Feeling very heavy - symptom that rarely gets mentioned

[dangermouse]

I have come across anecdotal mention of this symptom but never seen it included in any diagnostic criteria I can remember.
It is something that I regularly experience a lot, particularly as part of PEM.
At the very beginning, I struggled to push the duvet off me in bed.
Nowadays, it is a sure sign that I am overdoing it as everything becomes much heavier. My whole body, particularly my legs; anything I try to lift feels as if it's quadrupled in weight.
It's as though someone has increased gravity.
I'm 5'6 and weigh 8stone but at times it's like I'm more than twice that.
Just wondered how common it was and what reason there might be for it?

Feels like wading through treacle.

 

[belize44]

Yes! Thank you. Never knew how to describe it. I also get a heaviness across my chest when I've overdone things. Like my heart is struggling to pump the blood around or something. I guess all muscles are affected. I had all the heart tests done and was cleared, so I'm not worried about it. Just another symptom I guess.

This happens when I climb the stairs to our apartment. My legs get very heavy about halfway up the flight, then my chest gets a heavy feeling as if I am wearing a large stone on my chest. It is scary, but all heart testing comes back normal.

 

[belize44]

Myasthenia or muscle weakness.

It is for me also one of my most profound and disabling symptoms. Happily I dont have it continously.

When I push myself beyond this myasthenia I get out of breath very quickly, from just doing nothing!! Even walking from toilet to bed or chair might generate this heavy breathing so I know that's just where my body limit is ...
I'm happy to not have it continuously. But it is very stressing when it happens because you never know when or if it will disappear. When it comes in it is usually something of weeks...

This feeling of being out of breath happens when I bend down to put things away or take clothes out of the dryer. I am always amazed at how out of breath I can get from doing such simple things. And also, as such times as those, talking on the telephone is out of the question.

 

[Chocolove]

My whole body, particularly my legs; anything I try to lift feels as if it's quadrupled in weight.

I have known low functioning adrenals.

When I have pushed myself too far (and sometimes that takes very little) my body seems to turn to lead... usually I feel it in my legs first if I am walking. They seem to turn to lead. They become so heavy I literally cannot pick them up and collapse. It's been worse on occasion.... in bed basically dying with an adrenal crisis...I could not even turn my head...too heavy... It definitely starts in the extremities as one suddenly feels as if turning into stone.

I have secondary adrenal insufficiency upon occasion - the primary cause of SAI is use of corticosteroid medications like prednisone, or asthma inhalers, or arthritis injections containing corticosteroids. Corticosteroids can result in adrenal atrophy... the adrenals no longer have the capacity to respond as normal and need a long time of rest and nutritional support to rebuild. Disease puts a heavy burden on adrenals and their capacity to respond is worn down.

Look up adrenal insufficiency and Addison's disease. I am bound and determined not to go back on corticosteroids which lower your immunity turning you into a weak and proper feast for any and all microbes. Corticosteroids would be a slow and horribly torturous death sentence from which I have at least temporarily escaped.

http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/heaviness-in-legs.14102/
@dannybex

 

[Wonko]

I have several variations upon a theme with this.

I have the heavy legs, heavy everything variant, most noticeable these days is heavy head.

I also have "enough" energy but it won't go anywhere, I seem to have the energy but i can't drive my limbs any faster with it.

I also have a "this light thing is too heavy to move" variant - first noticed when trying to lift an essentially empty box (it had a lampshade in) from waist height to put it on a shelf in the early 90s. I could feel it wasn't heavy, but could I lift it? Nope. I seem to remember getting quite annoyed about it that first time lol.

The effect is quite pronounced and is at least a 20 fold decrease in apparent strength*, for anything from a few seconds to ages. I seem to have noticed a correlation between this type and needing to rest to reduce or even avoid PEM. Paying attention and noticing it rather than just overpowering it seems to lead to less PEM than just ignoring it, as I always have done before. Probably not explaining it well.**

*edit - I've measured it, with weights lol

**edit - I didn't. What I mean is I noticed that the day before a crash I often experienced this sudden loss of strength, sometimes only for a few seconds, just little things like struggling to open a cupboard door, nearly dropping, or dropping, a plate because I no longer have the grip strength to hold on to it etc. When I notice it I am now backing off, and resting for the rest of the day, and so far I've prevented my existing crash from getting any worse, which given how bad I've been, and how much I still have to do on a routine basis, is pretty remarkable It's a theory, sudden fade is a warning to back off, so far it seems to pan out, for why, no idea.

Or - many, many less words to say the same thing.

 

[lansbergen]

And strain a muscle by lifting an empty cardboard box?

I have several variations upon a theme with this.

I have the heavy legs, heavy everything variant, most noticeable these days is heavy head.

I also have "enough" energy but it won't go anywhere, I seem to have the energy but i can't drive my limbs any faster with it.

I also have a "this light thing is too heavy to move" variant - first noticed when trying to lift an essentially empty box (it had a lampshade in) from waist height to put it on a shelf in the early 90s. I could feel it wasn't heavy, but could I lift it? Nope. I seem to remember getting quite annoyed about it that first time lol.

The effect is quite pronounced and is at least a 20 fold decrease in apparent strength, for anything from a few seconds to ages. I seem to have noticed a correlation between this type and needing to rest to reduce or even avoid PEM. Paying attention and noticing it rather than just overpowering it seems to lead to less PEM than just ignoring it, as I always have done before. Probably not explaining it well.

 

[Wonko]

And strain a muscle by lifting an empty cardboard box?

edited down to....No.

 

[Chocolove]

@Wonko Perhaps this explains it? Mitochondrial dysfunction results in inability to create ATP ....as Ted Reid Phd demonstrates in this video... without the energy of ATP one simply can't move. Muscles need production of ATP.

Start video at 48:00

K2 Workshop - Goodman & Reid - YouTube
▶ 1:15:58

Nov 8, 2015 - Uploaded by CMG
Great informative video on Vitamin K2, spoken by Professors Goodman & Reid at Supply Side West ...

 

[Wonko]

@Chocolove

I'm not currently a big fan of the whole mito theory, not in the way most people seem to mean it any way.

Everything I try, which should increase mito function/efficiency/respiration etc. whilst it may give me a little more energy initially, causes minor or major, and most importantly, unexpected, crashes. Leading me to the conclusion that my body is deliberately downregulating something as a protective measure, when I override it things get hairy for a while.

Which doesn't mean I won't use my hard won knowledge when needed, it just means that it isn't a solution, coz, at least in my case, mito problems aren't the primary issue

 

[Chocolove]

Leading me to the conclusion that my body is deliberately downregulating something as a protective measure, when I override it things get hairy for a while.

Sounds like me with my low functioning adrenals.

 

[Chocolove]

http://forums.prohealth.com/forums/...e-and-heavy-weakness-in-arms-and-legs.121076/

 

[Chocolove]

18 People Describe What Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Feels Like | The ...
https://themighty.com/2016/02/what-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-feels-like/
Feb 12, 2016 - My legs are heavy and my arms do not want to move. I ache. ... Your eyes feel like they weigh 100 pounds and you can hardly keep them open.