Describing MS fatigue

[ActiveMSers]

When Medical News Today asked me about MS fatigue, I pulled no punches...

"Few people understand how MS fatigue can be utterly pancaking. Imagine pulling an all-nighter, make that three of them in a row, and then running a marathon. Backwards. On stilts. While juggling chainsaws. Once you get that in your mind, realize that's not even close to what it feels like."

How would you describe it?

More MS facts (and tips) from the article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/315696.php

[Suebee]

Yeah, all of that plus 3rd day symptoms of the flu and trying to comprehend all that you see through a pair of outdated prescription eyeglasses and trying to take notes with a dried up pen while your family or friends ask if you want to join them for a fun trip to the big mall...

[GoatHerder]

People don't have a clue!

I feel like I'm wearing a 100 kilo suit of rocks all the time. Any kind of movement, in any direction, is just plain difficult and often painful.

It kills me to have to turn down events because of it. Just this afternoon my bride wanted to go on a quick road trip. I hated to say no, but darn it, I just can't keep my eyes open!

[MSLazarus]

Link to Lamar Freed (Dr. Who has MS) article on fatigue: great article

http://tf.n.tripod.com/ms/id53.htm

I like this article. I often send it to relatives to help them understand.

[Froggie]

It's all in our heads...

Trying to describe fatigue is sometimes like pulling teeth! The best description I use is if you've had Mono, you somewhat understand. At times I also feel like I'm walking through pea soup. Of course there is more, but you all understand. I think I'll take a nap now...

[Stewart]

fatigue ok then

I think fatigue is life's way of telling you to focus more on getting off yer bum. Once I realized what was happening, and there was a reason I was a lazy person - I felt there was something to fight - not me, but something happening to me. To me, it's like a rubber band pulling me back to bed.

[MSLazarus]

The farm keeps us alive!

I feel like I'm wearing a 100 kilo suit of rocks all the time. Any kind of movement, in any direction, is just plain difficult and often painful.

It kills me to have to turn down events because of it. Just this afternoon my bride wanted to go on a quick road trip. I hated to say no, but darn it, I just can't keep my eyes open!

Hello,
We too are retired...engineer and teacher. Since we retired the farm has grown...and grown! I have been doing rituxan (ocrelizumab) for 4 years. When I get the infusions I can work well enough. As the infusion wears off I work less well.
I time the 6 month infusions around the farm schedule! Are all farmers crazy?
We are in western MA and have planted peas. Yesterday we plowed another field and today we will start the 2 acres of fingerling potatoes. Life feels good again even if .....

[GoatHerder]

Hello,
Yesterday we plowed another field and today we will start the 2 acres of fingerling potatoes. Life feels good again even if .....

Being in Florida, we have already been enjoying the fruits of our labor. Over a dozen different vegetables growing like weeds, thanks in part to all the goat poo we have available! My fine motor skills have deteriorated to where doing PC board work is no longer possible, but I can still manage to weld up stuff for the farm.

[MSLazarus]

Dodder...

We have the weed, dodder. We have the yellow one that is airborne. (No roots to pull it out.)

Dodder can sense a nearby plant and travels in the air, wraps itself around a plant, and strangles the plant. It develops many strands. Ever seen it?
YouTube has great videos on it.

Once you can see it the cause is already lost. We have an organic farm so I am looking for help on preemergent weed growth.

[GoatHerder]

We have the weed, dodder.

We're organic as well, but just pull weeds the old fashioned way. Our garden is producing more than we can eat in a week, so now we start canning!

[MSLazarus]

Too many acres planted to hand pull weeds everywhere....

We do all the weeding by hand...I crawl and pull....
But we have a couple of acres of fingerlings and that's where the problem is.

Our 1/2 acre of peas are poking up through the ground. Soon we will plant the haricot verts beans, the dozen varieties of sweet peppers and the quarter acre of sunflowers. Japanese eggplant and squash for squash blossoms.
We grow figs and sell them absolutely ripe. We also take cuttings from the mother fig and sell fig trees to. My father in law brought the tree with him when he immigrated @1917.
We have the fig planted in the ground in a greenhouse that is heated in winter.

Next Saturday is my first farmers' market this year. I have been going to this market for 45 years. Hard to believe it.

[GoatHerder]

That's great! We just grow enough for ourselves and close family. We do a lot of canning so we can enjoy the garden near year 'round.

Before we plant, the goats go in and eat any weeds, roots and all. After the garden is exhausted for the season, the goats go in again and clean it out, ready for next season!

[MSLazarus]

I forgot to mention that the goats are great.

I have been in favor of having goats to eat the brush. They eat everything. Would be great for the damn poison ivy which is our best crop.

Now we are old and just managing so we passed the window in time to start having goats. My iiItalian father-in-law had lots of stories about goats. Much better than weed killer. I wish there was a goat service business. Rent goats for a day or a week...around here it would be a good business to start. Lots of organic farmers.

[GoatHerder]

I wish there was a goat service business. Rent goats for a day or a week...around here it would be a good business to start. Lots of organic farmers.

There are goats available for hire like that all over the country, might do a search for your area! They are a lot of work to keep.

I just did a hoof trimming, and by the time I was done, it was like I'd run a marathon! *(In keeping on topic for the thread )

If I didn't have M.S., I'd have 50 goats, but 2 is all I can take care of now days.

[MSLazarus]

Thanks!

We finished planting potatoes yesterday. My marathon was cutting them and my husband made the rows with one antique tractor, dropped potato pieces one by one from a handheld bucket and used a different old tractor to cover.

Daily Marathons of farm work exercise all my muscles. I can work for hours . Adapting quickly to physical loss has helped. I can not stand or walk rows anymore but I crawl really well. I pick crops that way. I cannot get up without a hard barrel to push against. Stretching against that barrel shakes out tightening muscles. Each wall I hit sends me looking for a way over it. So far so good.