SFN fatigue

Posted by jchet @jchet, Jan 28, 2023

Anyone have that worn out tired feeling, sometimes out of breath?

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Fatigue, yes. I find dealing with pain takes energy especially when I need to appear normal. Also, the pain leads to less quality sleep which then also leads to fatigue and for me, less sleep always means more pain, so it is a viscous cycle. Out of breath - no unless I am exerting myself beyond what I am used to doing so I would not say that is SFN. There are posts on here about autonomic involvement with SFN which can play havoc with your heart. If it is unexpected, you should probably talk to your doctor about it.

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Thank you for your comments.

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I have been diagnosed with Idiopathic SFN with Polyneuropathy and stomach and gut problems caused by autonomic neuropathy. I definitely have lowered endurance, am easily fatigued and sometimes when I push a little too much I notice that my breath gets a little short.
Going for short walks seems to help somewhat and I have been taking 1200mg of gabapentin for pain in feet and legs since 2003. Medical marijuana also helps with both pain and sleep. Honestly dealing with all of the various symptoms is a full time challenge. Very little to no help from the Drs I have seen.

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Yes. I am in the process of being tested for SFN and Fibromyalgia. I also have several herniated discs in my spine and had a cervical fusion with hardware last year. I am exhausted and have needed to stop working (after 20 years of teaching) and I need to nap at least two hours each day. I am exhausted after cooking for my family, driving my kids to activities, and basic daily chores. I am not sure what is the exact cause of the exhaustion. I have undergone numerous tests, all blood tests show nothing irregular, EMGs are normal, MRIs show no lesions (ruled out MS) and so far there is no cause to my symptoms. They all fall in line with SFN and Fibromyalgia at this point.

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@katcollins

Yes. I am in the process of being tested for SFN and Fibromyalgia. I also have several herniated discs in my spine and had a cervical fusion with hardware last year. I am exhausted and have needed to stop working (after 20 years of teaching) and I need to nap at least two hours each day. I am exhausted after cooking for my family, driving my kids to activities, and basic daily chores. I am not sure what is the exact cause of the exhaustion. I have undergone numerous tests, all blood tests show nothing irregular, EMGs are normal, MRIs show no lesions (ruled out MS) and so far there is no cause to my symptoms. They all fall in line with SFN and Fibromyalgia at this point.

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Welcome @katcollins, It can be frustrating to deal with the symptoms and not know what the cause is. Being exhausted most of the time can make it that much worse. Hoping you get some answers soon. The chronic fatigue sounds familiar to another discussion that I thought I would share to see if it sounds similar to your symptoms.

-- Chronic Illnesses of Millions of Women Left Untreated: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/chronic-illnesses-of-millions-of-women-left-untreated/.

How long ago did your symptoms start?

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Thank you John!
I have had symptoms for some time but associated them with other diagnoses. The numbness, I was told was from my herniated discs. But it has now covered my entire body. Then itching was categorized as allergies until recently. Some neuropathy was associated with a prior shingles infection. It’s hard to give an exact date, but the extreme flare up began in early January.
Thanks for your help and support.
Kat

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