Managing fatigue in M.S.

blondiemay77 · May 8, 2006

These are somethings that work4me since my Ms Dx. Go to bed/get up at the same time daily. Eat smaller more frequent meals, drink lots of fluids, and exercise. I rarely have to take naps anymore. Pretty basic things that we all should do, but it made a huge difference in what I can do.

nursesaideBen · May 8, 2006

My mom lived with progressive MS the last 5 years of her life. She worked full time as a Medical Assistant was a single mom and supported my sister and I (I'm only 17 as of now). Her fatigue was really awful but the ways she tried to manage it was by setting limits for herself by not taking on more than she could handle. On her days off she would take it easy . She cut out all soft drinks and drank only water. My sister and I also tried to help as much as we could she also took different meds to increase her energy. I hope you have good family support maybe you can look at the MS society's website for tips on symptom management. http://www.nationalmssociety.org Best of Luck! :icon_hug:

PeachPie · May 9, 2006

My dad has Guillian-Barre, which is similar. He's a teacher, and has to take neps throughout the day and schedule classes so he has free periods for this. For extra measures, he's going to specialists who are looking for any other treatments, like sleep specialists. He's also on antidepressants, which seems to be helping (more sleep is a sign of depression).

Carlos Casteneda · May 9, 2006

thank you ,

julian

nadja9 · May 9, 2006

One thing that increases fatigue greatly is the heat. You may already know this, but I thought I'd throw it out there. My mom has progressive MS, and the heat is her enemy when it comes to her energy level. In the summer, she tries to avoid being outside in the afternoons when the temps are the highest. This is a well documented issue with MS patients, but until my own mother had MS, I wasn't aware of it.

Thought you might find this useful, particularly as summer is almost here.

iplum · May 9, 2006

I am an RN now retired due to MS. One suggestion I have for nursing staff working with MS patients is to allow lots of rest periods between activities. An example would be to have the patient shower or bathe then do not send off to PT. That person will need a rest time. Also, try to do procedures that will involve physical activity early in the day because by mid afternoon your patient will be worn out. Hope this helps a little.