Ways to fight fatigue/weakness

[LifeAfterHIVDiagnosis]

Hi my POZ friends,

This may sound trivial and somewhat uninspiring, I figured I'd still give a try. Granted I was diagnosed only a few months ago and my numbers have been great (VL undetectable and CD4 754), I have been feeling very weak/fatigued 75% of the time. I do realize it comes with the disease, and maybe, as a side effect of the meds, but I was wondering, those of you who also have chronic weakness/fatigue, what do you do to help you fight it?

My friend suggested some fitness exercises, and swimming. What would you suggest that has worked for you? I would very much appreciate it!

[Ptrk3]

You may wish to have a doctor look over your most recent Complete Blood Count (CBC) to determine if you are, perhaps, anemic.  An over-the-counter iron tablet can help with this, if you are anemic.

[Lightfighter]

I'm a 37 year old male.

In February, the month before my infection, I went to my Dr feeling the same way. She ran some tests and found out it was low testosterone.

I started and went abut my merry way. After the third shot I felt better. Energy was retuning and so was my sexual desires, (the wife was happy,  out of the time about that . Then I had my exposure and became sick towards the end of March. April was a blur for the first two weeks. Was dx 1 April, one helluv an April fools day.

It took me a few months on meds to feel normal again. I was feeling sluggish too. So I started analyzing what's going on. I found that my diet and exercise routine isn't what it needed to be.

I didn't go on a diet, I just cleaned up my eating and started exercising. I would run 10-15 miles per work week and rest on the weekends. I'm feeling great now, like I used too.

I would get the doc to run labs on you to check for everything especially in your metabolism. Your T could be low, or your thyroid acting up. After that, change your diet and get active. It sucks at first, but you'll see and feel the diffrence about a month later.

[harleymc]

Hey lifeAfter,
" I do realize it comes with the disease, and maybe, as a side effect of the meds", according to who? This is fatalistic negative thinking with no real world evidence for it.

There is nothing inevitable about well controlled HIV having any impact on our lives.

Billions of HIV negative people worldwide feel tired and there are potions and pills flogged endlessly on commercial media or on billboards, you can buy new pillows, a new mattress, multivitamins, exercise equipment, herbal supplements, magnets, feng-shui, spectacles that filter out blue wavelengths... and the list goes on and on... It's a big market cause so many people are convinced that there is something wrong with them.

Asking the people with chronic fatigue how they are unsuccessfully treating it, is just setting yourself up for failure. Ask the people who are energised how they build energy is the way to go.

25% of the time you don't feel tired, that makes me think it's not anything like a deficiency. But just incase, check in with your doctor for some blood tests. Have you had issues with sleep, maybe a sleep clinic may help. If your mood is low a psychologist may help.

Keep a diary, work out the times / events/ activities/ amount of sleep that you feel good energy and the times you don't.

So some things that impact on energy are; mood, if you're happy and feel good about yourself then tired is just your body talking to you.
Exercise, start out light with short sessions, set achievable goals, achieve them build slowly, keep a diary...
Set goals in life,  set yourself personal goals, a less than pleasant task and a reward, do them no matter how tired you feel. But make sure the task is a broken down into achievable bites.
Phone a friend ( not just text), have brunch or go out together.

Big Hugs and let us now how you are going

[J.R.E.]

Hi,...

The fact is,  Many of us HIV infected individuals are dealing with some sort of fatigue and in various degrees.


Your recently infected, so your body is still going through some changes.  Are you sleeping well at night ? The fatigue and weakness may go away in time.

What I would suggest, is to keep mentioning this to your Doctor. Keep a journal of sorts, and mark down when the fatigue, and weakness is the worse. As others have suggested, there may be other tests that your Doctor can order, to make sure everything is OK. Have him check your testosterone.

This is a link from this sites lessons.  Perhaps you may find more in this link, that may give you some answers, or something to talk to you Doctor about.

https://www.poz.com/basics/hiv-basics/feeling-tired-fatigue-anemia

What medications are you on ?  And I will ask again,  do you feel as though your getting a good nights sleep ?


Take care, and keep us informed as to how things are going for you.


Ray

[LifeAfterHIVDiagnosis]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for all your responses!

I am on Complera, and have been since April. I will, certainly, speak to my doc and ask for all the blood tests available out there.

I do realize exercising may help, so I am going to sign up at the local gym. I do think I get enough sleep (8-9 hours per night), and have no hard time falling asleep. I do, however, have an eating problem. I do eat, but very little. Breakfast is the worst. I basically have to force myself to eat something, but rarely do I finish it, mostly feeling like puking. This problem combined with fatigue is not a constant, but rather an off and on kind of phenomenon.
I guess once I see my doc and she runs the lab tests, which, hopefully, will reveal something, I will let you all know!
Once again, thanks for all your advices!

[J.R.E.]

Hi everyone,



 I do, however, have an eating problem. I do eat, but very little. Breakfast is the worst.

Hello again,...


Complera, needs to be taken with food.  Are you sure that you are eating enough, when taking this medication?

This kind of bothers me a little bit,... you say you have an eating problem. Do you have an eating disorder?  Did you have any problem with food,  prior to becoming HIV positive.

If you do have an eating disorder, you need to mention this to your doctor as well, but it's important that Complera be taken with food.


If you are not getting enough nutrtion throughout the day,  this could be a problem !


Also, if your feeling nauseous, you need to mention this to your doctor as well. 
Take care of yourself---Ray

[wolfter]

I easily recognize "buzz" words with eating issues.  I experienced severe electrolyte imbalances due to my previous eating patterns that caused all sorts of issues.  I would urge you to discuss this honestly with your doctor.

I suffered fatigue on a regular basis and was per near in denial about the underlying causes.  My doctor finally referred me to a nutritionist that I worked with to solve some issues.

Multi vitamins are not a great alternative for proper nutrition.  I wrongly held that belief for too long.  They are a supplement, not a substitute. 


take care and best wishes
wolfie

[terrymoore]

Eat a good healthy breakfast, exercise, sunshine, sex, sleep.
that`s MY recipe. try it and see if it works.

[LifeAfterHIVDiagnosis]

I can definitely do some exercises, and try to eat healthy (I do, not as much though), but sex? Hmm, another story lol

[CaveyUK]

Others have said it, but it bears repeating.

You are newly diagnosed with a healthy CD4 count and UD. There is no reason for you to have chronic fatigue due to the virus. Any fatigue should be checked out by a doctor, as there are a myriad of different (non-HIV) causes that cause this problem in the general population as well as in people living with HIV.

That said, rarely meds can sometimes cause issues, but these tend to pass with time. If there is a suspicion that these are causing the problem then get switched to a different regimen.

I do think that a downside of the virus, is that we tend to attribute everything we feel to HIV, when in reality we are still humans and susceptible to all the ailments and foibles we would have had without the virus. What I'm trying to say is - if you have something that is concerning you then don't hesitate to get it checked out and treated, rather than resigning yourself to living with the problem due to it being 'likely caused by HIV'.

[Jim Allen]

I do think that a downside of the virus, is that we tend to attribute everything we feel to HIV, when in reality we are still humans and susceptible to all the ailments and foibles we would have had without the virus.

Worth repeating.

I can definitely do some exercises, and try to eat healthy (I do, not as much though), but sex? Hmm, another story lol

Yes, sex. I think its good and healthy not only physically but also mentally.
You are 37 years old, not 73 and even when i reach 73, I still hope to be getting my leg over from time to time.

Jim

[californiarunner]

What has worked with me is to follow a strict exercise routine. That could be running, walking, roller skating, biking, swimming....but FIND an activity and STICK with it. I have made running a priority in my life. I was an age division runner a long time before I became positive, but since then have kept it up even more seriously.

The meds, or the virus, cause physical problems in our bodies. Whether its the fat displacement, or the overall stress we have to endure, WE NEED TO STAY FIT!

As soon as I was diagnosed, about 2 months later I started a gym routine, that emphasized strengthening my "core", and especially all areas related to posture. I try to do "activities" rather than weight machines as I feel we can best benefit from a bit of movement as well as strengthening exercises. I'm NOT at the gym to look good at the beach!

So, at least 3 days a week I am strengthening my body focusing on the core. And then, at least another 3 days I am doing "aerobic" exercise outside...(run, walk, bike, etc)

I made these routines a part of my daily lifestyle, so for example, if I have an appointment at some location a couple miles away, I jog there! (And I bring a change of clothes in my backpack).

I get really bored with repetitive exercises, but I did find "Cross fit" to be fun and incentivating. Or, look for friends to jog with, or do "hops" up the street or grassy area of a park.

[cesar_camargo]

Fadige can be a major problem and really hard to find out the origin.
But as most said, it is a real problem with usually a solution.

Sharing a bit of my case since mine was a bit different. Never had any low levels of anything, in exam terms my health was always flawless. But the fatigue was piling up slowly for the last 4/5 years. Eventually I had some other problems (gi tract infection) and from doctor recommendation I ended up supplementing probiotics, in a couple weeks fatigue was near gone, and nowadays I feel as I felt went I was 20 (32 now).

Bottomline, run whatever exams you can check hormonal levels, including testosterone, vitamin levels etc. It can be anything but for sure there is a cause to be found out

[Marcus91]

I would advice you to speak to your doctor about it : the doctor definitely knows more than 99% of us about the appropriate solution for you. I agree with your friends that you should go swimming and do some fitness to keep yourself feel uplifted. I even have a coupon for some products that might help you get vitamins and improve your health : LINK REMOVED BY MODERATOR.  Not sure that you need it, just want to help somehow. The most important thing here is to think positively and be active!

[Ptrk3]

Marcus91:  you have been permanently banned from this site (and your link removed), since you are a "spammer."

[LeftyBowler300]

So I'm actually preaching to myself as well in this post, because I've been relatively sedentary since my diagnosis (a little over a month ago)

There's actually something called "TATTS" = Tired All The Time Syndrome, and it seems to occur more frequently in people who are sedentary. That's why getting back into exercise when your body has been in a persistent sedentary state is like moving a stopped train.

For me, the biggest telltale sign that something might be wrong is what happens to me during exertion, as well as during recovery. Most of the time after 4-5 minutes of light warmup exercises, I'm pumped and ready to do more.

But there have been times that I've been ill, and after my warm up exercises I got light headed, had a headache, heart was working harder, and I felt generally unwell. My body was telling me it didn't want to do much. (This is when you might schedule an appointment with your PCP just for a checkup or a CBC if they feel it's necessary)

There are times the morning after exercise where I wake up feeling refreshed and energized, maybe a little sore from exercising the day before.

There are other days I wake up looking paler, feeling "off" and not as energized. Pay attention to days like this, and see how often that happens. There could be many causes, as simple as a bad night's sleep. So just watch and wait for consistency.

But yeah either way get out and do something! Whether it's the gym or the pool or a bike, move your body!

Exertion is a good way to unmask problems (at least to me) and most things doctors can fix.

[newbie2016]

so i have read the majority of the post, but...dont be to harsh now people...  how do we know fact from fiction in regards to the opinions or facts of the meds info..
I am now really wanting to know info,, do excuse me i belief we all have a opinion.

[Jim Allen]

@ Newbie
Nobody is being harsh to the OP.

Now if you have a problem with Patricks decision to remove a link or ban a member for spamming than please send a PM or use the report to moderator feature and you're concerns will be considered.  The member in question was a spammer trying to sell snake oil. End of the day hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works for anyone making any claims is expected however this was purely spam and a link that paid the poster by the click.

Going forward note that debating a mod decision in a thread and/or hijacking any thread away from the OP topic is not an option that is open to you.

Please do not post in this thread again - Thank you for your cooperation.

Jim
https://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=277.0

@ OP
I hope you are doing well and I apologize for the continued disruption to your thread.

Jim
 

[GreenMtnBear]

OK, you may laugh at this response, but it works for me.

I take a one hour nap every afternoon!

[Ptrk3]

GreenMtnBear:  Are you HIV positive?  If so, please introduce yourself and tell us more or your story and situation.  If not, please understand that these forums are for people who are HIV positive and those who know and support those with HIV.

[GreenMtnBear]

OK - not sure if I should do that on this thread or start another...in the interest of not hijacking a thread, I'll start another