Predictable fatigue

[Littlesandy]

My primary remaining symptom is fatigue. It is predictable, cyclic and debilitating. I get up about 7 AM feeling reasonably well. By 10:30 or 11 AM I experience an overwhelming fatigue setting in. I feel it coming on. As a person who used to drink lots of coffee, it reminds me of a coffee crash - except more severe. By 12:30 PM to 2 PM it clears up and I feel reasonably good.

This is an experience that I have on most days. Using yoga at the onset is helpful, but not a sure thing. Often, I just give in and sleep for a while.

I drink 2 cups of coffee in the morning - just FYI.

I am one year into my diagnosis, have been gluten free since May. And I'm eating a very narrow range of foods that seem to work for me.

Two questions:
* should I eliminate my coffee in the morning?
* Did I fail to eliminate a food that I am sensitive to?
* is this just part of the process of healing and should I put my patience hat on?

Thanks for whatever wisdom this group has.

Little Sandy

[tex]

Hello Sandy,

Welcome to the group. I'll try to answer your questions:

Two questions:
* should I eliminate my coffee in the morning?

Coffee is an option for most of us, unless It causes us to run to the bathroom soon after we drink it, and it didn't have that effect before we developed MC.

* Did I fail to eliminate a food that I am sensitive to?

Beats me. Why do you ask?

* is this just part of the process of healing and should I put my patience hat on?

Is What part of the process of the process of healing? If you're referring to the fatigue, that's typical of MC, and usually takes a year or two to fade away, after we reach remission. Healing the damage caused by all the inflammation requires most of our energy, and the intestines are slow to heal. MC doesn't develop overnight, and it definitely doesn't heal overnight, so yes, recovering requires a lot of careful attention to our diet, perseverance, and patience.

Incidentally, I counted three questions there, but I won't charge extra for the third answer (since I was unable to answer the second question). LOL. Yes, brain fog is another symptom of MC. Again, Welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.

Tex

[Littlesandy]

Thanks for the reply, Tex.

Regarding the 2nd question about eliminating a food, I was trying to figure out if a specific food can have the impact that I am experiencing - i.e. a predictable energy crash during the day.

Your response makes it pretty clear that the fatigue and brain fog are part of having MC and beginning to heal. Since I did not adopt diet as treatment until a few months ago, I have to conclude that I am early into the healing process.

Thanks again for the pointers.

Little Sandy

[tex]

Regarding the 2nd question about eliminating a food, I was trying to figure out if a specific food can have the impact that I am experiencing - i.e. a predictable energy crash during the day.

A reaction against a specific food will surely increase the fatigue level somewhat, but to the best of our knowledge, it's the inflammation and accrued intestinal damage that is the primary cause of the fatigue, so once the disease develops, the fatigue is pretty much ever present, and of course, working, or exercising, usually add to the fatigue.

Tex

[Littlesandy]

Very clear answer to my question about the impact of a specific food. The understanding that fatigue is 'ever present' is an important one.

Thanks -

Little Sandy

[jbrohlr]

Hello Sandy,

I had/have a similar situation with fatigue. Mine would start at about 1 or 2 PM and last till about 4PM. The fatigue would be overwhelming and appear every day regardless of how my gut was doing. When it was at its worst (almost a year ago) it started even earlier in the day and would last till bedtime. I would have to lay down no matter where I was. I still have some fatigue, but it is not as severe and shows up late in the day (around 4 or 5PM).

I believe I read in "Microscopic Colitis" that the fatigue is due to the amount of energy needed for the digestive track to heal (either I read it in the book, or my brain made it up, which it has a habit of doing).

Sleep seemed to be the best treatment. I took a nap at noon and after work and that seemed to reduce the magnitude of the fatigue. It had to be an actual nap - lay in bed and close your eyes, not just relax in a recliner.

Also reduced my physical activity - the fuel your body has available seems to be zero-sum-gain, so I was careful with how much I did in a day, even if I felt fine.

Good luck Sandy, I think the fatigue (as well as weight loss) is a lagging symptom, so even if you have your diet dialed-in correctly you'll have problems with it for a while; my opinion only.

John R.

[Littlesandy]

Thanks for sharing your personal experience, John. It's helpful to compare experience.

Little Sandy

[cloud9er]

Hi Little Sandy,

I’ve just stumbled across your post.

What do you eat for breakfast? How well do you sleep in the evening? Do you have a regular bedtime? You could try cutting out the coffee.

I get very tired after eating foods I suspect are triggers sometimes. I guess that could be an allergic reaction.

Kind Regards,

Amy