I have read Dr. Wallace's section on fatigue and he says don't rest in bed, it only makes fatigue worse...I am so trying to understand this condition. He says "commit to an hour or tow of activites followed by a rest period of 15 to 20 minutes. Repeat this several tmes a day". This is a direct quote from Dr. Daniel J. Wallace, M.D. "The Lupus Book, page 193".

I don't know if it is because I am have been dealing with the fatigue for so long and I am just out-of-shape, or it is the infection that I just took 5 days of antibiotics for, but I swept my front porch (Cape Cod style) and by the end, I was feeling tired, and then my dogs got out and I walked almost a mile (pedometer) trying to get them back and by the end of just those two activities, I am exhausted and could use a nap. :yawn:

Can anyone relate? Remember I have not seen the rheumatologist yet but have had positive ANA and have had a high SED rate. So, I suppose we are not entirely sure what we are dealing with except I have had 6 of the 11 criteria for SLE in the last 4 years.

Thanks guys...:)

Diane

Diane, hi. I just pulled out my copy. I think that in his list, by "activities", Dr. Wallace means lighter things like work & errands, not physical exercise. His other steps are identifying & treating causes of fatigue, taking appropriate lupus medication & getting proper sleep. And THEN you hopefully can move on to exercise, like walking & other forms you can tolerate.

Despite many bad episodes, at age 44 I could still do 1-1/2 hr. step bench classes; then a profound fatigue came upon me. Walking doggie around the block became an adventure. So I do know what you're saying.

Don't despair! You just skipped over a few important milestones, I think. Thinking of you, Vee

You mean, like actually seeing a rheumatologist, determining severity of disease, getting on proper medication, and expecting that just because I know now what I might have, then I automatically can WILL myself to being like I was years ago? Like those steps? I have always been a person who believed that if I just knew what it was THEN I could deal with it, it was the unknown that was the problem, but you are right, I am inpatient to see the rheumy, see what they say, get a more definitive diagnosis and be like I was before...exercising 3 or 4 times a week, 30 pounds lighter (for health's sake) and not being on antibiotics every 3rd week.

Vee...I have heard your serotonin levels get screwed in lupus and that (along with the contributing factors) do and cause depression. Well, you know about seasonal affective disorder and that it is sunlight each day that helps that. You are experienced. What do you know about serotonin and how does a person who reacts to sunlight (which helps SAD) handle it. Does a D3 supplement help?

Diane

Hi, Diane. Yes, you do sound a bit pedal-to-the-metal. :)

FATIGUE: Did you notice that Dr. Wallace mentioned multiple other causes for fatigue, like Hashimoto's, other hypothyroid conditions, anemia, and elevated blood sugar? i.e., your rheumie should check you out for such things, because some/all occur more often in lupus patients than in the general population.

I was anemic, but once I started Plaquenil, my blood levels improved. That was in addition to other valuable improvements like increased energy, better sleep, less joint & shin pain, no more headaches, near-cessation of irritable bowel & irritable bladder, no neuro-like tingling, etc. (Yaaaaay, Plaquenil!)

Have you read what Dr. Wallace writes about antimalarials (Plaquenil, etc.)?

SUN: Basking in sunlight for SAD (seasonal affective disorder) could have negative results if lupus is present. So many people (maybe most) with lupus are photosensitive. By that I mean sunlight could be rash-inducing, overall flare-inducing, or both.

I'd been in the sun all my life. I don't mean ALL the time, as I worked fulltime in an office. 10 to 15 years prior to Dx, I'd noticed lacelike mottling under my skin, which I later learned was livedo reticularis. But my actual rashes arrived only in the final decade. i.e., photosensitivity can build over time, so subtly that you don't fathom that it's happening.

QUESTION: Do you "do" sun?

SEROTONIN: I don't know anything about it in the context of lupus (sorry).

I hope your reading & posting is not causing you MORE worry prior to your March appt.! Hopefully it will help you put good questions together & fine-tune your "ear" so the rheumie makes better sense to you. Hang in there! Bye for now, from Vee

Hi, Diane. Yes, you do sound a bit pedal-to-the-metal. :)

FATIGUE: Did you notice that Dr. Wallace mentioned multiple other causes for fatigue, like Hashimoto's, other hypothyroid conditions, anemia, and elevated blood sugar? i.e., your rheumie should check you out for such things, because some/all occur more often in lupus patients than in the general population.

I was anemic, but once I started Plaquenil, my blood levels improved. That was in addition to other valuable improvements like increased energy, better sleep, less joint & shin pain, no more headaches, near-cessation of irritable bowel & irritable bladder, no neuro-like tingling, etc. (Yaaaaay, Plaquenil!)

Have you read what Dr. Wallace writes about antimalarials (Plaquenil, etc.)?

SUN: Basking in sunlight for SAD (seasonal affective disorder) could have negative results if lupus is present. So many people (maybe most) with lupus are photosensitive. By that I mean sunlight could be rash-inducing, overall flare-inducing, or both.

I'd been in the sun all my life. I don't mean ALL the time, as I worked fulltime in an office. 10 to 15 years prior to Dx, I'd noticed lacelike mottling under my skin, which I later learned was livedo reticularis. But my actual rashes arrived only in the final decade. i.e., photosensitivity can build over time, so subtly that you don't fathom that it's happening.

QUESTION: Do you "do" sun?

SEROTONIN: I don't know anything about it in the context of lupus (sorry).

I hope your reading & posting is not causing you MORE worry prior to your March appt.! Hopefully it will help you put good questions together & fine-tune your "ear" so the rheumie makes better sense to you. Hang in there! Bye for now, from Vee