Unpredictable Energy Levels

My energy levels have been all over the place this week.

For most of this week I've felt like I was dragging myself through each day. I was particularly exhausted on Wednesday; I went to bed around 7:30pm and slept through the night.

Friday evening was awful. I felt like a ton of bricks had been dropped on me and was running a fever. My whole body ached and even getting up to brush my teeth felt like running a marathon. I was worried that my fever and malaise were the beginning of a dreadful weekend. That night I slept over 14 hours (went to bed around 10pm and woke up after noon on Saturday).

I was a bit surprised when I woke up on Saturday afternoon not feeling too bad. My fever had gone, and I was no longer achy. Saturday started off like any other Saturday for me, but then turned into a bizarre (in a good way) energy-filled afternoon. I felt good enough to do six loads of laundry and even had enough energy left over to organize a couple of shelves in our laundry closet. What was funny about Saturday is that I had enough physical energy to clean, but I had no mental energy to get on the computer or talk to anyone.

My husband Kenny couldn't believe his eyes. He also kept warning me to slow down because when I've done things like this before I've regretted it. I went to bed around 10pm and woke up a little after noon on Sunday (today).

Today I am paying for yesterday's unexpected burst of energy, though not as dearly as I had expected. My lymph nodes are sore; I have a headache; I feel achy; and I am somewhere between tired and exhausted. I definitely could not do six loads of laundry today.

Because I've had CFIDS for my entire adult life, I have had to adjust to my constant state of fatigue. In my world, I measure my energy levels on a scale from "Tired" (feeling pretty good) to "Exhausted" (feeling not as good) to "Completely Incapacitated" (can't even go to the bathroom without help). Anything better than "tired" is extraordinarily unusual. Yesterday was a gift. Most people who know me might be surprised to read this part because I am very good at appearing awake and keeping a happy face, even if I'm not feeling that way.

I think I need a nap now.

By the way, Happy Father's Day!

Update at 5:47 PM: Not long after I wrote the above blog post, I crashed. I started feeling pretty awful. I took a nap, but it didn't help much. My throat is hurting now, and I feel even more achy. And my life with CFIDS continues...