I've been messaging with my doctors for the last month about my increasing pain. I've shared my struggles with neuropathy in my arms and legs, especially at night. I've voiced how I feel like I'm being pulled apart on a torture rack. I've stated that my pain makes it very hard for me to complete simple tasks and leaves me chronically exhausted. And then there's the afternoon crash. Missing out on three hours of my day regularly.
The Epicacten did help with this crash, but it left me feeling like a jet lagged tourist who downed a bunch of espresso to try and stay awake. Foggy headed and still exhausted, but unable to sleep. Not really much of an improvement.
My primary doctor increased my night time Lyrica dose and that did help the neuropathy a bit. My muscular neurologist increased my Baclofen from three times a day to four to try and help the muscle cramps and spasms that were also increasing, but it did not help. That's how medicine goes! Sometimes things work great, but often they do not.
Then I did what I do best. I started researching some more on my own about Mitochondrial Myopathy and mito diseases. And there it was. The exhaustion, the pain, the neuropathy, everything I experience. What I also found was successful interventions using marijuana to combat the fatigue.
In the past I've tried high CBD with little to no THC and it never did that much. It could help with night pain a bit, but never enough to warrant the cost. It's not like my insurance covers our (legal in my state) dispensary! Too bad.
Due to my previous lung conditions and my asthma I've never tried any kind of inhalation, only edibles. But the more I read the more I learned about vaping and how it is better than edibles for pain and energy in many ways. It's instant, you can control the dose better, it's more cost affective and best of all the drug doesn't go through your liver and kidneys, but straight into your blood stream from your lungs.
I researched the best strains for energy and pain. Then armed with this knowledge we went to the dispensary. The employee was very helpful and set me up with a vape pen, cartridge and night time pain gummies to try. She also helpfully explained that if you're trying to help pain you need THC. "Without a little high you can't get rid of pain effectively".
I'm going slow with it and learning what works best for me, but on the very first day of using it I didn't need a nap. Last night I didn't have the gummy and for the first time since I started taking it I had painsomnia. I'm now going on day FIVE with no mid-afternoon crash. It feels amazing. My pain is also much more manageable. It isn't helping my mobility or muscle issues, but the pain and fatigue are very much improved, so I'll take it!
A doctor of mine did get back to me with another medical suggestion. The medication would involve a hospital stay and the side effects were very risky. For now I'm good with trying what I have. If it becomes a permanent part of my coping tools, then I'll inform my doctors about it. But for now I'm still in the trial phase.
This is by far the best recommendation list for dealing with exhaustion. Shared from the Mito Action Group.
General Guidelines for Dealing With Fatigue:
Rearrange Your Environment
- Keep frequently used items in a location where you will use them. This avoids having to carry them around or do extra walking to get them.
- Replace existing heavy items with lighter one (plastic vs. glass).
- Use good body mechanics – don’t carry equipment if you can push it. Slide, don’t lift, push, don’t pull. Maintain good posture. Bend at the knees, not the waist. Eliminate unnecessary motions. Use both hands when possible while carrying. Adjust work-spaces such as raising a tabletop to eliminate awkward positions.
- Install long handles on faucets or doorknobs.
- Consider moving your bed to the first floor to eliminate stair climbing.
- Organize the kitchen for maximum efficiency. Place the most often used items on the lowest shelves. Make a cooking area having all pots and pans together close to the stove. Spices and utensils should also be as close to the cooking area as possible. Consult an occupational therapist to help personalize the ideas listed here and enlist a helper or two to rearrange your living environment.
Eliminate any Unnecessary Effort
- Sit rather than stand whenever possible, i.e.: when preparing food, washing dishes, when talking on the phone.
- When dressing, sit, have your clothes at arm’s length, dressing the lower parts of your body first as this requires the most energy expenditure. Bring your feet up to you rather than bending down to them. Work slowly and methodically, resting when needed. Buy clothes that are easy to care for and put on.
- Shower using a shower chair, remain sitting when shaving your legs instead of bending over, have a chair in the bathroom so you can sit while drying yourself.
- Use adaptive equipment that is appropriate to your situation, i.e.: book holder, a jar opener, a reacher, text to speech software or hand-free headset for your phone.
- Organize the method in which you work, repetition of the same methods will increase proficiency and save time and energy.
- Soak your dishes before washing, let them air dry or consider using paper products.
- Buy prepared foods and try to keep prepared healthy snacks available such as precooked hard-boiled eggs, cheese slices and fruit.
- Shopping can be an exhausting activity so try to find a grocery store that accepts phone orders and delivers. A few large grocery chains have online ordering and delivering. If you go shopping, use electric carts or wheelchairs, which most large grocery stores make available. Other items are available from catalogs by mail, phone or the Internet. Take advantage of these effective alternative ways of shopping. Think of how many stores you can visit without leaving your chair!
Plan Ahead
- Pre-plan your activities and try to make a daily or weekly schedule.
- Ask yourself a few questions: Is there too much to do on a single day? Are heavy tasks alternated with light ones? Are heavy tasks distributed throughout the week? Have I scheduled enough time to for activities with enough time between each one to rest? Rushing takes more energy!
- Make fewer trips around the house; if you have stairs, organize your day so you minimize the need to climb them.
- Cook in larger quantities and refrigerate or freeze extra portions.
- Work rest breaks into activities as often as possible. Take a break before you get tired.
- Try to plan some type of exercise into your weekly routine. Toned muscles require less energy to function.
Prioritize
- Eliminate or reduce tasks that aren’t that important you.
- Remember to delegate tasks to family or friends who offer to help.
- Consider hiring professionals, such as a cleaning service or lawn service, to cut down on your workload.
- Decide what are the most important things in your life and spend your energy money on them.
- Always listen to your body, know your limits and don’t let yourself become overtired.
If you do overdo it, try not to be too hard on yourself. Walking the mito path is very challenging and learning how much activity is too much is sometimes determined by when we crash! The goal is to live a rich and full life with the least amount of mito crashes as possible.
It's been about a year since I posted my symptoms. I also don't really keep track of them anymore. There's a few reasons for this. 
