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[babyjane]

tabbycat I have a very understanding GP and when I had the months of PVF he gently explained to me that the PVF was my body's 'breakdown' of choice and I needed to listen to it and not fight it. How right he was and when I stopped kicking and screaming and struggling against it, got signed off work and rested and rested I started to recover. Physically emotionally and mentally we can only take so much before the body goes into crisis.

[tabbycat3838]

Hi baby jane!thankyou for replying :-)
Yes you are definitley correct..i tend to go up and down i never usually stay depressed for very long periods ,and generally am quite an upbeat person,when my moods drop i tend to isolate a bit untill i get over it..but itsbeen harder to shake lately!
That really interests me about your post viral fatigue,because thie is where it all started for me..i had had these kind of layers of viruses that i was picking up everything from the residential home i worked in..the job itself was extremely demanding and stressful mainly due to the terrible working conditions.It all started around christmas time and i just felt like i was perminantly ill with all manor of really "strange" viruses ..i never got to recover from one thing beforei was slammed with something else..that went on for atleast 3 months untill eventually i just literally completely frazzled .this has never happened to me on that scale before and was pretty scary tbh.i felt so ill and so awful that i felt like i had been poisened!!.but all blood tests came back normal..even tho i had a "virus" at the time it was done???..do you know if this is the norm for post viral fatigue??i still feel as though i have little rezilience where ive always been extremely reziliant...and like i said i seem to get exhausted very easily ..i start a new job on wednesday which thank god isnt care work !but is kitchen work so will be very physical...im so looking forward to it but am also apprehensive because i dont trust my body any more :-(
sorry to write such biblicaly long posts!!  they will calm down soon lol..but if you have time ide lde love to know moreabout your experience with the viral stuff?x

[tabbycat3838]

Thanks baby jane...can i ask how your GP determined tjat you had post viral fatigue??

[babyjane]

tabbycat I can only reply from my own experience but the way I understand it is that a degree of fatigue is usual after a viral infection (I had a mycoplasma pneumonia which left me needing an inhaler for 6 weeks). However if your immune system is compromised causing you to continue going down with infections than it can be more than a straightforward recovery. the fatigue is not like a normal tiredness, it is off the scale and there can also be problems with joint and muscle pain and a constant feeling of 'flu' with swollen lymph glands and sore throat. This is all made worse if you try to 'soldier on' and only complete rest will allow the body to heal itself in its own time. Stress can also add to the problems.
Generally if someone is not recovering after about 8-12 weeks and there is no other indication of illness, blood tests all showing normal, then PVF can be considered and can take up to 6 months to recover. However there is no diagnostic test and it is usually diagnosed when every other cause has been explored and ruled out. I even got an MRI because I lost my balance for a while. I was signed off work for three months in all and then changed to a less stressful company and I am fine now as my husband and I are retired. This was all some years ago

[tabbycat3838]

Thankyou baby jane.
Yes it sounds quite familiar although no swollen glands between viuses only while im ill.the fatigue can be totally crushing and after the last bout of several illnesses when i burned out i felt totally depersonalised,exhausted like ive never felt before but wired at the same time..all sorts of other symptomw like feeling freezing cold,severe blood sugar issues,heart issues low blood pressure..burning skin on face,aching all over etc etc..list is endless really!
doctor said i was suffering from burnout and that in itself is like your own body poisening itself due to exess adrenalin circulating.
Im defo better than i was then but still being bombarded with bugs and other problems.back to the gp i think!
Im glad that you have recovered from your pvf now and the pnuemonia sounds horrendous! i very much  appreciate your feedback!x

[mandy43]

My B12 is usually about 900 when they do a blood test but that's only done once or twice a year and usually after I've had my jab, so bit of a false reading really.  My stomach does the same, bloats so bad with wind I can't breathe, that's why I try and have small meals often now, to combat it.  I reckon mine is either an ulcer or gastritis (chronic, due to how long I have had it), but I'm a wimp and just put up with it.  I used to get heartburn all the time when I was very over weight, but since I have last 5 stone, I only get it every once in a while.   I definitely think stomach issues are related to this change though.  Someone told me, if you can make it through your forties, you'll live to a ripe old age, don't think I necessarily believe in the latter part of that statement, but I do feel like since I have it forty everything has declined rapidly... so maybe, the fifties will be the new thirties and we'll look and feel fab haha!!

[tabbycat3838]

well Mandy,i truly believed my 40s were going to be amazing!i had planned it all out ..how much fun i was going to have ! looooooooolllllll... last year i felt good..still had all the weird pelvic pains but was scanned for all that and everything fine..so i just thought, yep probs going through some hormonal changes but hey will be ok! ...ummmmmmmm..i take it all back now ??
hmm the bloating thing is so so uncomfortable isnt it??like unbearable...i feel that tightening not only in the top part of my belly but also my womb lower back ,overies ..everything feels so horribly painfully tight like my organs are being prized away from my insides ..and then theresthe burning stabbing pains right up ass! .its fine when im moving but starts when i sit for any leangth of time.i have issues with my weight which is  just beyond deeply boring..i just cannot budge the flab ..i did sw for about 10 months and lost only 101b..that was combined with swimming rediculous amounts and walking alot in my job..... i want to walk for atleast an hour a day but like i said i start a regime and then bang!another virus or episode of tachicardia loli give up mate i really do!unless you have any secrets you can pass my way??:-)

[tabbycat3838]

ps i guess my b12 is on the lower side still if yours is at 900...i know in some countries asia for example ,anything under 500 and they are rushing you in to be infused!

[CLKD]

So - how do you plan to slow down and listen to your body?  Pushing yourself at both ends of the candle will leave you exhausted.  Your body is telling you 'something'  .

GPs do regular tests to rule out anything 'normal' - so whilst a thyroid function test can come back 'within normal limits', it is wise to go on symptoms as well if the patient continues to cause tiredness etc..  It's certainly not a waste of time!

Keeping a mood/food diary might be a start!

[Maryjane]

Tabby cat. You may want to join us in Wanderers post who was mini on pelvic pain, as sounds like you have a lot of what we do.

[tabbycat3838]

thanks CLKD ..i dont burn the candle enough to warrant how i feel..tho.i completely recognise that it certainly doesnt help with whats already going on.
Worse is the unrelenting pressure and stress i am constantly under for various reasons.i feel that is far more damaging to my health.
As for slowing down'very hard to do ,as i am the sole  person that  has to keep it all togeather and life is tougher than ever circumstantially,politicaly ,economicsaly,socialy...there really isnt anything i can do to change those circumstances..its hard to relax and take care of myself(especially mentaly) when so many worries ..i believe stress is the biggest catalyst of illness there is.
You are completely right about the doctors tests :-) so incredably frustrating to be told feeling that rubbish is ok,"normal" and even acceptable...but it seems that alot of folks here get told exactly that regularly!...sometimes its hard to be a woman ,as dolly once said!x

[tabbycat3838]

Thankyou very much maryjane i was reading some of her posts earlier actually..and will definitley come on over..!x

[mandy43]

just push yourself!!  Honestly, I am exhausted from morning to night and could literally stay in bed all day, but I really push myself, otherwise I would beat myself up for being lazy.  Everyone muscle in my body aches... just start off slow,,, go for a 20 min walk and just build it up week by week.  If you don't have one and can get one, buy an ipod, it has the apps on for walking, so you can see how much you have done and how many calories you have used up.  Listen to music and just block out everything else and relax... you can do it xx

[tabbycat3838]

thankyou :-) I do walk and things, some days its fine...other days i crash..weird isnt it!..i do a walk with the dog thats about 3 miles..not massively long but its a good hourand 20..im quite chunky lol but ive always been reasonably fit in spite of that...always been really strong ..ya know,likea cart horse! .i can swim 700 metres and my skinny mates are out of breath after the firat 10..
haha ,this is partly why im feeling down ..coz ivealways taken my strength for granted and now im having to think about it 
amazing to you for making yourself do it !and thanks for the encouragement and inspiration...as soon as im over this latest virus ,i shall get back on it again..i think exersise is the only thing that keeps us level..it doesnt solve all thesymptoms but it does do is helps your mood..which helps you to cope better xx

[CLKD]

Walking can be cathartic.  Gives you breathing space: fresh air, exercise, time to switch off and watch what your dog is up to. 

As for your situation, there are various agencies that can help if only by listening ………