Chronic Fatigue and Me

Chronic fatigue is something many people who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) experience due to not being able to sleep properly. I was 9 when I first started having issues falling asleep and I don’t know if that’s because I had OSA all the way back then or if it was my restless legs syndrome (RLS).

I could easily sleep 10 to 12 hours on weekends and any time school wasn’t in session. I don’t know how well I slept, and I think that’s why I would sleep so long. My mom said everything was normal, so I didn’t get diagnosed with OSA or RLS until last year.

Living with multiple health conditions

I live with multiple diseases, including endometriosis, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome. Unfortunately, these diseases all have chronic fatigue as a symptom, so there is never a day that I don’t experience chronic fatigue. This has made life challenging in several aspects.

The effects of brain fog

Brain fog can quickly roll in and stay for a long period of time. I find this side effect very annoying, especially because my short-term memory was damaged from taking Celexa. Brain fog can even cause me to accidentally say the wrong word when talking or forget to say a word. Sometimes I am able to catch it if I say the wrong word, but I usually don’t notice if I accidentally forget to say a word.

I tried taking a couple of online courses a couple of years ago, and it was challenging at times. I could read something and the next page would be a pop quiz, and I would have forgotten what I just read. Not being able to sleep properly can also impact how we feel pain.¹

This is true for me, and my fibromyalgia can kick that pain even higher. It’s a nasty little cycle for me that, at times, seems never-ending.

The emotional impact of chronic fatigue

Chronic fatigue can also make me more emotionally fragile. It doesn’t take much to make me really sad, and sometimes I find myself a little irritable. When this happens, I immerse myself in either a video game or a comedy.

Sometimes other people don’t understand what it’s like living with chronic fatigue. One time, I was over at my older sister’s house and told her how I was super fatigued. She responded, “You think you are fatigued? Try having a baby.”

I knew to bite my tongue, but I thought to myself, “You won’t always have a baby; I will always have these diseases causing me fatigue.”

Even my husband used to get annoyed when he would tell me he was fatigued from work, and I would respond by saying that I too was fatigued. I had to remind him that the fatigue he experiences is completely different from the fatigue I experience.

Experiencing a new level of fatigue

Since February 6th, the tachycardia I experience has increased, and I’ve been having other arrhythmias. This has added a whole other level of fatigue to the table. Eating is one of the things that causes the most fatigue, especially eating dinner. It’s a struggle to stay awake 2 hours after eating, let alone the 4 hours you are actually supposed to do.

I have to eat dinner earlier because I am going to bed so much earlier. I’m usually in bed between 6 PM and 7 PM and sleeping 11 hours – well, that’s my guess.

Waiting on my medical tests

The sleep study revealed that I lost 1 hour of sleep to waking. It may have gotten worse because my OSA isn’t being treated and because of my heart issues.

I’m on a medication to slow my heart down so a CT of my carotid arteries can be done. I’m also waiting on another sleep study that is even more comprehensive than the first one.