Multiple Sclerosis, Fatigue and Stress.

Imagine walking around a supermarket, pushing a trolley full of goods, immediately after running a few miles and not sleeping for 24 hours. Try to imagine your legs begging you to sit down, and your mind drifting, not being able to concentrate or remember what you were looking for. Now try to imagine that only ten minutes ago you were feeling fine while driving home from work, there had been no run, and you had slept well the night before. This is a feeling that many sufferers of Multiple Sclerosis experience: fatigue.

Over the past eleven months my partner and I have tried to find out what the main contributing factor to fatigue is, and what we can do to reduce it. Of course, what we are finding out is unique to her, however, I am writing this hoping that it will help other people and give ideas on how couples can help each other fight fatigue.

It might be thought that fatigue is brought on by physical excursion, or lack of sleep, but this is not always true. One thing that I have noticed is a major contributor to fatigue is stress!

There is most definitely a correlation between my partner's daily stress level and the extent of fatigue she suffers with: If she has a bad day at work, the fatigue is so much worse than if she has a good day. Now, we may not be able to reduce her stress levels at work, but there are things that can be done out side of work:

• Help around the house - after a long day at work the thought of coming home to a pile of washing up or ironing can be stressful, let alone actually tiring while doing it (standing while doing the saying up tires me out!). So, whenever I can, I try to help with the chores.
• Help pick clothes - yes, help her chose what to wear, or pack if going away. This means learning her wardrobe and a bit of fashionable coordination... Eek! Just giving ideas of what will go together, and running through logically what is needed when packing, drastically reduces stress.
• Talk - simple, but very effective stress reliever. Allowing her to get things off her chest and express how she's feeling out loud can be a big help. Just don't make my mistake and try to give advice when it's not needed (only give it when it's asked for), otherwise you can cause more stress.
• Help make lists - if there is one thing that I recommend, this is it. Make lists! Make a list of things that need doing, bills that need paying, people that need phoning, cats that need feeding, food that need buying. Help make lists for everything.
• Distractions - there's nothing worse than having a stressful day and then having to think about it all night and worrying about tomorrow. I try my best to offer suggestions as to what she can do instead.
• Make it natural - Don't make a point of doing any of these things, and don't let it be a burden to you or her. You should help because you want to, and, in most cases, just do it.

There are, of course many other ways you can help reduce stress, and we would love to hear your how you have managed to do the same. Hopefully, this article will be a help for others.