because it is relentless fighting the ed stuff and juggling the underlysling stuff and packaging that back up and dealing with day to day stuff and feelings you've never felt, urges you avoided and emotions or rollercoaster proportions. it will be ok...one day...says my almost worn thru thread of hope lol

[Farli in reply to newn]

Lol u speak very wisely Newn !! Indeed I have to say that the day to day minute by minute voice of AN is getting right on my nerves. It's just that constant bullying not only in ur head but in the stomahc, butterflies and guilt, anger etc. ya no what I mean. Drives me bananas. Not surprising I can't wait to crawl into bed just to sleep so it shuts up ! I also have a worn thru thread of hope lol. thanks again. Let's just keep plugging away together. All of us. And win this fight for us all x

[newn]

the thing is you don't realise how important the ed voice is until is lessens and you get the underlying stuff banging on at you instead. believe me the ed voice telling me i am fat and to not eat is much preferrable to the urges i feel sometimes, and having feelings and thoughts and emotions i am not used to or can't handle or situations i cannot do anything about because the ed shut me down because i was stuck and now the realisation that in someways the isolated and repetitive nature of the ed is a safehaven i thought it was that that kept me stuck but it was an escape from the reality that i was stuck and unable to cope or make changes then.

[Farli]

Makes total sense and like u this ed never shuts up nowadays. At least when I wasn't eating I kind satisfied it I guess. I hope one day all the fighting with it will pay off and it will shut up and leave us all alone ! I hope so anyway because I've been feeling like there has been no point to my iourney so far but I do keep my optimism that everything will b ok. I hope so for us all. xx

[newn]

we have to stick together the only people who get it are those that live with it. the good and bad, scarey and not scarey aspects :s

[Farli]

100% agree. We r the professionals. And don't worry. I'm involved in mental health groups where I live with the local trust and yesterday I lost my temper and told them they don't want to hear what I have to say because the truth hurts. Psychologists, psychiatrists. Ed specialist. Clueless. I don't have Time for anyone who tells me they know what it's like and they know what I have to do to make it better. No they don't. As u say. We r the only ones. And they no absolutely nothing. They take pot luck trialling this therapy and that therapy but they r idiots. I personally was I'd never laid eyes on them but unfortunately I did but now I stand up for all of us and am pushing always for patient led treatment because that's how I believe it should be xxxxx

[newn]

[newn]

fghting yourself everyday to have healthier ways is hard work it is no wonder it is exhausting!

[Farli]

Yes definitely !!! I totally agree x

[newn]

starving yourself is a walk in the park comapred to this!!!

[helen443]

Farli, this was years ago and you probably don't look at these messages anymore but I am in the same situation you were in with the extreme exhaustion years into recovery. Did anything get any better? Did the doctors find anything?