[Health] Some support for severe fatigue..

[Cpapian]

Hi tstburn,

Do you take any medication? They are notorious for side effects like exhaustion. Let us know about that also.

Since you have been severely fatigued for a while. Now you have to juggle getting back in shape. Your muscle tone has been somewhat lost. So you need to start getting it back, a little bit every day. Don't overdo it. Start with 100 steps and see how you feel the next day. If okay, then double it, but split into two sessions. Add 100 steps every day if you feel good from the previous days exercise. Keep us posted as to how that goes.

Tired after eating ..... your body is busy digesting. Paradoxically, that is the best time to do your walking. It helps you digest, gets your inner organs working.

I spent a number of years on a drug that killed my energy. Could not even sit up some days. So I know a little of where you are coming from.

TV still overstimulates me. We turn off the TV early, my husband uses ear phones after that. Going out with other people means I won't be able to sleep for hours.

The energy comes back slowly. It's not a magic pill. Patience is required.

Try to follow sleep hygiene above ........ not easy I know only too well. Get your Sleepyhead reports up and let the experts here help you tune in your settings. And stick within it. With time and effort you will be glad you did.

[mrsmagoo]

Hi Tstburn,  I've had sleep apnoea for about 3 years.  I've had fatigue for 17 years+.  I have the same machine you do with a nasal mask.  While my events dropped from too many to about 2 an hour, my fatigue has not altered, nor has my stamina improved.  It's got worse.  I also have a problem watching TV.  I watch youtube instead as the screen is smaller & it is not so overwhelming.
I became fatigued overnight in 2000.  Subsequent tests bloods etc. showed nothing either, but an MRI showed 3 lesions on my brain with a possibility of 1 on the brain stem.  2 neurologists say I have MS another says I don't, but the 1 who said I don't didn't do thorough physical & mental tests either.  I also have fibromyalgia - supposedly.  I guess you can see I am sceptical about anything doctors say these days, particularly in the light that I have been prescribed drugs for other problems which have fatigue as a side effect.
I have dabbled in alternative medicine & have not had an exacerbation of MS since I had my mercury fillings replaced in 2002.  
My fatigue is all consuming, tho I pace myself, having a rest after every task, such as filling the dishwasher - rest, putting on a load of washing -rest.  I can't shop so buy my clothes online - settling for disorder there ! 
I am also sensitive to smells, 'busy' scenes, such as in libraries looking for books - just can't.  Plant nurseries, clothing shops & grocery shelves - just bring on a black dizziness.  Sensory overload I think it's called.  I do have a LOT of other symptoms of MS & I'm not saying you have this, but an MRI is the only thing which can eliminate it's possibility.  It cannot be diagnosed by blood tests.  It's a process of elimination of other possibles.  I was diagnosed at 52.  There are many other syndromes, diseases etc. which have fatigue as a symptom.
Look on the internet for more detailed side effects of any drugs you take & talk to your doc about it.  Do you have any tingling or numbness anywhere?  Write down all things you feel aren't as they should be, both mentally & physically & don't forget to list those things which you might have become so well adjusted to you've almost forgotten they exist !!
I do wish you good luck & wellness
Mrs. Magoo - in Australia

[Corvette817]

Hello Tstburn,  glad to see all of the great advice here - good to go through it for me, too.  
I had doctored for a year (diabetes, low vitamin D, needed B12, take good quality fish oil, etc.) complained every time about fatigue (very different than being tired); then my Doc suggested a sleep apnea test.  Duh! My Sister has it, and my Dad snored loud and often.  10 months of apnea treatment has improved the fatigue, but I had to work on the machine's settings and give it some time.  It took you awhile to get this fatigued, and it may take awhile to improve - but you're on your way up!

It's a process you're just starting,  Sleep2snore made an excellent point for you on your settings.  4 to 20 is a machine default and to my mind suits no one.  Can you see low/average/high actual pressures on your machines' screens?
Until you get Sleepyhead it might be useful info to note.  

[SarcasticDave94]

Hi tstburn,

Welcome to Apnea Board. While getting your xPAPA dialed in at the optimal settings for yourself, you should slowly but surely begin to notice better sleep and a reduction in fatigue. Will that happen in one use? No, I'm afraid that you cannot undo what's probably been years of sleep debt from apneas by one night's use of an xPAP. Not trying to increase a negative feeling, but it will take time. Remember, you've suffered with apneas for however long that may have been.

As for myself, that time was over 10 years undiagnosed, and about 2.5 more years before I progressed to my current ASV and its settings that reduced my 70+ AHI to an average of 2.1; throw in a baraiatric surgery to reduce weight also.

Give it time to work. Keep using the machine as much as you're able every night. The more you use it, the more it pays off your sleep debt. Persistence pays off. I promise that if you're faithful to use the device, and if that device is optimized to your needs, it will make you feel better.

[Patemack]

Hello l'm new to all this also. Still resolving mask issues. Fatigue is what eventually lead to taking an in hospital sleep test. I was diagnosed with slight sleep apnea. That was after a year of other testing and waiting for the Sleep Study. Still resolving mask issues. Been at it for 3 months. However I do feel less fatigued. But I'm still a work in progress. Hope this encourages you to persevere.