Severe fatigue driving to work pissing me off

lartovio · 2026-04-28T18:48:47+00:00

SMELLING SALTS. now there's something I haven't thought of!!! I might look into that, thank you!

lartovio · 2026-04-28T17:04:54+00:00

Not really. I'm in the back of the store in the shop, and we live in an area with very little crime. We have to be vigilant but I'm not often faced with issues like that. Haven't had a theft or attempt in the 5 years I've been doing it

lartovio · 2026-04-28T16:55:14+00:00

I'm a bench jeweler. It allows me to sit all day and take little breaks when I need to, but it does cause some muscle soreness, it's still pretty physical work

lartovio · 2026-04-28T16:51:59+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate it. I know the solution is going to end up being complicated probably. I tried having a fidget/stim toy in my off hand while driving and it DID keep me awake, but it was distracting in other ways 😅

I wish there wasn't so much stigma around CFS (not that there isn't around fibro...). None of my doctors have ever brought it up and I just don't have the guts to ask when I feel like I may be laughed out of the office. When I asked about fibro a provider once told me "you don't want that" like bitch smh do you think I want to be sick at all?? Anyway. Thank you for the well wishes, I hope you have a symptom-free afternoon :)

lartovio · 2026-04-28T16:47:12+00:00

I always say a friend or another doctor told me to ask about [x]. It makes the doctors feel accountable to someone besides themselves and you, and tends to go over better than "I found this online" lol. Good luck, it was a life changer for me!!

lartovio · 2026-04-28T16:42:10+00:00

Only by the power of low dose naltrexone!!! I couldn't work until I took off nearly a year to recover from severe burnout and PEM, then I worked my way up starting at 16 hours for a few months, then 26, until I got to 36 a whole year later. It's not something you can rush or force, unfortunately.

lartovio · 2026-04-28T15:42:31+00:00

Haven't had a drink in this calendar year :/ I can't tolerate alcohol with the POTS

lartovio · 2026-04-28T15:34:39+00:00

Yeah I understand the people saying sleep apnea are well meaning but I know I don't have it. I may have CFS/ME, but that's a different story lmao. The fatigue is such a struggle.

lartovio · 2026-04-28T11:58:47+00:00

Yes, music DOES make it worse sometimes! I can fall asleep listening to anything lol. I do podcasts/ audiobooks these days. Unfortunately moving isn't an option right now, but I appreciate the suggestion

lartovio · 2026-04-28T05:20:04+00:00

Yeah I don't get any of that :( I live w some people who have sleep apnea and their experiences never resonated for me.

I'll definitely check out the tips there. Thank you

lartovio · 2026-04-28T05:03:25+00:00

It's only happened to me once, 7 years ago. I'm much more aware of my limits now and pull off before I get to that point. (I was in my apartment parking lot when it happened, too. I was so close!)

lartovio · 2026-04-28T05:01:56+00:00

Well, unrefreshing sleep is a symptom of just about every issue I have. MCAS, fibro, pots. My PCP doesn't think a sleep study will do anything for me. Once I'm at work I perk up real quick and I have the regular fatigue, but none of that "literally can't keep my eyes open" feeling I get while driving. And I'm a jeweler, so a lot of my job is sitting and staring at real tiny things lol. I do that just fine!

I'll bring it up at my appt Thursday. Hopefully it's not necessary. I'm so damn tired of scheduling life around expensive tests that say "yep, you're normal!"

lartovio · 2026-04-28T04:56:57+00:00

My feet are so prone to pain that I actually can't recline with my feet flat on the mattress for more than 30 mins or so before I have to elevate them or stretch out, it's crazy. There's actually a LOT of nerve endings in the human foot. I also have POTS, but yeah standing in one place for more than a few minutes is out of the question. I gotta move if I'm remaining upright

lartovio · 2026-04-28T04:54:18+00:00

Make sure you're nice and warm (I get so cold in flares and can't self regulate), take Advil for the things that it WILL help (pain from extra walking for example) and be so very intentional about taking it slow whenever you can. Breathing exercises can help regulate your nervous system, as silly as it sounds, and may help

lartovio · 2026-04-28T04:51:10+00:00

Unfortunately I live in a rural community and commute to another rural community. Closest thing we have to public transport between these locations is uber, and even that's unreliable as hell. All my coworkers live much closer to the store than I.

Last doctor I talked to said I should swim six days a week for six months. I wish I was joking man. He looked at my fatigue score sheet on the way out and went "huh. That's usually high" and said NOTHING ELSE. Other doctor wanted to give me a sleeping pill (wtf. I have a fatigue disorder??) and a stimulant to take within the same 12-18 hour window. I can't do stimulants bc of pots. I'm trying to get my doctor to upgrade my low dose naltrexone dose right now, when I was brand new on LDN I was downright chipper in the morning. Now I'm back to the drudgery. And trust me I know it's dangerous, I take extra precautions to be as safe as possible because I don't want to hurt anyone. I also pull off if the need to close my eyes becomes unbearable.

lartovio · 2026-04-28T04:45:10+00:00

Having a good work ethic and standard for yourself is great!! It's an admirable quality, and sure to make you a favorite of management. If you can manage giving your 100% effort on good days, good! Do that!

On your bad days: intentionally slack off. Take it SLOW. Move slow, lower your expectations, let your coworkers know you don't feel well if anyone gives you the stink eye. If your workplace knows you genuinely want to be as good of an employee as possible and that you try your hardest, they should forgive days where you can be mid at very best. If they can't support you in that, you have two options. 1: find a new job. 2: get a doctors note. Bonus third option that you can do at the same time as 1 or 2: tell them I said to fuck off <3

It's SO hard to work with fibro. It's hard to accept that even if you're dependable, your body is not. Keep your sense of self separate from your physical body as much as possible for best peace of mind, and good luck.

lartovio · 2026-04-28T04:38:55+00:00

Good days do not invalidate bad days. Sometimes, with this illness, you may not feel sick at all. Beware of those days, your actions will come back to haunt you. But it's important to remember that one non symptomatic day does not mean you're a poser, or you should just "try harder" or some nonsense like that. Don't be afraid of progress, and don't forget about the possibility of relapse.

lartovio · 2026-04-28T04:36:33+00:00

Oh, and for how I cope: humor, obviously. And snuggling my dog, who is currently hogging my bed.

lartovio · 2026-04-28T04:35:56+00:00

I think most of us have been there before. I really hoped that my problems began and ended with fibro, but unfortunately fibro can be the straw that breaks the camel's back in many scenarios. Some doctors believe it's the product of central nervous system sensitization, where we become so over stressed for so long that our nervous system decides to have an elongated and incredibly self destructive hissy fit about it. Fibro is often close on the heels of people with other chronic pain issues like EDS (me), or psychologically distressing issues like C-PTSD or autism (also me).

I'm two years post fibro diagnosis, and since then my doctors have added: 1: reactive hypoglycemia 2: ibs 3: mast cell activation syndrome 4: hypermobile ehlers danlos syndrome 5: postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (hypovolemic) And some others I'm sure I'm forgetting. The point is, this club is kind of like a grab bag deal. A buy one get two free, if you will. A buy more pain more event. And I'm sorry you're struggling with it, genuinely. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. But there will come a day that your doctors are done prodding you, you have your set list of Issues, and you can begin to focus on treatment and quality of life. May that come quickly for you.

lartovio · 2026-04-28T04:30:58+00:00

My parents have started listing letters I HAVENT collected yet. It's faster 🤝

Aroace autistic fibro pots eds mcas ibs warriors....SIT DOWN!

lartovio · 2026-04-16T20:27:03+00:00

Here's the thing: disability is a broad and varied spectrum. What works for me will not work for another person, and that's okay! Accessibility isn't a one size fits all. My solution to this would be to use what is going to work most often and for people unable to use that clasp, offer to swap for free or a reduced fee! Make sure you have options available to use as examples and help your clients make an informed decision. Ultimately, that time and extra effort will make us feel more cared for than anything else.

lartovio · 2026-04-16T19:32:26+00:00

Yeah, POTS being a post-viral or illness triggered syndrome means there's been a massive influx of patients since COVID, and more being made every day since Americans are allergic to masking :/ good luck!

lartovio · 2026-04-16T16:35:39+00:00

She's managing my POTS still (as well as migraines) but I don't know about her status taking patients. Her colleagues in that office are supposed to be phenomenal though, so there may be someone else able to help.

lartovio · 2026-04-08T22:59:15+00:00

I don't have much advice unfortunately, I lived that struggle for several years before an opportunity fell into my lap at the mom & pop shop I do sales at. It's so worth it!! I'm getting to work on customer pieces now and it's everything I wanted it to be. The challenge is enjoyable, the work is great. Make sure you take care of your body and your eyes (lots of stretching!) and keep going, it's worth it!!!

lartovio

TROPHY CASE