HIV fatigue, or just plain lazy?

[puertorico2006]

I know that HIV can cause fatigue in many people depending on various factors (CD4+, VL, or OI's) but i was wondering if what I have been experiencing lately is HIV fatigue, laziness or something else. I have been too tired to go to the gym lately, I get to work and I'm tired, get home and also tired. I was walking outside and talking on the phone today and I seemed to lose my breath and breathing heavily which is strange for me considering i go to spinning class 1-2 times a week usually and dance my ass off on the weekends so it just wasnt normal. I dont seem to be congested although i do have a sore throat so i dont think that has anything to do with it.....

My CD4's did have a decline this month and they sent me back for some new labs today to decide for sure if i should start treatment but my VL is low also so i doubt the VL plays a role in my tiredness....

So are there any studies about CD4's and approximately at what numbers you start feeling fatigued??


(I havent been on AM as much lately but hope everyone is doing well :-D )

-josh

[mjmel]

With all the activity you do......well, you can rule out 'just plain lazy'.
I have been dealing with fatigue for so many years that I take it in stride now as a daily occurrence. It comes; it goes.......while never really going away completely.
Josh, the shortness of breath is kind of alarming. My advice till you talk to your doc: Take it easy and stay out of the extreme temps. Maybe you have been overdoing it? Consider that your body is fighting the viral infection, as well as, building up muscles mass from your strenuous activities.
I am unable to address your specific question as I don't know the stats or correlation between fatigue and vl/cd4.
My CD4s jump around somewhere between 400 and 700. Currently at 615. Doesn't seem to matter regarding the onset of an overwhelming sense of fatigue at times.
Hope this passes soon.
Mike

[puertorico2006]

thanks for the reply.....I actually havent been overdoing it at the gym lately because i havent even been going often...maybe 2 times a week when i used to go 4-5....

I should check out the shortness of breath, ill ask the doctor when i go back in 2 weeks with my new labs....

As far as tempertaures go i cant really help that...but i guess EXTREME heat is better then cold hehe....its like 90 degrees lately not counting the heat index...

[Miss Philicia]

It can often be multiple issues.  When I had my most fatigue problems I was falling asleep on the subway commute home from work... so it was not even late in the day and my trip was only 20 min.  Many times I missed my stop completely which is not fun in Brooklyn as it set me in a rather dangerous area.

Anyway, I eventually was diagnosed with sleep apnea but it was only the first gradation of it and damn insurance won't authorize treatment for it.  So I just live with it.  Also at that time I'd been having an non-supressed VL for multiple years... bound to do something fatigue wise, right?  Layer some depression over it all and it's not amusing.

I will say, however, that my fatigue issues are immeasurably less now that my VL is controlled for a year and my cd4's have gone up substantially.  I can still feel the apnea issue at times.

ps:  good to hear from you... I saw you on line yesterday and thought it odd you'd not been around much lately.

[Dachshund]

Undetectable for years with a steady increase in CD4's and all I can tell you is the fatigue I experience is continual and debilitating. I adjust as best I can by taking it easy during the day before it's off to work in the evening. I don't know if it is the disease or the meds or both, but I do know that it is real for me. I'd like to tell you that my energy level has increased with an undetectable vl and an increase in cd4, but for me it just ain't happening. I guess I put fatigue in the "manageable" pile along with the reoccurring poopies.

[bear60]

I agree with Lisa that you should have this shortness of breath issue checked out.  PCP can sneak up on you and its main symptom is: shortness of breath. 

[puertorico2006]

hmmmmm....can you get PCP even with CD4 of 391? (i know it can vary so 300-400 range)

i thought it was just a problem with a low percentage or below 200

[bear60]

Wouldnt you rather find out if anything was wrong...than say "It cant be PCP because my numbers tell me it cant be?"
Only YOU know what your body is telling you .....if this shortness of breath is NOT normal for you and is making you worry about your health, the ONLY thing to do is get yourself checked out.

[dixieman]

I go from 6am til 12 midnight everyday.... I have done this for years... even when I had surgery 2 years ago... I walked my dog 4 times a day with a catheter attached to my leg... not a fun experience but, one does what one has to do... enough about me...

Your a young man (23) if your having shortness of breath I suggest you speak with your doctor... I had a friend who had flu like symptoms here in Montgomery, AL  and just never felt well... he found out after he moved to Tampa... that he had contracted histoplasmosis (sp?) a fungus from bird droppings ... he never knew it until a doctor checked out his lungs... he was healthy non-hiv he was hiv- .. its treatable with sporonox... now maybe some newer medications... this is not a diagnosis... so your best bet is to seek a exam with your doctor to find out the cause... it may also be nothing but, why take a chance... let us know how your doing...

[pozattitude]

I am always tired 
I definitely say it is HIV, or the HIV meds.
For a while I wasn't sure, I thought maybe I was just lazy, or depressed.  I even quit smoking pot, just to make sure I'm not just a stonner.  After 1 month being "pot free", I lost 10 pounds (nausea), slept less (pain from PN) and I was even more tired than before.
I know that Ziagen makes you fell tired plus I am convinced that regardless of Cd4 or VL, our bodies are constantly fighting the virus and that is why I am tired all the time.
My doctors prescribe me Adderall to give me energy, which is funny because I've been on it for a long time ( I have ADD), but I didn't want to increase my dose. 
I tried to eat whole foods only, no refined sugar or flour, lots of fish and veggies.  I walk to work (only 1 mile each way) and avoid deep fried foods.
since moving to California, I can now get the right cannabis for my symptoms and my energy level is the best it has been in the past 7 years.
I would go to the doctor and get checked for the shortness of breath though...you are way too young!!!

Take care, keep us updated and see you at AMG

Rich

[bear60]

You know you can have a plain old, run- of- the- mill, everyday pneumonia with any Tcell count. 
I myself am battling some kind of cold and am keeping my fingers crossed that its not going to turn into a bronchitis or pneumonia.
I had a support group leader (when I was still going to support groups) who had lost a partner due to HIV.  He had been tested and was negative.  A few years later, while he was acting facilitator for this support group he began to have shortness of breath, and complained of being tired after walking up a flight of stairs. Unbelievable as it sounds he had PCP and died a year later. Again, this was before HAART.  But still, it illustratres that nothing is taken for granted where your health is concerned.

[puertorico2006]

Well il check it out when i go to the doctor again in a week or two .....

ive never had any type of pneumonia so i dont really know much about that....but im not really congested wouldnt that be the case? of PCP or bacterian pneumonia ?

hope you get rid of that cold soon bear :-D

[bear60]

Well, ((((((((HUGS))))) Josh.  I hope you are ok. Take good care of yourself.

[pozattitude]

Well il check it out when i go to the doctor again in a week or two .....

Ive never had any type of pneumonia so i dont really know much about that....but im not really congested wouldnt that be the case? of PCP or bacterian pneumonia ?

hope you get rid of that cold soon bear :-D

I may be wrong so please, anyone, correct if I am mistaken,

I was in the impression that you should worry if there was no congestion, meaning, if you have a cough that is not productive, you should have it checked out right away.

Pneumonia does not have to be related to our HIV condition.  Anyone can get it, I know so many negative people who had "walking pneumonia".  Any fever?  If things don't get any better or if they worsen, please don't wait 2 weeks to see your doctor.

Rich

[mjmel]

No, Josh. Don't wait a week or two. A day or two till you talk to a physician (phone call, at least).
xxx,
Mike

[Queen Tokelove]

I agree with the others, you should at least call your doctor or better yet, can you call the ER? I know we can do it here and there is usually a nurse to answer the call and your questions. But with what you are saying, they would prolly just tell you make an appointment with your doctor. You might as well do it. Better safe than sorry.

I have been feeling fatigued a lot lately too especially today. I have been doing more running than usual and it has been humid today. I feel completely drained. But I do have my moments of laziness, usually after a good phat one and something to eat, then I develope the Itis....

[Ann]

Josh,

Anemia can also cause shortness of breath and fatigue. Get to your doctor - because it could be any of the above or even none of them. Just don't wait two weeks to find out.

Ann

[MoltenStorm]

I asked my doctor about this before I started treatment, and he explained it in a way that made a lot of sense to me. On the cellular level, your body is in a fight 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (366 in leap year). That's going to eventually move up from the cellular level, and you will feel an effect (tired and fatigued). He told me just to make sure I got a lot of rest, ate well, and tried not to worry (as stress will just add to the effect).

I know you're not on medications yet, but the fatigue did stop for the most part when I started medication. Every now and then I still feel tired, but it's not nearly as often as it was prior to beginning meds.

PS - I didn't read the responses, so if someone already said this, then disregard.

Edited to fix grammatical errors