Rest and Fatigue

Wheezie · Jun 9, 2008

I have a lot of trouble trying to explain to people why it is that I can't work full-time, why I need more rest than most people, etc. I can easily say I have all these treatments to do, blahblahblah, because that is something tangible that makes sense to people. But whenever I try to explain being tired all the time and having trouble waking up for work in the morning, I feel like people think I'm just being lazy.

Anyone have any suggestions for effectively conveying the fatigue that goes along with CF in a way that comes across as legitimate?

Wheezie · Jun 9, 2008

I have a lot of trouble trying to explain to people why it is that I can't work full-time, why I need more rest than most people, etc. I can easily say I have all these treatments to do, blahblahblah, because that is something tangible that makes sense to people. But whenever I try to explain being tired all the time and having trouble waking up for work in the morning, I feel like people think I'm just being lazy.

Anyone have any suggestions for effectively conveying the fatigue that goes along with CF in a way that comes across as legitimate?

Wheezie · Jun 9, 2008

I have a lot of trouble trying to explain to people why it is that I can't work full-time, why I need more rest than most people, etc. I can easily say I have all these treatments to do, blahblahblah, because that is something tangible that makes sense to people. But whenever I try to explain being tired all the time and having trouble waking up for work in the morning, I feel like people think I'm just being lazy.

Anyone have any suggestions for effectively conveying the fatigue that goes along with CF in a way that comes across as legitimate?

Wheezie · Jun 9, 2008

I have a lot of trouble trying to explain to people why it is that I can't work full-time, why I need more rest than most people, etc. I can easily say I have all these treatments to do, blahblahblah, because that is something tangible that makes sense to people. But whenever I try to explain being tired all the time and having trouble waking up for work in the morning, I feel like people think I'm just being lazy.

Anyone have any suggestions for effectively conveying the fatigue that goes along with CF in a way that comes across as legitimate?

Wheezie · Jun 9, 2008

I have a lot of trouble trying to explain to people why it is that I can't work full-time, why I need more rest than most people, etc. I can easily say I have all these treatments to do, blahblahblah, because that is something tangible that makes sense to people. But whenever I try to explain being tired all the time and having trouble waking up for work in the morning, I feel like people think I'm just being lazy.
 
 Anyone have any suggestions for effectively conveying the fatigue that goes along with CF in a way that comes across as legitimate?

NYCLawGirl · Jun 9, 2008

CFers have less oxygen absorbtion than other people, which means our bodies have to work twice as hard to do normal bodily function things like breathe, digest, and move blood around, let alone all the other things we choose to do on top of those basics. A lot of CFers have a raised heartbeat, just as an example. When people exercise, their heartrate speeds up; when they rest, it goes down. In other words, lots of CFers exist in a constant state of activity, even when we're resting. My O2 sats are fine, but my doctor likes me to sleep on O2 sometimes because it slows my heartrate and actually lets me rest.

Another good reason we're more tired a lot of the time has to do with the body's natural healing process. Sleep is when your body repairs itself, to some extent. Since CFers often have constant or recurrent infections, our bodies believe they should be sleeping more. It's a little like having a mild cold that won't go away - you may feel fine, but your body demands extra rest so it can fight the virus. Our bodies demand extra rest so they can fight the bacteria.

All of this is just my understanding from talking to my doctor and some college health courses. I definitely don't have the science to back it up, but the explanations make sense.

NYCLawGirl · Jun 9, 2008

CFers have less oxygen absorbtion than other people, which means our bodies have to work twice as hard to do normal bodily function things like breathe, digest, and move blood around, let alone all the other things we choose to do on top of those basics. A lot of CFers have a raised heartbeat, just as an example. When people exercise, their heartrate speeds up; when they rest, it goes down. In other words, lots of CFers exist in a constant state of activity, even when we're resting. My O2 sats are fine, but my doctor likes me to sleep on O2 sometimes because it slows my heartrate and actually lets me rest.

Another good reason we're more tired a lot of the time has to do with the body's natural healing process. Sleep is when your body repairs itself, to some extent. Since CFers often have constant or recurrent infections, our bodies believe they should be sleeping more. It's a little like having a mild cold that won't go away - you may feel fine, but your body demands extra rest so it can fight the virus. Our bodies demand extra rest so they can fight the bacteria.

All of this is just my understanding from talking to my doctor and some college health courses. I definitely don't have the science to back it up, but the explanations make sense.

NYCLawGirl · Jun 9, 2008

CFers have less oxygen absorbtion than other people, which means our bodies have to work twice as hard to do normal bodily function things like breathe, digest, and move blood around, let alone all the other things we choose to do on top of those basics. A lot of CFers have a raised heartbeat, just as an example. When people exercise, their heartrate speeds up; when they rest, it goes down. In other words, lots of CFers exist in a constant state of activity, even when we're resting. My O2 sats are fine, but my doctor likes me to sleep on O2 sometimes because it slows my heartrate and actually lets me rest.

Another good reason we're more tired a lot of the time has to do with the body's natural healing process. Sleep is when your body repairs itself, to some extent. Since CFers often have constant or recurrent infections, our bodies believe they should be sleeping more. It's a little like having a mild cold that won't go away - you may feel fine, but your body demands extra rest so it can fight the virus. Our bodies demand extra rest so they can fight the bacteria.

All of this is just my understanding from talking to my doctor and some college health courses. I definitely don't have the science to back it up, but the explanations make sense.

NYCLawGirl · Jun 9, 2008

CFers have less oxygen absorbtion than other people, which means our bodies have to work twice as hard to do normal bodily function things like breathe, digest, and move blood around, let alone all the other things we choose to do on top of those basics. A lot of CFers have a raised heartbeat, just as an example. When people exercise, their heartrate speeds up; when they rest, it goes down. In other words, lots of CFers exist in a constant state of activity, even when we're resting. My O2 sats are fine, but my doctor likes me to sleep on O2 sometimes because it slows my heartrate and actually lets me rest.

Another good reason we're more tired a lot of the time has to do with the body's natural healing process. Sleep is when your body repairs itself, to some extent. Since CFers often have constant or recurrent infections, our bodies believe they should be sleeping more. It's a little like having a mild cold that won't go away - you may feel fine, but your body demands extra rest so it can fight the virus. Our bodies demand extra rest so they can fight the bacteria.

All of this is just my understanding from talking to my doctor and some college health courses. I definitely don't have the science to back it up, but the explanations make sense.

NYCLawGirl · Jun 9, 2008

CFers have less oxygen absorbtion than other people, which means our bodies have to work twice as hard to do normal bodily function things like breathe, digest, and move blood around, let alone all the other things we choose to do on top of those basics. A lot of CFers have a raised heartbeat, just as an example. When people exercise, their heartrate speeds up; when they rest, it goes down. In other words, lots of CFers exist in a constant state of activity, even when we're resting. My O2 sats are fine, but my doctor likes me to sleep on O2 sometimes because it slows my heartrate and actually lets me rest.
 
 Another good reason we're more tired a lot of the time has to do with the body's natural healing process. Sleep is when your body repairs itself, to some extent. Since CFers often have constant or recurrent infections, our bodies believe they should be sleeping more. It's a little like having a mild cold that won't go away - you may feel fine, but your body demands extra rest so it can fight the virus. Our bodies demand extra rest so they can fight the bacteria.
 
 All of this is just my understanding from talking to my doctor and some college health courses. I definitely don't have the science to back it up, but the explanations make sense.

tara · Jun 10, 2008

I always explain that my body is constantly fighting infection. It's busy just existing, so anything above and beyond waking, eating and even showering that I get done on a regular healthy day is bonus!

I know I didn't always used to be this tired. It's definitely the progression of the disease. For me, tiredness, fatigue might also be attributed to the anemia battle I'm currently experiencing. Since your body doesn't efficiently absorb nutrients, vitamins etc the same as everyone else's, these deficiencies may also contribute to your tiredness.

In short, your body is working hard, even when you think you're not. I know you know this. I hope this helps.

tara · Jun 10, 2008

I always explain that my body is constantly fighting infection. It's busy just existing, so anything above and beyond waking, eating and even showering that I get done on a regular healthy day is bonus!

I know I didn't always used to be this tired. It's definitely the progression of the disease. For me, tiredness, fatigue might also be attributed to the anemia battle I'm currently experiencing. Since your body doesn't efficiently absorb nutrients, vitamins etc the same as everyone else's, these deficiencies may also contribute to your tiredness.

In short, your body is working hard, even when you think you're not. I know you know this. I hope this helps.

tara · Jun 10, 2008

I always explain that my body is constantly fighting infection. It's busy just existing, so anything above and beyond waking, eating and even showering that I get done on a regular healthy day is bonus!

I know I didn't always used to be this tired. It's definitely the progression of the disease. For me, tiredness, fatigue might also be attributed to the anemia battle I'm currently experiencing. Since your body doesn't efficiently absorb nutrients, vitamins etc the same as everyone else's, these deficiencies may also contribute to your tiredness.

In short, your body is working hard, even when you think you're not. I know you know this. I hope this helps.

tara · Jun 10, 2008

I always explain that my body is constantly fighting infection. It's busy just existing, so anything above and beyond waking, eating and even showering that I get done on a regular healthy day is bonus!

I know I didn't always used to be this tired. It's definitely the progression of the disease. For me, tiredness, fatigue might also be attributed to the anemia battle I'm currently experiencing. Since your body doesn't efficiently absorb nutrients, vitamins etc the same as everyone else's, these deficiencies may also contribute to your tiredness.

In short, your body is working hard, even when you think you're not. I know you know this. I hope this helps.

tara · Jun 10, 2008

I always explain that my body is constantly fighting infection. It's busy just existing, so anything above and beyond waking, eating and even showering that I get done on a regular healthy day is bonus!
 
 I know I didn't always used to be this tired. It's definitely the progression of the disease. For me, tiredness, fatigue might also be attributed to the anemia battle I'm currently experiencing. Since your body doesn't efficiently absorb nutrients, vitamins etc the same as everyone else's, these deficiencies may also contribute to your tiredness.
 
 In short, your body is working hard, even when you think you're not. I know you know this. I hope this helps.

Juliet · Jun 10, 2008