Managing fatigue (or tips to cover up being lazy)

[nodogz]

Caught covid on Christmas Eve and have some long-standing health issues (very anaemic). I am so so so dog tired at the moment and I need some tips to manage this. Married and husband is food shopping, washing clothes and looking after pets. Im at a loss about how to manage this, here's what im doing.

Im working from home full time over four days but im a contractor so can't take time off. I need this job for a variety of reasons.

Sleep: I'm sleeping 10pm to 7.45am ish. It's still not enough. And im not up early enough for life either. Going to bed earlier doesn't seem to work.

Vits: taking b vits, vit d and some iron ( I've been waiting for an iron infusion for four months but due to covid it's delayed) Having heart palpitations but not enough for blood transfusion.

Food: trying to make soup but often not bothering or just eating quick rubbish. Husband is not a cook and just buys takeaways if I don't cook. I don't want takeaways so often don't eat. He's taken over most of house jobs but this is the area he doesn't like. I'm usually happy to cook everything. I do drink coffee but I think it makes me more tired.

Work: booking meetings in (with myself) but sleeping through them. Not great practice but helps me get through the day. I do make the time back.

Body aches: the best way to describe this is like I've been beat up. It's tender anywhere I apply pressure to my body. Sometimes clothes hurt or even leaning against a chair. Im also having daily nose bleeds.

Exercise: trying to do a 30 min walk outside every day but really out of breath. Embarrassingly so. And often sleep after an excertion.

House: house is a tip but can live with that.

How can I get better quickly? I spent all of the weekend on the sofa and in bed but still so tired today. How long will it last? Can doctors help?

That sounds miserable OP. I hope you get your transfusion soon. Agree you should rest more.

I have had CFS/ME for over 20 years, and became significantly worse in the early months of the pandemic. I try to pace activity using a pulse oxymeter but I feel as if I am in one long crash. Due to loads of allergies I am unable to use any convenience food at all, so DH has had to learn to cook or I would starve! He has a very limited repertoire, it has to be said . He also does cleaning if requested (not a palace) and laundry if I explain the settings. Perhaps your DH could learn to cook some things to help your nutrition? Salmon or chicken in parchment/foil etc. Can make a tray full and live on it for a few days with a batch of cooked new potatoes and salad in the fridge.

After years of struggling to do everything I have had to admit when I need help, but also I realise that it's good for both partners to have basic survival skills. Btw DH is over 70 so he's had years of being "not a cook" !

Hope you soon feel much better OP.

So sorry you're feeling like this OP.

One thing that can be important - I know you're waiting for an iron infusion and no supplement will match that, but make sure you're taking your supplement with some vitamin c (eg glass of orange juice or similar) to help absorption. If you drink tea, avoid it within 2 hours of the iron tablets.

Also you still need to eat whatever your weight. It's so hard when you really don't feel like it, but keep doing your best with whatever you can manage.

Can you get high dose iron supplements from your gp while you are waiting?

Not sure if it's been mentioned and it's probably only a small part of all the other great advice but caffeine and tannins in coffee and tea inhibit iron uptake. Im anemic and I've noticed an improvement since giving up caffeine. Also caffeine can lead to slumps where you're more exhausted than before you had it but it then disrupts your sleep, so reducing your coffee intake could help fatigue even though that will sound counterproductive and feel it for the first week or so. Eating lots of iron rich foods always helps me get my levels up, like beef curry, lentil daal, chickpea tagine, and these are just as tasty and nutritious from a tin if you're too tired to cook, and easy to find in supermarkets. But most importantly get your GPs advice and a referral to a specialist on post-viral fatigue if you can.

When you are talking to any medical professional about fatigue don't ever talk about the emotional side of it as in how depressing it is, talk about how it impacts your work , how it limits you taking on more work, how it is preventing the advance of your career! Dress smartly like you have just come out of a meeting.
Otherwise you will be dismissed as another emotional woman and offered anti depressants.

Wow, so many messages. So helpful, many thanks and good to know I'm not alone.

Firstly, I've heard loud and clear - I'm going to take it easy. Had a good idea last night and took my child to his outdoor sports class. Fresh air but not tiring. Then a hot shower and bed leading to 10pm - 7.30am sleep (still tired but better today)

Secondly, good nutrition. Big online supermarket order done and making myself snacky packed lunch for the day. The family is covered with ready meals and I can have the tofu and veg without arguments! Plus water. I know I joke about having reserves but I do have to take my nutrition seriously as I put weight on so fast and have these chronic deficiencies. (I am a proper diagnosed coeliac)

Thirdly, I suppose all these underlying health issues are contributing to recovery. B12 usually sits at 150 which is not enough for supplements in my area. I did self administer (self inject) about two years ago which helped and now take sublingual drops daily, along with methylated folate so think that's covered (or would provide duff results at the dr) Coffee/tea limited to before 10am. I can't tolerate iron supplements usually but I have had some success taking biglycinate before bed. I suppose I never considered how much I've been living with the anaemia/vit deficiencies as a lifelong condition or my normal.

It's hard isn't it? Even some of the nice and helpful messages on here about eating better I've interpreted as shaming. (Stop eating crap, you're so lazy, just eat healthy, as well as the diet voice to just not eat) We don't treat people very nicely do we in our society? I'm not treating myself very kindly and I'm thankful for for kindness those of you in this thread are showing me, just in general all of those be pretty, be successful, be perfect messages internalised in myself to unpick.

@MaybeHeIsMyCat

This is lovely and GF

Hi where can you get this from please?

Can you start up your self-injections again? From what I understand (have pernicious anaemia myself) sublingual might provide enough to keep you ticking over but when you need to improve/recover your b12 levels the only thing that will do it is regular and frequent jabs. I felt like you a few years ago and it was all b12, not iron anaemia (although I also occasionally struggle with low levels of iron too).
The only thing that got me out of what felt like a large pit was injecting every other day for about 2 years. Now I do weekly/2 weekly jabs and feel pretty normal.

Have you been tested for diabetes? I was recently diagnosed and went to a course for new diabetics. Several people had been diagnosed post covid.

I also experience fatigue due to a disability so when it was bad recently I thought it was that. But just a few days of reducing my sugar and it was like a switch flipped - I still get fatigued but I sleep better at night and just feel better.

In terms of managing fatigue in general I sometimes find resting but not sleeping better. Get comfy and do something that doesn’t take any brain. I like to listen to old favourite audiobooks or put some instrumental music on.