constantly feeling tired and ache all the time

new to the board. have been reading llike crazy for a half hour and glad to be here. 3 yrs. ago wound up in the er. could not keep anything down, not even ice chips. got pumped full of prednisone and got an IV bag. got out of the hospital about a week later with a prescrip. for basalizide. took the basalizide and slowly weened off the prednisone. broke out from the basalizide and called the doc., nurse said quit taking it since I have a appoint. with doc in a week. self employed with no insur. feeling better off all meds, rash from basalizide all over back is gone. never experienced anything like this before. I,m a 42 yr old male workaholic. Spoke to father, told him doc says it's hereditary. Dad will not go near a doc but is always in the restroom and has lower back trouble off and on. dad says take 5 - 10mg prednisone like I do, so i did for 8 months every am. and did not go see the doc. Guess What? wound up back in the er. Doc chewed me out for staying on pred. but thats the first thing he give me, 40 mg of pred. and then weened me off slowly. The doc then put me on asacol after relieving the cramping----I swear something was trying to rip out of my stomach. To back up just a bit before I was first diagnosed my girlfriend and I took a vaca. We lived in Illinois and drove to Fl. half way to Fl. we stopped at a well known rest. chain in Tenn. and ordered a burger to go. It was late and we drove all day so we ate in the truck. the burger looked a little pink under the dome light. I'm now guessing it would have looked more like red under normal lighting. Anyway we were tired and ate. SILLY... I got uc and she got rectal colitis. The doc said we both may have gotten a touch of e coli that brought out the colitis in both of us. The girl friends mom does have rectal colitis, so maybe it is hereditary. Anyhow after having that burger in Tenn. we continued to FL. I got to FL. and the next day had 8 very very light beers with a friend and pow. here comes colitis. I only drink on holidays a beer or two, thats it. So the 8 beers did not like me at all. I had no idea what was going on and why I was in the bathroom all day. I have a high tolerance for pain but now have learned to listen to my body to avoid going to the hospital. I have been in the er and stayed in the hosp. for about a week each time I was in. I've been in 3 times ea. yr for the last 3 yrs. Now I am still taking 6 asacol a day and a fish oil. I had two businesses in IL. for 15 yrs and worked all day, half the night, and got up at 2 or 3 am to work for about 30 to 50 min. every 2nd or 3rd night. With the economy going south, as well as my health I decided to move south to Fl. I could not run my business as my body would not let me get out of bed in the middle of the night anymore ( I am far from lazy but my body said forget it) (My brain has always won every fight----Not anymore) and I can not stand the cold snowy weather. Use to love it but I get cold and it goes straight to my core, them the cramping and so on. OOOOH how i hate to type with 2 fingers. So now I'm in sunny Fl. and the humidity is a real bear. I would rather be here in the ac than up north inside with the furnace running all winter. I keep plenty of fluids in me, mostly water and tea. I'm able to eat just about anything mild in moderation. Tried one beer once when feeling good and just about went to the er. No more beer ever for me. Cant even have a glass of wine... what a shame. Could someone please tell me what I can do to get a rid of this fatigue. It is driving me nuts I will work till the day I drop before I sit and do nothing. I work 40 min. and beak for 20..ugh....! And I nearly fall asleep from being so tired. !I know its a no no to stay on 5 - 10mg of prednisone every day like my dad and step mom. She takes it for arthritis. They call them magic pills. And these two do not like to take anything for anything but the have been doing the prednisone for about 10 yrs. The doc tells me if your on it for a long time your body will stop making its own, But I am so tired of feeling tired. What do you do to ease the joint pain and the fatigue??? Have not been in the er now for about 10 months... woo hoo..I think my brain has stopped writing checks my body REFUSES to cash. Please give me some energy...... THANX in advance bob

Sounds like it could be adrenal fatigue. You can be tested for this. Long term prednisone is not good for you at all. Causes osteoporosis and can affect your adrenal glands ability to function, just to name 2 potential problems.

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F/50
Present: Lialda 4.8 gm a day; Fish Oil, Calcium/Vitamin D, Folic Acid, Vitamin D 50,000 unit once a week; Diagnosed UP 1993/Diagnosed UC 8/08; Reclast for Osteoporosis 12/09; Past: Remicade/Asacol/Rowasa/Anucort/Canasa/ Prednisone 2/10/10 last day! (this time...) In remission since February, 2010

Sorry for your troubles...When you were in the hospital did they do a colonoscopy..?...You need to see a GI doctor and get under care...

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DX UC 1969
On and off flares for 40 years
Cort enema's & 8 tabs of sulfasalazine per day for flares.
Have tried asacol, rowasa enema, and pentasa does not work
Never really been mucus free. lomotol as needed.
Upcoming scope 5/17.
Bad back..which makes bathroom runs during flares interesting!
Prostatitis another joy to live with.

Maintenance: 6 tabs sulfasalazine, nexium for Gerd. Atenol for BP and Lipitor.

I deal with the fatigue too. It was a lot worse when I wasn't getting my iron checked and it had plummeted. I was really sick for a while, surprised that I didn't have to be hospitalized but then I was doing really well for a year+ and now I am sick again but not to the point I was when I was at my worst. I think we learn when to look for help. I have always been tired my whole life. I feel like I have that EBV or something... I think you should get checked for iron issues. It's crazy that both you and your girlfriend are dealing with colitis but I guess since it rus in both of your families maybe it is not so uncommon. I doubt the burgers caused it, unless you picked up a bacteria which the should be able to test for and treat? Have you had stool tests? biopsies?

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_{March 07: Diagnosed with mild proctitis - Canasa as needed}

_{August 08 - December 08: Flare & Anemic - Started Asacol
January 09 - December 09: Remission!!
December 09 - January 10: Massive Flare - Asacol + Prednisone + Canasa / Colazal}
^{Current: Mild / Moderate Active Pancolitis: Prednisone, 6mp, Cort Enemas, Canasa}

THANK YOU ..!!! THANK YOU TO ALL FOR RESPONDING AND SOOOO QUICKLY........ VERY GLAD I FOUND THIS SITE.

I had blood drawn last week and am waiting for the results. To be perfectly honest I think the big problem is learning to listen to my body when it says jump. In other words take the correct vitamins and amounts as some of you have suggested. I sound like a broken record don't I? I know I'm not 25 and without UC, but its nice to dream. I cannot Imagine how things would have been to have this any earlier in life. I think I have it bad. huh... I do not compared to some. Fortunately for me I do not have to locate the restroom everywhere I go. The asacol has been keeping me in check. 2 400mg in the a.m. as well as in the afternoon and at night. I do skip the night dose quite often, which is probably a no no. The darn stuff keeps me up. I have seen a G I doc. I did when this first appeared 3 yrs. ago. Yes I've had more than one colonoscopy. Fun..!!! To be frank about this whole ordeal I'm just pissed... and I suppose I was looking for a site where people understood what I have going on. Once again I know I have it easier, much easier than others. My body has always been my tool... Work work work, and has performed well till UC. Now I'm older and hopefully wiser lol and realizing ones body is a temple and the most important thing we own. Would you all like a laugh. I bought a vaca. home in FL. in a gated retirement community 4 years ago and I am 42. The reason I did so was because of the security. I did not want to have to worry about my vaca. home while up north and my parents live in the community as well 8 months out of the year. A year later I got UC. Here's the funny part, If I'm going to feel old, might as well live with the old farts, right. No offense to the seniors on here. I love riding motorcycles with these guys down here in Fl. especially now that I live here full time. My dad talked me into buying a trike for those days I do not feel the greatest and do not feel like riding one of my other bikes. These seniors are like teenagers, only with money. They really know how to enjoy life. The subdivision is real pretty and I have a huge yard to work in and a house to remodel. Beats living up north above my business freezing my butt off. Have to get this UC in check so I can get back to working a full 8 - 10 hour day. Yes I'm sure there will be lots of breaks...! I do not like to take even Tylenol. I would rather watch what I eat and take vitamins and natural energy boosters than take any med's. I wish I could get back off asacol but I'm afraid I will wind up back in the hospital. I guess the one good thing with having this for three yrs. is I'm learning ... slowly .... to listen to my body and kind of self medicate myself to stop from going to the ER. ....I think..... Imagardner2.... I think i will try taking some of the things you suggested. Thank you. One energy booster I tried that's a little costly but not to bad is FRS chewables., (far cheaper than asacol) they have Quercitin in them. You can also get quercitin pills. Both are available at the GNC store. Lance Armstrong endorses the FRS supplements. Some of you may want to try it. I know smoking is silly, stupid, unhealthy and so on... that being said I am a very light smoker.... so I guess just a little stupid in some peoples eyes. Here's the kicker, I find it settles my stomach. I have 2-5 drags off a cig. about 4-5 times a day. It really settles my stomach when it starts acting up. The GI doc agrees. He said he's heard it from several patients. This may not be the forum for this but I've read others about people smoking pot that have UC and it helping lots. Any thoughts? Time to go drink a five gallon jug of water and pop a bunch of darn pills. Best wishes and better health to all. thanx again..!!!!