Hi!! I think you've done a great job on doing what you can to help yourself! We have to be proactive with this disease. We all have different symptoms and different deficiencies. You've addressed yours, and it has helped you! I'm so glad.

I'm of the general opinion that unless we are deficient in a nutrient/vitamin......we shouldn't overdose on it. A lot of people do that with Vitamins. It can be very harmful. My doctor feels it's a good rule of thumb to be tested for deficiencies (such as Vit. D) and IF we are deficient, THEN we supplement. Some of these Vitamins are not excreted from the body and will build up and make us toxic. It's always better to be tested first.

I have come up with sufficient Coq10, Vit D (slightly low) and B-12. I have these tested every six months. One time I supplemented VIt. D for a few months to raise it. Once it got into the normal range, I went back to my regular calcium supplement, which contains Vit D 3, which is the one we need.

Other than necessary supplementation, pacing and resting as needed do the most to help me. Overdoing is always a bad idea. Exercise in moderation is good for me. I know that sitting down or lying down too much is not good. Even on bad days, I move!! We can push a little bit to keep the blood circulating! It's important that we don't lose muscle tone.

I hope you continue to find the things that are helpful to you. Unfortunately, many of us do not have doctors who know what to look out for....so like I said, we have to be proactive with this illness, get our research done.....,supplement, pace, rest, but most of all, learn how to enjoy our good days and moments! We're alive.....we struggle, but life is precious and time should not be wasted. Right? You betcha! xoxo

Hi, beautiful. I agree with Darla. You seem to have found the most common issues that we try to address. If your fatigue is being exacerbated by any of those things, taking the proper supplements will help some. Having said that, I haven't found a silver bullet, so to speak, that will give me my energy back. I am trying pacing because it seems to be the most talked about strategy at the moment. Basically, you have to figure out what you do in a day and assign it a particular value for how much energy it uses. You have to remember that even talking on the phone or watching TV uses some energy. I am learning that what qualifies as rest is lying in a dark room with no noise. I used to think that if I was sitting down, I was resting. No such luck! It's my understanding that we need to build up ATP, which is basically "energy." I guess pacing helps to restore that a bit. So, I mop the floor and lie down a bit. Then I make dinner and lie down a bit. Now, the kicker is that you have a baby. Pacing probably seems a lot more difficult in your case, and it is, but I still think it would be good to at least rate your activities and become aware of how much energy you are spending. You have all my empathy. I remember those days of dragging myself like zombie from one baby-related task to another. May God raise you up in strength again. Much love.

Hey Bluebonnet,
Thanks for sharing.

For now, I'm taking 1 Tablet of B Complex in the a.m. along with 1 tablet of calcium. At bedtime, to eradicate LETHARY for the day, I need to take 1 tablet of the B along with 1 tablet of calcium. If I take it too, too late, then I don't absorb it at bedtime so the lethargy sets in the next day, the whole day.

Months ago, I tried Ionic Magnesium so that seemed to help WITH THE LETHARGY but I went thru 1 bottle and still battling lethargy so I've switched to taking a B complex to see if this can fix it and put behind me.

I'm aware if Electrolytes are low, then there is LETHARGY and the same with Iron. I was not familiar with low ferritin. I will check into this when I get my blood work taken to get this checked too.

THANKS FOR SHARING WITH US.

Triunfadora, you are so right. I thought sitting and watching TV would relax me after coming home from school or work. I found that resting, lying flat on my back for a short time is more relaxing. I need to do this more often; I don't because I'm afraid that I will fall asleep so if that happens then I'll probably go to bed later -- this will thro my schedule off.

Thank you all for your replies! Darla.. it's interesting that a lot of us seem to have low Vitamin D. Did you see any noticeable difference once you raised it?
I completely agree with all of you that resting is so important... resting means turning the body and mind off for awhile! It's definitely easier said than done, especially with an infant, but something I am working on.
EnergyLost... I also use magnesium.. I find that it helps my sleep. I've just started using Inositol as well (a B vitamin) which is thought to help promote sleep.
Thank you all again for your comments! Here's hoping for slight improvements.. however we can find them :)

This is going to sound totally counter-intuitive, but I've found that I have more energy during the day if I exercise early in the morning. I've tested this notion for years now...and it's always worked...exercise routine...got things done...no exercise routine...got less done.

Obviously going all-out with exercise will make us crash...you have to slip a little in now and then until you're up to it. Just some modified sit-ups and leg lifts are enough to get your system into activity mode.

Check out the video in the link I posted on the thread Exercise and ME/CFS. This idea is not new and now it's been quantified with research...it really does improve quality of life for ME/CFS patients. The type of exercise is important too, check out the video. This is NOT graded exercise therapy.

And don't exercise in the late afternoon or evening, morning is best. Exercising later in the day gives me insomnia.

I agree with the other folks regarding mild exercise. MILD exercise, that is the key word. The other thing I have begun to do once I am strong enough from a bad crash is to jump on a mini trampoline for a few minutes every day. Not only is it exercise without much exertion (don't jump, just bounce so your feet stay touching the tramp) but this is therapeautic for the lymphatic system which is sluggish for so many of us with CFS. A sluggish lymph holds toxins in the bodywhich in turn causes lethargy. So helping move the lymph and circulationin general is helpful for increasing energy. Start slowly and build up to 5 minutes. I wish you the very best. I cannot imagine having a baby and dealng with this illness. You've gots and determination, woman! Good luck OH, also, the supplement NADH helped my energy quite a bit at several points in my illness. Might want to tak with you health care person about that. HUgs to you, Denise

Hi all,
Great topic Bluebonnet,
I tend to get anemic...iron (ferritin). Also low D3, B6, B1 and B12 are common for me. I've had bariatric surgery, and many of those are absorbed in the portion of our stomachs I have had removed. When I forget I feel really lousy after about a week or so til I figure it out.
I also take magnesium, 500 twice a day.... without it I tend to cramp up.
I should be eating low carb...having lots of trouble with my reactive hypoglycemia (side effect of bariatric surgery), and low carb drops my sugar to about 50 a couple times a day. It's unsafe so until we find a med to help (trying acarbose now) I'm having to eat 60 carbs a day and well....I can maintain on that but not lose :-(
Otherwise I tend to need just plain peace and quiet. No tablet, no book, no phone...just peace a few times a day for about 45 min and all is pretty right with the world.
I do "bad" things at times like this when I just plain need more energy (we are moving in a week)...I drink caffeinated tea and mild coffee and take excedrin. I know it's stupid but sometimes it's just not a matter of having a choice since the elves aren't going to pack up for me... I fully expect to crash sometime in January in a big way and oddly I would actually welcome it. Sometimes my crashes are like friends, they force me to rest and be peaceful.....

This is also counter-intuitive, but studies have shown we tolerate anaerobic much better than aerobic. So strength training is the way to go, not walking or swimming.

If you build strength you improve circulation, protect from injury, and increase capability for everyday life. AND you feel better...not a lot, but enough to be significant. It helps with depression too.

Strength training also increases bone density, which is a problem with inactive people. A broken hip is no joke, some people never recover from it. Astronauts have can have dramatic losses of bone density in just a few months...from not using their muscles to fight gravity.

Good post.

What helps me:

eating like a monk (bland and clear and whole foods, avoiding processed food)

very gently, gradually building up exercise. like 5 minutes of walking, then 10, etc.

vit d3

greek yogurt

probiotics (a specific type, not just something off the shelf at walmart)

drinking lots of water

listening to my body and leaving things undone when I know I'm "done" for the day

more fruits and veg and less white carbs or less carbs in general

DIET: mainly meat and veggies; fewer carbs/grains
Multi-Vitamin high in the Bs
Physical Activity of some sort
REST - in bed, in the dark, no noise, eyes closed, mind silent
Provigil/Nuvigil - the closest to healthy that I've felt since 1981.

I was unable to take iron pills, but if you can't tolerate liver, eat a whole grain with vitc(orange) and a protein(salmon,, egg). I was able to maintain my iron levels with this combination given to me by a nutritionist. I totally agree with the mild exercise. Also, a short nap during the day gives me somewhat of a boost on my really bad days. Isabelle1954

As far as Iron, Cream of Wheat has LOTSA iron; I discovered that a combination of Iron and magnesium really help with restless leg syndrome. The Iron makes it more easily to tolerate what magnesium can do to the stools -- brings a normalcy to the process.

Exercise helps my energy. As Richie already posted, anaerobic exercise is best for me. Once I got so strong from 3 times a week yoga that I felt cured.

Pacing, diet, supplements. Everyone finds what works best for them. I also take pure colostrum, it has helped tremendously.