Feb 16

Medical Monday: Chronic Fatigue

Posted in Medical Monday

Chronic fatigue the plague of millions of people with long term illnesses.  Chronic fatigue is more than a passing tiredness. This is a bone deep, life altering, more than 6 months long fatigue.  There is also a difference between chronic fatigue or chronic fatigue syndrome.  I suffered from bouts of fatigue most of my life not truely understanding what was happening to me. I was often told by others, or by little nagging voice in my head that all I needed to do was push through the tiredness. If I only got up and moving I would be fine. Now that I have some clarity as to what was happening to my body I realize that pushing through a bout of chronic fatigue was not possible.

Fatigue happens to all of us at some time in our lives. The tired, weak feeling you get after the flu.  This should be transient and get better after the problem has been corrected.

Chronic fatigue is a more persistant fatigue. It lasts more than six months.  Often this will be the result of other diseases like lupus, rhuematoid arthritis, or fibromyalgia.  The fatigue is often the result of sleep disturbances, chronic pain and depression.  This is a vicous circle the lack of sleep causes more pain and depression which causes more lack of sleep. Yikes now I know why at the end of the night I feel like I was boxing a kangaroo.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is persistant fatigue plus other medical symptoms. To be diagnosised with CFS you must have:

-fatigue that lasts more than six months

-substantial memory or concentration impairment

-sore throat

-tender lymph nodes

-muscle pain

-joint pain with or without swelling

-headaches of new type or pattern

-unrefreshing sleep

-aching after exercise lasting more than a day

Treatment of chronic fatigue is based around finding the cause or causes and removing as many as possible. In the end though many cases of chronic fatigue are there to stay.  There are some medications that are used to help with sleep particularly Anti-depressants, Cymbalta, Savella, and Lyrica.

There are also some alternative methods that can help.  Try a warm bath before bed use aromatic oils or candles if possible.  Talk your hubby into a gentle massage. Use a white noise CD to tame the odd noises that can awaken a light sleeper.  Try to exercise moderately several times a week.  Okay so I don’t get that one often myself, but I do find that if I stretch out before bed it helps with the night time cramps.

Chronic fatigue is real! You have a medical problem that needs to be treated and monitored.  Go gentle on yourself. The Lord has a plan for you where you are today. He knows your limitations and He know your strengths.

Psalms 62:1

My soul finds rest in God alone;

my salvation comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

God bless friends, my your day be filled with the Lord’s grace and beauty.

Heather L

comments: 0 » tags: , , ,
Feb 9

Medical Monday: Sjogren’s Syndrome

Posted in Medical Monday

Sjogren’s (SHOW-grins) syndrome is an autoimmune disease that affects more then 4 million people world wide. Nine of ten affected are women. It is a chronic illness where the white blood cells attack the moisture producing glands, and mucous membranes of the body. The chief complaint of Sjogren’s is dry eyes, and dry mouth. Though the entire body is affected.

You can suffer from primary Sjogren’s that usually affects a person in there 40′s. You can also suffer from secondary Sjorgren’s that is paired with another autoimmune illness, such as lupus, scleroderma, or another connective tissue disease.  This is a serious disease. There can be significate complications including loss of vision, tooth decay, and as much as a 44x higher  rate of lymphoma.

There are some lovely information organizations online. The first one I visited Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation has information about the disease, how to live with it, how to follow up and treat the symptoms. They have an updated list of replacement lubricants.

I also visited Sjogren’s World This is a support and information organization. You can find forums, e-pals, articles. In fact under the links section I found a Very accurate description of what I am going through. Lynne’s page about Sjogren’s syndrome this link is to her story.

I am awaiting the results of my CT scan upon doing research I think it highly likely my lumps along my jaw may be directly related to Sjogren’s. I will find out later this week. Thank you everyone for your prayers and God bless!

comments: 1 » tags: ,
Feb 2

Medical Monday: What is lupus?

Posted in Lupus related, Medical Monday

Welcome to the first Medical Monday. First understand I am not a doctor nor do I play one online. I am sharing this information that I have researched. I try hard not to give you the wrong info. If you find a problem drop me a line and let me know!

Lupus is an autoimmune disease. It is a chronic inflammatory disease that attacks your skin, joints, heart, lungs, kidneys and blood. It is more common in women than in men (8x more common). There are different types of lupus.

There is a skin contained lupus, discoid lupus or cutaneous lupus erythematosus. While this type does not attack the internal organs it can be disfiguring. About 10% of people that start with the discoid lupus and later also get systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). There are also individuals with SLE that have the lupus dermatitis as well. I am one of them.

Then there is the more severe form systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). SLE is a chronic attack on your system. You go through periods of flare and remission. When your illness is active it is life threatening. When in remission you are never truely healthy again just not actively ill.

There is a drug induced form of lupus. It comes most commonly from taking hydralazine (used to treat high blood pressure or hypertension) and procainamide (used to treat irregular heart rhythms). This is more common in men. Stopping the medicine should stop the lupus.

Finally there is neonatal lupus. A baby develops a skin rash over the first few months of their life. There is a rare complication of a heart block that can require a pacemaker. This is a type of lupus that like drug induced lupus should go away.

Normally when someone says they have lupus they mean they have the SLE or systemic form. That is what I have with discoid lesions. Lupus is not longer the death sentence that it use to be. That does not mean I will not die from lupus. Many people die from lupus or it’s complications every year. There have been NO new medicines to treat lupus in 50 years. Lupus affects us every day.

If you have lupus you will have to take medications everyday, usually multiple times a day. A person with lupus needs to stay away from stress, illness, and the sun. If you have lupus you will also have to see multiple specialist and take blood tests every few weeks. This is not an easy disease to manage. Throw in the chronic pain and chronic fatigue that drag at your body.

The symptoms are highly variable. Even the lab work can be highly different between different patients. There is an unfortunate tendency for patients to go years before getting a diagnosis and appropriate treatment. I got sick for the first large flare of my life when I was 20. I was diagnosed when I was 33. You do the math…. I spent too many years without the right diagnosis and no medication and treatment to stop the lupus from moving in and taking over.

I live with lupus. I deal with the hair falling out. The skin rashes that itch, flake and look horrible. I take medications everyday. Taking all the tests and drs appointments needed. There are so many that have worse to deal with. When I am feeling particularly whiny and grumpy. I turn to Do everything without complaining or arguing Phillipians 2:14

Not one of the easier verses in the Bible for me but highly useful.

God bless friends. Take care and good health!

comments: 1 » tags: ,