Severe fatigue

[Grammy]

How do you handle the fatigue that comes from dealing with pain that will not go away. I have slept for hours and remain tired all the time. I do think this pne type condition can all but drive one insane. You try to stay busy to distract yourself but it is there lurking in the background. I am on Effexor XR 150 mg but that does not make a dent in the fatigue and anxiety. March 24 th marked twenty four years for me and I can honestly say I have not found any relief in all these years. I use to take provigil for the fatigue but now it seems to add to the anxiety. It has been a long hard existence. Going to see Mark Conway MD next month to inquire about the drg stim. I have had five reconstructive surgeries starting in 1994.

[April]

Grammy, I'm so sorry to hear that it's been going on for so long and that none of the 5 surgeries worked. I don't know what could help with the fatigue. But, if your blood pressure is high due to the anxiety, I would ask your doctor about a beta blocker prescription. That should lower your heart rate and reduce your blood pressure. The only other thing I can think of for the pain and anxiety is ice and warm sitz baths. When my burning pain is intense, I can literally feel my blood pressure go down after I put ice on. Here is the link to my post about how I use it: http://www.pudendalhope.info/forum/view ... g+strategy. (It's in the case updates section, so you have to be logged in to read it.) I have been been over-icing lately, so I've also been using sitz baths to help my skin heal, and I've been surprised by how much the warm water also helps the pain and calms me down. Violet has also posted about finding pain relief from switching between cold water and warm sitz baths. Given all your experience with this problem, maybe you've already tried these strategies. Best of luck with Dr. Conway and the drg stimulator. Given Kit's success, I feel like this may be a real option for many of us. My fingers are tightly crossed for you.

April

[Grammy]

I did see Dr Conway and he and three other ob gyn docs say I do Not have a prolapse but that is what I feel all the time. Pressure...extreme pressure. Dr Conway did a rectal exam and when he pressed on one area it really hurt. He said he was right on the pudendal nerve. He has referred me to the Newton Wellesley Clinic in Newton Mass. I have lost it. My beloved husband of 53 years is dead, my kids do not live nearby, and nobody really gets it. I fell in the garage in February and landed right on my butt. There is no doubt that I have done more damage to the pelvic floor. I will definitely keep you posted about my journey with this clinic starting in mid August. If she can not help, I will need to see about a pain pump. I know that I too have a wound up nervous system. I awaken every morning to panic and tremors. So right off my body is
Filled with anxiety. Since my husbands death, I have developed a fib of the heart...all stress for sure. Even if they do find pelvic weakness, I am hoping like Kit to trial the drg system. Truly would be a miracle.

[Patty]

Sent you a PM.

[Violet M]

Grammy, I hope this new clinic is able to help you. Did Dr. Conway say why he is sending you there instead of treating you himself? Is it because he is not recommending surgery for you but is recommending pain management instead?

Violet

[Grammy]

Dr Conway felt that after so many surgeries, more surgery would just further make more scar tissue and in turn cause more discomfort. I do not think Dr Conway treats pain like a pain specialist would. He sends his failed surgical patients to Dr Barreveld at the Newton Wellesley Pain Clinic. She has learned to use the drg stim for pelvic pain so I would not be number one. I will definitely post what happens. After twenty four plus years, I know this has cause my nervous system to be on high alert. Some days I can function, others I can not leave my home due to fatigue from the day before. It has been an extremely difficult journey to say the least.

[Violet M]

Thanks for the explanation and good luck with the procedure, Grammy. I know you have been struggling with this on the forum for years -- way too many!

Violet

[Grammy]

I am still alive and struggling with the fatigue and pne. I was devastated that the drg did not work for me but my wires were at a different place L1 and S2. Kits were lower. I am still fighting and hoping to trial a sacral stim on the S level. My biggest issue is feeling pressure and a foreign body in the vagina....this drives me crazy and yet I can not use anything in the vagina to lift the bladder or make me more comfortable. At best I have about a ten hour day. Chronic pain is like existing in a bubble that you just can’t burst. Just about one third of my life controlled by this condition. Fortunately drs are starting to get it!

[stephanies]

Hi Grammy,

Thanks for the update. I am sorry the DRG didn’t work for you. Having failed many other interventions, one of my doctors is suggesting this, but I am not sure. I hope you find more success with the sacral stim. I agree that some doctors are beginning to take pelvic pain more seriously. I also have spent 1/3 of my life with this pain.

Stephanies