Fighting Fatigue with Dr. Holly Phillips
Fighting Fatigue with Dr. Holly Phillips.
We have covered fatigue before as it is a common symptom of both multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia for example.
So we thought this would be of great interest to our readers!
Dr Rob Hicks on sleep disorders
Over the last week or so we have been publishing interviews with Dr Rob Hicks on the subject of sleep and related issues. The first , which you can read here, looked at the relationship between diabetes and sleep. The second deals with some of the issues surrounding sleep routines for younger children!
In this interview with Dr Hicks we explore sleep disorders, fatigue and relaxation. Vital to such conditions and multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia among others.
PatienTalk.Org: Ok and moving on from there how would you describe or what is sleep apnoea?
Dr Hicks: Well sleep apnoea is a situation which is often associated with snoring. It is a situation where many, many times in the night for short very periods of time the person stops breathing so a bed partner may notice that the person has temporarily stopped breathing for micro seconds and then the person themselves has a bit of a cough or a bit of a deep breath and they may wake up or they may roll over and go back to sleep. One of the problems with obstructive sleep apnoea is actually that it leaves a person not just tired the following day and at greater risk of accidents but it can actually put somebody’s blood pressure up so it is a contributing factor to heart disease and indeed strokes.
PatienTalk.Org:- Are there other major sleep disorders?
Dr Hicks: Well the main sleep disorder that we come across in general practice is insomnia. A lack of good, refreshing sleep and the underlying cause of that can be a physical problem. It might be arthritis causing pain. It might be a side effect of medication that is being taken for a health problem. It might be noise. It might be too much light. It might be an uncomfy bed or it might actually be an awful lot of worry and that is why the “Good night everyone” campaign from Dunelm is working towards trying to help people find the best way for them as an individual and for them as a family to get a good night sleep and so they can work up refreshed in the morning ready to face the challenges of the day.
PatienTalk.Org: I’ve noticed that you have mentioned fatigue and insomnia go hand in hand. Why do you think that is?
Dr Hicks: What we understand by the process of sleep is it’s a way of regenerating and repairing the body. It’s certainly a time where memories are laid down. It’s a time where basically we give the body a chance to get ready for the next day but if you’re not getting an adequate amount of sleep, and the amount of sleep people need varies from individual to individual so for example for adults it ranges on average 7 – 9 hours a night. For someone in a school, a child in school it’s about 10 hours. For somebody in pre-school so before the age you go to school it’s about 10 – 12 hours. If you are not getting adequate amounts of rest and relaxation than a knock on effect is your body is going to be exhausted.
PatienTalk.Org: Finally, can you suggest any relaxation techniques to help you get to sleep?
Dr Hicks: There are lots of good relaxation techniques. There is deep breathing exercises. There is stretching exercises. There is meditation, visualisation lots of different ways of helping the body relax and unwind and get to sleep but the important thing is that an individual person finds something that is relevant and works for them because it’s not a case of one size fits all. Sometimes you have to try a few things before you come across the one that really works for you as an individual.
PatienTalk.Org: Thank you very much for your time Dr Rob Hicks.
A tip for cooling down in the heat
Said TS Eliot at the opening of the Waste Land.
But is that true?
For many people with painful conditions the height of summer or the depths of winter are the worst times of the year for pain.
In fact there does seen to be a correlation between climate, temperature and pain levels. In fact one of the most popular post on the blog has been how to cool down in the summer.
But temperature change is not the only part of the equation.
One of the first things I was told, as a child , by my grandmother was that her rheumatoid arthritis enabled her to know when it was going to rain. Which would suggest humidity can also play a part.
The aim of this blog is to explore the whole area in a bit more detail.
Firstly it would be great if you could take the poll below. The question is “Looking back at the last year which season has been the most painful?” Secondly it would be fantastic if you could answer a few questions about pain and climate. These question are only a guide and we would love to hear from you about any part of your story you may think is of interest.
a) What is your main medical condition which causes pain?
b) What is the main change in weather which affects your pain levels?
c) How do you treat seasonally related pain?
d) Have you moved because of your pain levels? If not would you consider it?
e) Do you have any advice for somebody who has just been diagnosed with a painful medical condition such as multiple sclerosis, arthritis or fibromyalgia?
Thanks very much in advance.
Advice for people with fibromyalgia
As many of you know by now one of the objectives of this blog is to provide a space where people with fibromyalgia can share their experiences.
So to facilitate this we ran a Vox Pop on our Facebook page FibromyalgiaTalk. Vox Pops are where we start a conversation on the page and then share the results here on the page.
So a couple of days ago we asked our members the question “What advice would you give to a person who had just been diagnosed with fibromyalgia?”
The results were very interesting and we would like to thank everyone who took part. One of the most liked comments and one I think is very true was:-
“Educate yourself and don’t depend on the info just from your doctor.”
But also
“Take one day at a time. If it’s a bad day, be kind to yourself, tomorrow may be better. Try to be positive when you can, it stops you going crazy, and surround yourself with good people, who understand what “it’s just a bad fibro day! ” means. These things take time, but you can get there. Never lose hope”
“Stay as strong as you can and read read read up on Fibromyalgia … and pace yourself… and last but not least join groups like this one and talk to others that CAN relate. ♡”
” When you need rest, then rest! It will perk you up more than anything to give your body the rest it needs. I might go a day or two where I sleep so much it’s crazy, but I will finally wake up and feel so much better. Take care of yourself, period!”
“Sudden weather changes, it can be cold or hot. Rain, snow, etc. it can be near or far (barometric) , air and fans can be a killer and any artificial sweaters or caffeine can affect you.”
“Get regular massages! Find a therapist who specializes in pressure points.Don’t feel guilty. It’s not a luxury or indulgence, it’s necessary!”
” It will take a while to get the mix of meds right…be greatfull for everything good in yer life because that is what gets you through the bad times. Love and do as much as ya can because there will be a day you will not be able to do those things. Keep this in yer thoughts it won’t always work but it helps 80-90 percent of the time.
Laugh when you can
Apologise when you need to
And let go of things you cannot change”
” Don’t stop pushing yourself and insist on living a full life. Go to work and take full part of family life. If you ever stop, you want begin again. Take your meds, get enough rest, and for the most part, ignore the pain.”
” Dont compare yourself to another because no two cases are alike plus no one has your body! You have to pay attention to your self for your triggers, how long you can do this and that for. Finding the right meds, doctors, holistic helps more then people think. The key is you! If you know something us not right, but the doctor tells you otherwise don’t listen. You know your body better then anyone keep fighting for what you know in your heart. I learned a lot about spirit, prayer, love is easier to carry then hate. We have to heal ourselves, because the doctor’s can’t do it only manage. Please bypass the angry why me phase and start on spirit learn about your chakras. Fibro might not even be your right diagnosis research everything you can to heal your, spirit, mind, and body”
” Find yourself a great rheumatologist (they specialize in inflammatory disorders such as fibro and lupus). Educate yourself, then your family and friends! Try new things (meds, yoga, foods). Do what’s best for your body. Keep fighting and soft hugs! Xoxoxo”
“Get MRIs in the trigger point areas to rule out disc degenerative disease. Because I’m pretty positive your going to have it. I’m not convinced Fibro is an actual disease. They say i have it , all 18 trigger points, but I’ve had MRI in each location and I’ve got osteoarthritis, disc degenerative, protruding discs all or at least 1 of the above. I am pretty sure its just a name they made up for folks who have too much going on in the body to fix. This way they don’t have too.”
“You know more about your illness than a doctor. YOU are the expert not them. Also, animals are fantastic to have around”
and finally
“Don’t despair as you’re not alone “
So what would your advice be?
Please feel free to share in the comments section below.
Thanks for reading and sharing!
Donnee Spencer has produce this amazing picture to help promote Fibromyalgia awareness.
Fibromyalgia Awareness
Fibromyalgia is very close to my heart since my earliest days researching the opinions of people with fibro. One of the things we discovered was that even a decade ago was that my doctors still did not believe in the existence of fibromyalgia.
Which means that fibromyalgia awareness is still of the highest importance.
You can see Donnee’s other healthcare awareness graphics here