Creating a Surplus

[Little Bluestem]

I wonder how many of us are doing way too much without realizing it.

I think many of us have become so accustomed to being exhausted that we do not even recognize tired.

On my very first experiment with pacing, years ago, I decided to work around my apartment for a certain amount of time (I think 1/2 hour), then rest for 1/2 hour. When I had done the period of work, I was not at all tired and I had a lot that needed to be done, so my first thought was to continue working. Then I recalled the the purpose of pacing was to stop before becoming tired, so I laid down - - - and woke up 3 hours later. So much for not being tired!

 

[SDSue]

I think many of us have become so accustomed to being exhausted that we do not even recognize tired.

On my very first experiment with pacing, years ago, I decided to work around my apartment for a certain amount of time (I think 1/2 hour), then rest for 1/2 hour. When I had done the period of work, I was not at all tired and I had a lot that needed to be done, so my first thought was to continue working. Then I recalled the the purpose of pacing was to stop before becoming tired, so I laid down - - - and woke up 3 hours later. So much for not being tired!

I always wonder how those who’ve gone into remission feel about “normal” tired? Do they even notice it after so much time with overwhelming pathological fatigue?

Prior to illness, I didn’t really get tired. I could go all day, never sitting, even after exercise. It makes me wonder if our “tired mechanism” never worked right and that is part of our genetic pre-disposition. Who knows.

 

[TiredSam]

I always wonder how those who’ve gone into remission feel about “normal” tired? Do they even notice it after so much time with overwhelming pathological fatigue?

Prior to illness, I didn’t really get tired. I could go all day, never sitting, even after exercise. It makes me wonder if our “tired mechanism” never worked right and that is part of our genetic pre-disposition. Who knows.

I think I can distinguish between three tirednesses, which all feel very different to me.

CFS tired feels like a crash / shutdown coming on very soon, starts with a sudden heavy feeling in my head (if I'm lucky, otherwise a headache), brain slows down, physical movement like sitting up straight or climbing the stairs become an almost impossible challenge. I start word salading. It comes on very quickly and doesn't allow me to ignore it.

Normal lack of sleep tired is completely different. No problem at all, I can carry on and push through it. When my wife notices me yawning and says "are you tired?" I've been known to reply "yes but it's just normal lack of sleep tired, no problem". It feels completely different.

The third tired is healthy tired after sport or exertion. I haven't felt that for over a year because it has been replaced by CFS tired whenever I exert myself, so now I avoid all exertion.

 

[Little Bluestem]

I did get tired before I became ill. It has been so many years my memory isn't good, but I don't think it often came to needing to sit down during the day.