By: Eileen Davidson

Fatigue is a common symptom experienced by individuals in the AiArthritis disease community. It is not simply feeling tired, but rather a deep and overwhelming exhaustion that can impact every aspect of daily life. Imagine waking up in the morning, struggling to lift your limbs out of bed as your body feels heavy and unresponsive. You drag yourself to the kitchen, fighting against the fatigue that weighs you down. As you attempt to prepare breakfast, even the simplest tasks become overwhelming challenges. Your hands feel weak and achy, making it difficult to hold utensils or chop vegetables. The fatigue persists throughout the day, making it hard to concentrate, causing brain fog, and intensifying joint pain. Simple actions like climbing a flight of stairs or carrying groceries feel like herculean feats. It's a constant battle to find the energy to engage in activities that were once effortless.

 The AiArthritis disease community knows all too well the debilitating impact of fatigue and how it can disrupt and limit their lives. But they also demonstrate remarkable resilience as they strive to manage their condition and find ways to conserve energy, knowing that each action, no matter how small, requires careful consideration and planning. 

By raising awareness and understanding of the profound effects of fatigue, the AiArthritis disease community hopes to foster empathy and support the development of effective strategies to alleviate this debilitating symptom.

Gracefully_jen -  I describe it as trying to claw myself out of quicksand as my eyes get heavier by the second.

Tenaciousinme -  I say I'm in the wall. Kind of like the phrase I hit a wall but I got actually stuck in the wall. They either get it or I have confused them enough that they pretend to understand me 

Carriebransom -  You know that bone-deep weary feeling you get when you have the flu and you feel like you can’t go another step without lying down? THAT.

stella677 - Lead in my bones rolling a boulder up a gravel hill.

Stellargalacto - I feel like I am underwater, everything is heavy and slow and sluggish. But when then it's hard to convey to real depth of my fatigue sometimes

Iamrobogirl - The other week I told my husband “I don’t think I’ve ever felt ‘rested’ in my life” - I don’t remember a time I woke up and thought “Man I slept great! I’m feeling good today.” That’s unfortunately never happened.

Tupperwarebyjudithf2024 - Like trying to.push a giant boulder up a hill legs are moving but you aren't getting anywhere. Fatigue is the worst symptom it's a never ending cycle

Judith Flanagan AiArthritis - Like trying to push a giant boulder up a hill legs are moving but not reaching the top it's the never ending struggle zapping the energy that's how I describe it. No sleep or nap can be rid of it that's the difference between tired and chronic illness fatigue.

Tracie L Carlson - It's become easier. I ask them if they have had Covid, then they understand fatigue.

Rachel Jones - I read somewhere the fatigue that a chronic illness sufferer lives with is the equivalent of a ‘normal’ person not sleeping for three days straight and then trying to get on with a normal day.

I say that.

Melissa Dobbs - Like trying to walk through peanut butter, or quick sand, with cement blocks attached to my feet.

Tom Zeta - I can describe the pain well enough so that people get it (mostly), but I haven’t found a good way to describe the fatigue or brain fog, even to myself.

Laura Wohl Torchinsky - For me, It’s not really a sleepy kind of tired. It’s more of a lethargic, draggy and achy kind of tired.

Andreea Cristina Brezuica - I'm at 10% battery. How do you feel when your device is like that?! Now take that and apply it to yourself. I can still do some things, but do you really want to push me to shut down? I can go to zero pretty quick.

Amanda Boniface - Like walking through mud



Chronic Disease Diary - After covid I think some people have a better idea of fatigue. Pretend if you were sick with covid or the flu and no matter how much you slept your body just felt so exhausted. That kind of fatigue is something I experience all the time on any given da… See more

Kate Cleek - Like my arms and legs are made of cement, literally heavy. And only running on a half charged battery with low voltage output

Cynthia Cole Hart - I ask them to think back to that one time after eating a big Thanksgiving dinner where they were so stuffed & sleepy. Remember how you couldn't keep your eyes open? That is how I feel when I am fatigued.

There are various ways to describe fatigue, each with its own unique perspective. It is imperative to consistently strive to enlighten others about this debilitating condition. It is not uncommon for individuals to initially struggle to comprehend the impact of fatigue, with some only fully grasping its significance upon being diagnosed with a chronic illness. By actively engaging in education and creating awareness about fatigue, we can foster a deeper understanding among individuals and enable quicker identification and diagnosis of this condition.