Organise Your Living And Work Spaces
You might find there are practical changes that can be made to the places you work and live. Maybe re-organising desks or cupboards, or adjusting the temperature or lighting to suit you better.
Sometimes, the simplest of changes can make the workplace or home more energy efficient for you.
An occupational therapist can help you assess the spaces you use at work and at home – and may suggest adaptations or equipment that could help. For more information about the support that occupational therapists can offer, and how to find one, download or order our leaflet Occupational therapy and MS.
Changes To Bladder And Bowel Function With Ms
Issues with bladder and bowel function can be a common problem for people with MS at some stage in their life. These issues may be related to other conditions, so it is important to report any changes, so the right assessments can be made.
Issues with bladder and bowel function may include:
- Incontinence â an accidental or involuntary loss of urine from the bladder or bowel motion, faeces or wind from the bowel . It is a widespread condition affecting many Australians, so you should not feel alone.
- Bladder dysfunction symptoms â including greater or less frequency of passing of urine, urgency, incontinence, urinary tract infections and the need to urinate frequently overnight.
- Bowel issues â including severe constipation, faecal incontinence and diarrhoea.
With the right advice, you can manage these symptoms and prevent complications or associated illnesses.
You can also make small changes that could make a big difference, including:
Factors That Contribute To Your Fatigue
The fatigue thats unique to MS is called lassitude.
80 percent of people with MS experience this overpowering feeling of tiredness in body and mind.
We dont know the exact cause of lassitude, but we have identified many factors that can add to your feeling of fatigue.
- Insufficient sleep, which can be related to other MS symptoms like bladder urgency, muscle spasms, or pain. You might also be getting too much screen time before bed, or facing an underlying sleep problem like sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome.
- Depression or anxiety, which are common in people with MS. These mental health challenges can be draining for anyone, but they may lead to a vicious cycle for someone with MS. Your depression leads to feelings of fatigue, which amplifies your feelings of depression, and so on.
- Muscle stiffness or weakness, which requires you to use extra energy to move around.
- Certain medications taken for MS or other conditions
- Heat exposure, such as sitting outside on a warm day.
Once youve begun to manage all the issues that contribute to your tiredness, you can tackle MS fatigue.
With the help of your healthcare team, you can identify which factors contribute to your fatigue, and what tools and strategies can be of aid. You can also use the “4 P’s” to make daily activities easier and less draining. We’ll explore both approaches below.
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What Is Crisis Fatigue
Crisis fatigue is not a distinct condition recognized in the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition” . Instead, it is a phenomenon that people often experience when faced with a chronic stressor that creates continuous challenges in their life.
The COVID-19 pandemic is an example of ongoing stress that may cause people to experience crisis fatigue. Other situations that can lead to this response include economic disasters, natural disasters, social unrest, racial discrimination, mass shootings, and war.
In such situations, there are often immediate effects of the stress and prolonged effects that continue to take a toll even after the initial stressor is no longer present.
Are There Any Drugs That Can Help With Fatigue
Kate says: There are no drugs that are licensed in the UK that are specifically for MS fatigue. There are some medications that are used for other conditions that may be prescribed to help with MS fatigue but the evidence behind them is actually quite small at the minute and theres no real clarity as to how helpful they can be. One of the medications that is available is called amantadine, but its only effective for quite a small group of people with MS fatigue, so not everybody. Another medication that some people might be prescribed is called modafinil but this isnt actually recommended at the moment for MS fatigue. Its only licensed for people with narcolepsy so its being prescribed less often but some people with MS might still be on it.
Medications are not the first line treatment for MS fatigue at the moment because the evidence base is small. Self management strategies are still the first way to go. However if youve tried these and fatigue is still impacting you, you can speak to your neurologist about perhaps trying some medications to see if they do have an effect for you.
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What Is Cancer Fatigue
Cancerfatigue – a persistent feeling of exhaustion and low energy levels – can be a symptom of cancer itself or a side effect of cancer treatment. It can affect you physically, mentally and emotionally and leave you feeling burned-out and distressed – although it can affect people in different ways.
Erin Fury, a cancer support specialist at Maggie’s Cardiff, says cancer-related fatigue can be caused by a number of factors, including, the cancer and its treatments surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and medication can all contribute to fatigue. It can also be caused by anaemia – when you have too little haemoglobin and too few red blood cells – as well as nausea, a lack of appetite, changes in taste, pain or breathlessness.
I Take A Daily Morning Dose Of Coenzyme Q10 Capsules Supplements From Holland & Barrett As Recommended By My Ms Nurse And They Certainly Do Work For Me And Others I Have Passed The Recommendation On To They Somehow Raise My Energy Levels In The Morning They Are Still Not Fantastic But Better With Them Than Without Dont Take Too Many Or You May Not Sleep Well
Vitamin D and omega 3
Diet
Other therapies
AcupunctureOxygen therapyAction Potential Simulation Therapy
We asked the MS community to share their 10 top tips for managing fatigue, they are…
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Speech And Swallowing Changes With Ms
Speech and swallowing changes can occur due to affected nerves being damaged. This may present as changes to the voice tone and quality, or coughing when eating.
These symptoms should be reported to your MS healthcare team for assistance from a speech therapist, who can advise on appropriate management.
What Causes Fatigue In Patients With Multiple Sclerosis
The exact cause of MS-related fatigue is still unknown. There are several theories on the subject:
- One theory is that fatigue is related to the general activation of the immune system. Chemical messengers are called cytokines these levels are higher in patients with MS and may be higher still in patients with fatigue. One way of describing this is that you may feel like you have a virus all of the time.
- Another theory is that people with MS may have to use more parts of their brain to do the same task as someone without MS in essence, they are working harder.
- Another theory is that fatigue is related to reduced electrical transmission of signals in the brain.
Whatever the theory, we know that fatigue from MS is a very real part of the disease.
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What Can I Do If I Have Fatigue
Although fatigue cant be cured, there are techniques that can be used to reduce the impact it has on your daily life.
There are two main aspects of managing fatigue.
- Ensuring you have the best levels of energy available eg, through eating healthily, staying active, getting enough sleep, reducing stress and improving your mood.
- Learning how to use that energy in the most efficient way eg, by planning in advance, prioritising and delegating tasks, and pacing yourself.
Although the key person in fatigue management is you, health professionals, such as an MS nurse, occupational therapist or physiotherapist, can support you through this process and help you develop strategies to manage your fatigue.
Do reach out to them if fatigue is an issue and you need some advice and support you don’t have to manage fatigue on your own.
Psychological Impact Of Cancer
“Many people think of fatigue as just being a physical concern but it can be an emotional or mental side effect also,” Fury says.
The cancer support specialist says fatigue can be classed under three categories – physical, mental or emotional. Fury explains that mental fatigue can lead to problems with concentration, memory, and difficulty retaining new information. Negative thoughts and feelings can also feed into this mental fatigue and/or be a cause of it. “Psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, frustration and stress can all contribute to the mental fatigue often experienced by cancer patients.”
This can be experienced at any time of their cancer experience, whether it be at time of diagnosis, during treatment or when treatment has finished.
Cancer fatigue: What it is and how to overcome it
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Management Of Fatigue In Persons With Multiple Sclerosis
- 1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- 2The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- 3School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Despite advances in pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment, fatigue continues to be the disabling symptom in persons with MS , affecting almost 80% of pwMS. In current practice, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions are used in combination, encompassing a multi-disciplinary approach. The body of research investigating the effect of these interventions is growing. This review systematically evaluated the existing evidence on the effectiveness and safety of different interventions currently applied for the management of fatigue in person with multiple sclerosis in improving patient outcomes, to guide treating clinicians.
Fatigue And Depression And Stress
While depression and stress dont technically cause fatigue, they can affect energy levels in a similar way, in part by disrupting sleep.
Usual treatment
Stress and depression are brought about when we have difficulty coping with the various challenges we face. Try to reduce the problematic aspects of life wherever possible and seek help from others. Support and information is available from GPs, counsellors and help lines. Regional MS Community Support Staff are also available for one-on-one discussions and can provide a referral to services in your community.
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Overwhelming Disruptive And Difficult To Explain Fatigue Is The Most Common Ms Symptom
Everyone knows what it feels like to be tired. But MS fatigue is different from regular fatigue.
- It can come on suddenly, even after a good night’s sleep.
- It generally worsens over the course of the day.
- It tends to increase with heat and humidity.
Your MS fatigue is likely to feel different from anything you’ve felt before.
It may feel totally overwhelming at times, yet it remains invisible to other people. It can be one of the hardest symptoms for family, friends, and colleagues to understand.
You might find that fatigue interferes with every aspect of your life. To combat fatigue and take back control, get to know this symptom, factors that can worsen it, and ways to manage your energy.
Allow Yourself To Rest
While being productive matters, resting when you need to is more important.
Efficiency, not intensity, is the goal. Knowing how to deal with chronic fatigue mostly centers on being gracious with yourself and honoring what your body needs!
A spin on the classic Pomodoro Technique for productivity is a good idea. Switch it up to do what works best for your body!
When a full day of work is too much, focus on just 20 minutes of productivity. By making those 20 minutes truly productive and then resting, youll probably accomplish even more than you would have in pushing through for 3 hours.
After 20 minutes of work, check in with yourself. If you need to rest, set a timer for an hour and rest. Once the hour is up, try to work again for another 20 minutes. If you can still only accomplish 20 minutes, thats fine! Or, if you can accomplish an hour, thats even better.
Resting guilt-free prevents burnout and keeps your work consistent.
On that same note, dont forget to reward yourself!
Whether you have worked for 20 minutes, hours, or not at all, rewarding yourself makes rest feel like a celebration and not something to be ashamed of.
Be gentle to yourself! Youre dealing with something overwhelming, and showing up to make an effort is something to be proud of.
When youre wondering how to deal with chronic fatigue and be productive, these tips are absolutely essential!
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What Does Ms Fatigue Feel Like
Many people equate fatigue to being tired, mainly because this is the closest human condition non-MSers can relate to. When Im suffering from fatigue, I certainly feel tired, but there is more to it than that and I find it helpful to break it down into different parts of the body and examine the impact it can have on each part.
1. Head
Cognitive fatigue, or cog fog, feels to me like cotton wool has replaced different key parts of my brain. I can have trouble holding a thought in my head or thinking a thought through. Its like when a computer is working slowly, and I find things like cooking difficult when I feel like this.
Planning when to put different elements of a meal into the oven or microwave, so it all comes together at the same time seems like an impossible task, and I find I have to walk through it slowly in my head a few times until I imagine how it will work out.
I also find conversation challenging during an episode of cog fog. Its like my brain hits the pause button mid flow and I find myself staring blankly at people before it resets itself and I can continue. This is often imperceptible to others, but I can feel it happening, and it is frustrating.
Speech problems can also occur where my mouth feels heavy and getting words out can be difficult. Finding even the simplest correct word can also be a struggle.
2. Hands and Arms
Ive also felt this when eating before lifting the cutlery to my mouth took so much effort it almost wasnt worth eating.
3. Legs
Ms Fatigue Vs Lassitude Fatigue
LLY blogger Jamie shares her experience of lassitude fatigue and her advice on how to deal with tiredness when living with MS.
When I hit 30, I realized that there is a phrase most Americans repeat throughout the day: Im so tired. As a woman who had a career and infant children at the time, I understood that phrase long before my MS diagnosis. I said it all the time. But, when I first realized something else was happening to my body, that Im so tired phrase developed a new meaning.
When I was working, Id bring some of the special needs students out to the playground during recess. They depended on me to be happy, and to spend time with them. I remember the day I had to sit on the ground with my back against the building. THAT was the day my MS started. Three years before a diagnosis. Their joy depended on me engaging and being there, and I couldnt.
MS fatigue is crushing. Its very different from normal fatigue. I remember not showering just because the energy it would take to try to get my legs over the lip of the tub was too grueling a thought, and my husband wasnt there to help me. MS fatigue is just THAT bad. But what I didnt realize is that there is a type of fatigue even more overwhelming: meet lassitude fatigue.
It is reported that 70-80% of people with MS suffer from MS Fatigue. I wonder how many of us have MS fatigue and how many have lassitude as well.
The general definition of fatigue is Weariness from bodily or mental exertion.
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Using Your Energy Wisely
You may need to think ahead as you budget your energy each day. This can be tricky, but once you get into the flow of your routine, conserving your energy can be a smart way to battle your fatigue. A few ways to best utilize your energy include:
- Building rest times into your schedule, like an afternoon 20-minute power nap
- Planning energy-draining activities for the morning when you are less fatigued
- Asking your family to take on more of the heavy-duty household chores
- Using your scooter or wheelchair to get around throughout the day
You Can Experience Flare
When a person receives a diagnosis, you may think that chronic fatigue syndrome dooms you to a lifetime of days with little to no energy to accomplish anything. However, this is not the case. Once you learn how to manage your symptoms, you may be able to have days or even weeks between flareups. What can you do right now to try and increase the time between your flareups?
Learning to pace yourself is crucial. When you have a good day, it can be tempting to try and get through your entire to-do list. However, learning your limits for physical and emotional strain can help you to reduce your workload, even on good days, so that you can help remissions to last as long as possible.
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