Anyone else just freakin' tired all the time?

[kidney4traci]

I know this is selfish, but oh well ..... I am sick and tired of being on the list and never getting THE call.  I am sick and tired of having potential donaors not match.  Oik there...

[Bryce]

Yes I feel tired all the time (sleepy tired that is), no matter how much I sleep and usually get between 6 to 8 hours a night and I usually sleep more at the weekends. It might sound daft but the only time I don't feel sleepy tired is when I'm doing my running training, although I would be lying if said it didn't make me phisically tired, but for me all the effort is worth it and keeps feeling alive, I've always loved running and will take more than organ failure to stop me doing it, even though I'm a good bit slower at the moment. Probably sounds like I'm a bit mad, but it stops me from feeling sorry for myself.

[Gramapat]

The first few months after I started dialysis, I felt a lot better.  I noticed I had more energy.  I've been on dialysis for over 5 months now and I am back to being tired.    When I get home from dialysis I am soooooooo tired!  For most of the next day I am still tired and then usually around 5 or so I get a little energy.  The next day I am usually "Okay".  Not full of energy but not bone tired either.

So - Sometimes I end up missing dialysis because I have abdominal problems.  I try to make it up if I feel okay the next day.  One time I ended up having dialysis 2 days in a row.  The next day, I felt so good!  I was able to do more in that one day than I have been able to do for ages.  I thought it was just a fluke but now after reading more, I am thinking it was probably because I had the 2 days in a row of dailysis cleaning the toxins out of me.  If that's the case, I may ask about home hemo even though the thought of the needles scares the beejeebers out of me! 

[Russ]

By no means am I turning cart wheels but my energy is much better on daily home hemo versus in-center 3x /week.  After 3 years of being out of work, I recently started working part time from home. I don't feel like getting out of the house much but at least I'm not sleeping all day any more.

[kitkatz]

Tired of tired of being tired!  I have notice that on the check sheet the social worker gives me to fill out on my life on dialysis, I am no longer on the far right of the answers. That meant everything was hunky dory great.  Now I fall in the middle of the grid with my answers.  I talked long with the dietician today and she says she is going to find a doc that will hear my complaint and get my BP meds changed.  I am now not taking them at all MWF so I walk around all day with a BP headache three days a week. Sucks rocks! 

[kidney4traci]

I hear ya KK - sometimes I wonder if part of the feeling bad is just being a victim of the MD getting the right mix of meds to control effects of dialysis.  I do agree with Russ too, I feel much better doing dialysis at home than only the three times a week in center.  Hands down.  And the fear of needles is easily overcome once you actually do it.  I felt so empowered by learning all that you do in the classes and then doing it on my own.  I haven't met anyone who has done (Nxstage) it say they wanted to go back.  If so, maybe they will chime in here. 

[stauffenberg]

Then let me be the first person you've heard of you did home hemodialysis and gave it up!  I did not have a NxStage machine, since they were not available in Canada, but I did have an ordinary model, but I found having to perform my own treatment too burdensome and stressful for the advantages gained.

[paddbear0000]

Lately, I've been tired so often, that I sleep a good 11 hours a day, yet still feel tired. Well, all weekend I've been working every waking hour on a website I'm doing for a client. By 6:00 this evening, I still had not done 3 designs I needed to do for an ad for class, that's due tomorrow. I made the mistake of mentioning to my husband that I can't fall back to sleep after he leaves in the morning because I have to get my homework done. He then tells me that there are ways to stay awake and I should work on them so I don't sleep so much and get more work done! WTF?!! Excuse me? I got angry and told him that I should find ways to have normal functioning kidneys! He didn't appreciate that comment. But then again, I didn't appreciate his.   

[kitkatz]

Lately, I've been tired so often, that I sleep a good 11 hours a day, yet still feel tired. Well, all weekend I've been working every waking hour on a website I'm doing for a client. By 6:00 this evening, I still had not done 3 designs I needed to do for an ad for class, that's due tomorrow. I made the mistake of mentioning to my husband that I can't fall back to sleep after he leaves in the morning because I have to get my homework done. He then tells me that there are ways to stay awake and I should work on them so I don't sleep so much and get more work done! WTF?!! Excuse me? I got angry and told him that I should find ways to have normal functioning kidneys! He didn't appreciate that comment. But then again, I didn't appreciate his.   

I think he needs a reality check! 

[Russ]

Then let me be the first person you've heard of you did home hemodialysis and gave it up!  I did not have a NxStage machine, since they were not available in Canada, but I did have an ordinary model, but I found having to perform my own treatment too burdensome and stressful for the advantages gained.

I couldn't do home hemo without my wife's help.  She is a saint.

[twirl]

so sorry Paddlebear
my husband said he never let sickness get him down------ what, the flu?
I am so tired of being tired, even sleeping does not help.
sometimes I am in bed not asleep and not awake either, like in between
I am going to have that parathyroid operation soon and am worried because when I'm gone by cat, Slugger, disappears.
So, I think I will board her at the vet's. She only weights about 9 lbs, she is about 14 years old. That's another argument.
I know how tired you feel and it sucks.
I would love to get up and feel full of energy........ain't going to happen today...
It is 4:30 am and I need to get ready for by MWF "beauty treatments".
I DO NOT WANT TO GO....sorry about the out cry......

[kidney4traci]

Ah stauffenberg I remember you saying you did not like it.  However, I still think the majority would rule in this situation.  Home hemo wins over clinic.

[okarol]

It seems there is more and more evidence that daily dialysis makes people feel better.
I wonder how long it will take before it is routine. 
Or maybe something better is coming - something that hasn't even been discovered yet.

[petey]

I hear ya KK - sometimes I wonder if part of the feeling bad is just being a victim of the MD getting the right mix of meds to control effects of dialysis. I do agree with Russ too, I feel much better doing dialysis at home than only the three times a week in center. Hands down. And the fear of needles is easily overcome once you actually do it. I felt so empowered by learning all that you do in the classes and then doing it on my own. I haven't met anyone who has done (Nxstage) it say they wanted to go back. If so, maybe they will chime in here.

Marvin has been doing home hemo for 14 months (NxStage) -- before that he was on in-center hemo (12 1/2 years).  We both would fight tooth and nail to stay on home hemo as opposed to going back in-center.  With all of the time, space, effort, and responsibility that is needed for home hemo, we have found that -- FOR US --  there is no comparison for the "better" health he has on home hemo (6 x week).  Additionally, his "tiredness" greatly, greatly diminished once he started home hemo.  He's a busy, active, on-the-go man, and sometimes I have trouble keeping up with him (and I'm the "healthy" one!!).

[RightSide]

When you're chronically ill, you may be having difficulty sleeping not from the illness, but from depression and obsessing over your illness.  If you're like me, you lie awake in bed thinking about it and thinking about it and thinking about it.

At one point, my physician prescribed a medication called Seroquel (quetiapine).  In small doses, that med is real magic:  Cures depression.  Cures obsessions.  And oh yes, if you take it at bedtime, it works like a sleeping pill too.  In a few months, you'll actually stop obsessing over the problems in your life.

It also treats post-traumatic stress disorder, restless legs syndrome, autism, alcoholism, schizophrenia, etc.  Good for what ails ya.

[TeenHatesDialysis]

   This thread really put things in perspective for me.  My 14 year old (dialysis 14 months) has been having sleep problems for the past several years.  I took her to a sleep study, a sleep doctor, nothing worked.  The sleep doctor said, "do not let her sleep during dialysis"....poor baby, that was killing her.  I would do whatever I could to keep her awake during dialysis and then she would just fall asleep in the car on the hour drive home. We would get home at 7:30pm and she would continue to sleep until 10pm and then up until 3am (UGH!).  I changed her school schedule so she doesn't have to be there until 9am, which is much easier than the 7:15am we were shooting for previously.  I know that the dialysis wipes her out 3 times per week so it is very difficult to have a "normal" schedule.  I think that it would be perfect if Jaclyn could do dialysis from 7pm-11pm then she would be exhausted and sleep through the night.  She can't do PD, because no one tosses and turns more than she does during the night. Does anyone know if your sleep schedule usually  returns to normal after a kidney transplant???  Any input is greatly appreciated.

[pelagia]

My husband had a huge problem with insomnia for about 5-6 months after his transplant. He is now 9 months with the new kidney and sleeps just fine.  I wonder if it is associated with the prendnisone.  He has been tapering off and is now down to 7.5 mg/day. Insomnia seems to be a fairly common problem judging by the comments of others here at IHD (lots of night birds).  I also have the impression that the transplant centers write a lot of scrips for Ambien.   

[twirl]

I am so tired --- I feel like it is my attitude --- my neph doc -- says it is my kidneys
I look forward to going to bed ---- unfortunately - to sleep
I know this is not for children to read but when my husband wants to do it --- the pay off is --- ok, tonight - but for the next two nights I get to sleep
I am a horrible wife -
kidney failure makes you a different person - it just happens -- slowly
no, I do not want to go to the zoo when we have spring break --- all the people and walking -- NO -- but he can go with the family---
please go..... I want him to ....
I may change my name to Tired Twirler -- then people know what they are getting

[G-Ma]

I know """exactly"""how you feel....I think we all do unfortunately.

[Sunny]

I told my General Practitioner yesterday how tired I was all the time now that my kidney function is down to 15% function. She says,"Are you sure you're not just depressed?" Yeah, I'm depressed, I have kidney failure! That's depressing alright. But trying to explain to her that depression feels different from just plain exhaustion and tiredness is very difficult. It's not the same feeling at all. Twirl, I know what you mean about the husband. I let him know that if he expects "Action" then maybe he should make dinner so I have the energy.

[kitkatz]

I am so tired --- I feel like it is my attitude --- my neph doc -- says it is my kidneys
I look forward to going to bed ---- unfortunately - to sleep
I know this is not for children to read but when my husband wants to do it --- the pay off is --- ok, tonight - but for the next two nights I get to sleep
I am a horrible wife -
kidney failure makes you a different person - it just happens -- slowly
no, I do not want to go to the zoo when we have spring break --- all the people and walking -- NO -- but he can go with the family---
please go..... I want him to ....
I may change my name to Tired Twirler -- then people know what they are getting

Baby i know how you feel.  Even on nocturnal I have my "No i am not going anywhere" days. I let hubby do whatever he wants to do.  Sometimes I go sometimes I just lay in bed.  Stress at work is going to kill us all soon.

[paddbear0000]

Don't feel too bad ladies. My husband hasn't had the privilege in several months!   

[paris]

I don't know if anyone but kidney patients understand the incredible fatigue.  When I am making my bed, all I can think of is "when can I go back to bed?"  I have helped my daughter with her move to her new house this week.  Just helping set up the kitchen, kids rooms, etc but I am now so tired, I can't focus.  I am taking the day "off" but with her wedding next week, there is still more to do.  I could sleep around the clock and still be exhausted.  I feel like I am walking in quick sand. 

[paddbear0000]

Before I started dialysis, it was the exhaustion that got me. The worse my kidneys got, the worse it got. Now it's not so much exhaustion, but I'm just tired a lot. I sleep for hours after dialysis. The worst thing about it is that my sleep schedule is all messed up. I may sleep all day after dialysis, but I have trouble sleeping at night, so I end up sleeping for a while the next day too. And the vicious cycle repeats itself.

[Tinah1968]

i have to agree with you guys about everything. I am tired all the time at work, there are days i just want to put my head down on my desk and fall asleep. I go to my truck sometimes for lunch and take a nap. i know that not eating is not the right thing to do but, it just seems that sleeping is much more important.  Everything takes so much more time to do.  I feel like I am in slow motion most of the time...  I uesd to be great even after 4-5 hour of sleep a night now I need atleast 8 or more it drives me crazy.