Acupuncture and Fatigue..................

[Meode81]

OK Weggies, need your advice.
Is it normal to have extreme almost scary I-am-going-pass-out-fatigue at the end of the day. I have never experiences anything like it. I went back to work recently and I am not sure if its a combination of that with this ever so lovely disease. Also I was wondering if anyone has tried acupuncture to help relieve pain / help circulation with the peripheral neuropathy....

THANKS

<3
Meode

[Dirty Don]

Extreme fatigue can be a part of the reaction to WG and the drugs one is taking. Especially if you're back at work...not sure I could've done it early on. I tried acupuncture for quitting smoking!! LOL! Didn't work, but I had some great naps during and after the sessions! Have a friend who does it regularly for pain, swears by it...I suppose if one is relaxed, one can get their mind around the pain...

[annekat]

Just recently I've experienced extreme fatigue after a day of work while trying to reduce my prednisone from 12.5mg to 10mg. I'll just have to keep working with it, splitting up the pills into smaller pieces, etc. I know that in the earlier stages of WG and during a flare I also had extreme fatigue, and it was due to both the drugs and the disease itself. The fact that you recently went back to work says a lot; in my experience, any big increase in activity like that can really take a toll on one's energy level, no matter what stage of treatment. Sometimes I feel I'm doing great during the day but that afternoon or evening I find out I overdid it a bit. I think this is pretty normal. Give yourself a break and let the dishes go and just take a nap if you need one. Sorry can't answer about the acupuncture, but can certainly relate to wanting to know, in regard to peripheral neuropathy.

[Alysia]

my "battery" is also "discharging" in the afternoon and at the beginning of the evening it is already empty... cant stand on my feet. :thumbdn:
I didnt try acupuncture but I suggest you check if it is not a problem with the immune system. :confused1:

[annekat]

I do remember Sangye telling us that acupuncture is OK as long as we make sure to tell the practitioner not to do anything that would stimulate the immune system. This would be true of other "alternative" therapies as well.

[annekat]

A new vendor at the farmers market where I sell has herbal preparations for sale in the form of dried herbs to make tea. One of her blends is called Adrenal Support and consists of several herbs. I can buy a small jar of it for $5 but haven't done it yet. But someday when I'm feeling flush, I may do it, just to see if it could help me in tapering pred at the lower doses by giving my adrenals a bit of a nudge. It may be nonsense, who knows. But if I buy it I will list the herbs in the mixture here for everyone's info. Or I will write them down without buying it, when she isn't looking!

[me2]

"Or I will write them down without buying it, when she isn't looking!" I can turn you in for that you know. Well, once you tell us what the ingredients are- THEN I can turn you in.
I too would be interested in what the facts are about rebuilding adrenals. Mine have become completely lazy by staying at club pred for the last several years and I haven't gotten to dream of turning them back on.

I saw an acupuncturist during the very worst part of my disease and there is no question it was helpful in keeping up my strength. I remember Sangyes terrible experience with acupuncture and it is a good caution as Anne brings up to inform the accupuncturist not to stimulate the immune system and to make sure they are good enough to understand what you are saying. In my experience there are only a very few truely skilled in this art. I went to quite a few different ones and none could match the guy I saw who was from China.
In my depleted state I was quite a good crash test dummy of practitioners. If their treatment was ineffective I felt nothing from it. Sadly, most of them were ineffective.
The guy who was super good lives a hundred miles from me and charges a hundred dollars- so that is how I came to try so many others.
I wish I could afford it regularly as I think it does help with the fatigue. I don't know if it would help with the circulation/ neuropathy.
I had pretty significant neuropathy and it went away with time. I have no idea why. I try lots of alternative stuff and don't what to attribute it to - probably just time itself and control of the general disease process.

[annekat]

Kirk, I remember that one of the ingredients was chamomile, which seems like a strange one to perk up the adrenals. Heck, it's only $5, I'll buy a jar, or it might be listed on her info sheet, which I can take. For all I know this person could be a complete quack, but she seems nice.

Interesting about the acupuncture and that there is a good practitioner roughly 100 miles from us. I've heard of a good on the west side of Olympia but don't remember the name... but the treatment was for allergies, not WG or adrenal depletion.