I just deal with the pain and tenderpoints, I really never had the fatigue some people talk about. Wish I had an answer, maybe vit D3 and B12 tablets would help. I know there has been a few times my vit D3 has been a little low in the winter, shown by my blood testing.

hello,and in case we havent met,i am mg.yes i have both,plus many more.the most helpful thing i can offer you is.before i got sick i would go and go,ignorning anything i felt my body was trying to tell me. its not easy allowing your body to be your boss,and giving it its way.but in reality its best if we learn to listen and obey,our bodies are always telling us what it ne.eds.and its for our own good.listen to your body.learn to pace yourself according to your needs.i am offering you the gift of friendship,would love to get to know you better.do not hesitate to pm me if you think i can help you.mg.

I'm also wondering how people get that dx, too, as I have pretty bad fatigue.

Each time I visit my doc I tell him how much the fatigue is an issue. He's always said it's part of fibromyalgia. Recently it's been so bad.

I am in remission from aggressive RA. Had it for many years. And that is a horrible debilitating disease and the fatigue was ridiculous when the RA was full on active. Way worse than I am now and I still have fatigue with fibromyalgia. So your overwhelming fatigue can be the RA for sure.
I know how it is. I can relate. I am sorry you have so much going on. Combating fatigue has always been an issue for me. And doctors say there is nothing they can do. It's part of the territory with RA and fibromyalgia.

Pace yourself and not take too much on. Say no to people. Have lots of rest. Take breaks. Eat healthy. Limit junky food and sugary stuff as that tends to make it worse. Hydrate.
If you don't have a juicer. Maybe get one. Fresh juices of veggies and fruit can give energy boost. We wouldn't eat 4 carrots, 2 sticks celery, 1 apple, 1/2 lemon and piece of ginger. But when juiced, you get a lot of live enzymes and nutrients that our body needs. By the way that's one of my favorite juice recipes. Tastes awesome.
You can add greens too of course and Spirulina.

You may want to look into D- ribose. I notice a difference when I take it to when I don't. Some say it helps a little bit. Worth trying. I like the powder form rather than the capsules. You can add to drinks, smoothies.

Make sure you are eating enough protein throughout the day. I drink smoothies with protein powder. Just started doing again and I feel it
Helps. Protein sources, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, animal protein, eggs, poultry, meat, fish.

I hope you find answers and some relief soon.

I have been diagnosed with both. The fatigue for me is as crippling as the pain from fibro. I have not found any treatment that helps. When I'm in a CFS crash I just have to wait it out and it can range anywhere from a week to months.

I have both and was diagnosed with CFS a long time ago by several doctors before a lot was known about it. I was much younger then - and had crushing fatigue, headaches (not migraines - I got THEM 10 years ago), body aches like the flu, never ever feeling like I got a good night's sleep, even after ruling out sleep issues. Then along came the fibro dx years later, based mostly on my tender points and the worsening body aches, shooting pains, that burning sensation in the muscles, and the inability to think clearly. These were different symptoms from my CFS, although many of the symptoms overlap each other. As mentioned by others here, I spend a lot of time taking care of myself, eating healthy, pain meds when I need them, and pacing my activities so I don't overdo things. My life has evolved into a daily exercise in pain management but with what I call the Terrible Trifecta (CFS, Fibro and Migraines) I've learned to really appreciate the "little things" in life much more, like a daily walk when I can.

I struggle with fatigue. I don't have any of the other symptoms CFS. I cant get through a day without a long nap no matter how much I sleep at night.

It has worsened since my Vitamin D came back low last fall. I can only tolerate 800mg a day of Vitamin D due to my stomach problems. Looking forward to sitting out in the sun when it gets warmer and we have sun. It has been a prolonged winter and a slow start to spring in my part of Michigan.

Also my fatigue has gotten worse after I had the flu and bronchitis this winter.

I'll be seeing the rheumy this week. I'll ask her about my B12 levels. Thanks naturegirl for the tips about juicing. I don't know if the country I'm in has juicers, but I'll check. I have made a few smoothies this week out of frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries, and frozen mangoes. I mentioned the fatigue last time I saw the rheumy, but she simply dismissed it and said that it, along with my pains, were from the fibro. When I am in an RA flare, the fatigue definitely ramps up as well, but the pain this month is very manageable. I've had fibromyalgia for over 20 years, (unrefreshing sleep that entire time), but the fatigue wasn't at this level. I need to work in order to pay for my medication. I'm single and teaching overseas, so any change to my employment status would mean huge changes to my living situation. I do go to Bible Study 1x week as well as church, which is good for me spiritually/emotionally. OTher than that, I have no social life or anything really outside of school. Just too exhausted. I want to keep my job. Between the fatigue, memory problems, pain, etc., it's making things very challenging. I know that God doesn't give me more than I can handle, but this is difficult.

Melissa,

I have both CFS and Fibro, I got the CFS diagnosis about 4 years ago and the Fibro diagnosis on a month ago.

I always found the fatigue to be inadequate to describe how CFS makes me feel. Am I tired and sleepy? I suppose yes at times but it is more of a flu like fatigue for me, like my body is weak and so so heavy, so heavy that actually moving it from the bathroom then back to my bed or sofa feels like a challenge some days.

In my case I know that the CFS is my biggest problem and that the Fibro like pain I experience comes on the back of it. Do you experience Unrefreshing sleep/ inability to sleep, any sort of dizziness/ vertigo, stomach issues - all common CFS symptoms too.

All I can suggest is that you continue to see your doc regarding your issues, rule out anything else that could be the cause of this fatigue.

Best wishes
Jen

I haven't been diagnosed with CFS, but I really think I must have it as well. There are many days where I can't function b/c of fatigue for than pain. But, I have sleep issues, which can be fibro related, so who knows? So far, I haven't had Lyrica or cymbalta work, and not on anything else. Ugh!

Birthwarrior, I haven't had refreshing sleep in over 20 years. In the last 6 weeks or so I've been having dizziness issues when moving from a prone/sitting position as well as a sore throat. I also was diagnosed with Upper Airway Syndrome (similar to sleep apnea) in 2009, which also affects sleep. My hands are always cold and fingernails are often purple- even if the rest of me is comfortably warm.

Chronic fatigue is just that...CHRONIC!! Every single thing is unbearable. Lifting a finger to scratch my nose is sometimes too much when I'm in a CFS flare. It is much more debilitating than the fibromyalgia alone!

It's true what Jen said, fatigue is really not the best word or name for it.

People sometimes diagnose themselves with CFS because they are tired all the time but I can't say that I'm tired really, I mean I'm tired if I haven't slept but it's more of feeling so unwell, kind of like flu, and weakness of the limbs and body that feels like you have cement bags tied to you.

You're right, Skinnyboy, in saying that it is all too easy to self-diagnose. I consider fatigue to be different than tiredness - in that tiredness is something a person might experience after a long week, not enough sleep, etc. that is usually alleviated by rest. The fatigue I am talking about is a lack of energy and marked decrease of stamina that is not relieved by rest. It's affecting my work, social life, and preventing me from doing activities I so want to do.

and feeling worse after exercise. A small walk, I'm sweaty and winded. I take a pilates class and go to bed for two days. Still trying to exercise, but the afterwards is not nice. Easily exhausted. Took me one week to recover from a three hour train trip. All that jostling killed my back and I'm back in bed.

I don't have any solutions, just get good sleep with Xyrem. Find a dr. who will fight with your insurance to pay for it, and pay your share with family help. Sleep helps the most. Bedridden without it.