Latest / Living with Parkinson’s | Bryce Perry / 5 Parkinson’s Fatigue Warning Signs You Can’t Ignore

Transcript

5 Parkinson’s Fatigue Warning Signs You Can’t Ignore · Living with Parkinson’s | Bryce Perry

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  Ever felt so wiped out that you can't move even though you
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  haven't done a thing? For people with Parkinson's,
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  this isn't just tiredness, it's a warning sign that you can't
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  ignore. In fact, research shows that
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  over half the people living with Parkinson's report severe
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  fatigue, but many don't realize it's actually a core symptom of
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  the disease. And that's why today I want to
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  share 5 warning signs of Parkinson's fatigue that you
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  need to pay attention to. Because recognizing these signs
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  can help you manage the better. And maybe even explain to the
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  people around you what you're actually dealing with.
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  And stick around till the end, because I've got a Bryce ISM for
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  you. That sums up what living with
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  Parkinson's fatigue really feels like.
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  Welcome to Living with Parkinson's, The Good, the Bad,
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  and the Reality. Real talk, real life, real
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  community with Bryce Perry. Let's begin.
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  Well, welcome to the channel. I want to thank my loyal
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  viewers, Inner circle members for coming back.
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  And if you're new here, my name is Bryce and this is Living with
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  Parkinson's, The good, the bad and the reality.
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  Our channel is all about providing strength, hope,
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  support, and community to individuals living with
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  Parkinson's and they're caregivers.
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  And as you can see, this isn't my normal surroundings.
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  I'm actually traveling right now, so bear with me and
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  hopefully the tech's working. But today's episode is 5
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  Parkinson's Fatigue warning signs that you can't ignore.
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  And let's get right into this because flag #1 it's a fatigue
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  that doesn't match your activity.
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  Now, normal tiredness makes sense.
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  You mow the lawn, you exercise, you stay up late, your body
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  says, OK, time to rest. But Parkinson's fatigue, it's
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  like the rules don't apply. You can do almost nothing, and
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  suddenly your body shuts down like you just ran a marathon.
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  Now for me, I remember sitting at my desk one morning, coffee
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  in hand, you know, having barely done a thing all day, and
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  suddenly it felt like gravity had doubled.
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  I slumped there thinking, how is this happening when I haven't
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  even started my day? I haven't done anything all day
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  and now I know I'm not the only one.
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  Some some of you told me that sometimes it's like simple
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  things like taking a shower or getting dressed can leave you
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  completely wiped out. That's why this first red flag
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  matters. You can't always explain it, but
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  you know it's you know it when it hits you.
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  And here's where it gets tricky because normally when you're
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  tired, rest fixes it. But that brings us to our second
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  warning sign, and that is fatigue that doesn't go away
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  with rest. Like, you'd think a nap or a
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  good night's sleep would reset the system, but Parkinson's
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  fatigue doesn't play by those rules.
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  One of you shared in the comments that you're you slept
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  10 straight hours and you woke up still feeling like you hadn't
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  slept at all. And that hit me because I've had
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  those nights, too. I go to bed early, I wake up
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  late and I still feel like I didn't even sleep.
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  Now for some, this looks like waking up more tired than when
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  you went to bed or you crashed in the middle of in the middle
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  of the day for an hour or two only to wake up groggy and you
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  still feel exhausted. That's the second red flag when
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  rest doesn't actually recharge you.
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  And that's hard because people around you, they might think,
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  well, go rest, right? If only it were that easy.
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  And when fatigue doesn't go away, it doesn't.
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  It doesn't just affect your body, it starts to creep into
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  your relationships and your social, your social life.
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  So red flag #3 is a fatigue hijacks your social life.
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  This one's really stinks. Fatigue can make you cancel
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  plans, skip family events, or even leave halfway through
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  something you were really looking forward to.
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  You've been there before. I'll never forget leaving a
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  friend's birthday party halfway through, Right, everybody,
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  Everybody's laughing. They're eating cake.
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  And there I was sitting there fighting to keep my eyes open.
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  I slipped out early, went home, and I crashed on the couch.
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  And then the guilt hit me just as hard as the fatigue.
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  Now, I've heard from some of you that you've missed weddings,
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  family dinners, or even coffee dates with friends because you
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  couldn't push through the fatigue.
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  And here's the thing, people see the tremors, they see the
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  stiffness, but they don't see this.
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  They don't see you at home curled up in bed while life goes
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  on without you. And that's why this is such a
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  dangerous red flag. It steals connection, and
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  connection is what keeps us going.
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  And hey, if this is sounding familiar, hit that like button
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  so more people see it. And if you're new here, why
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  don't you subscribe so you don't miss more real talk about
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  Parkinson's? And now let's get to the next
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  one. Because this one isn't about
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  your body at all. This one is all about your
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  brain. So the red flag #4IS fatigue
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  that feels like brain fog. So fatigue doesn't just hit your
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  muscles. Sometimes your mind goes first,
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  you know, It's when focusing feels like climbing a mountain.
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  Or even simple decisions feel very overwhelming.
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  Someone in our community told me that they stood in front of the
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  fridge for 10 minutes because they couldn't decide what to
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  eat. I get it.
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  I've sat in front of an e-mail draft knowing exactly what I
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  want to say, but my brain just refuses to string the words
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  together. And for some of you, it's
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  forgetting mid conversation what you were about to say, or
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  rereading the same paragraph of a book three times and still not
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  absorbing it. Now that's not laziness, that's
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  not silliness. That's a neurological fatigue,
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  OK. And if it if that weren't
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  enough, this last red flag shows us how sneaky fatigue can be
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  because it starts messing with the one thing that we rely on to
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  function and that's our medication routine.
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  And you know how stickler I am about that.
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  So this is 1 fatigue that affects your medication and this
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  one doesn't get talked about enough.
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  Fatigue can blur your memory, slow your focus, and suddenly
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  your routine is off. I've had days where I was
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  drained, I completely forgot to take my pills until hours later.
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  And I know I'm not alone. One of you told me you realized
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  you missed a dose when your tremor suddenly spiked.
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  Well, I've been there. I know when I missed a dose.
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  I get it. You might notice this if you
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  find yourself staring at the pill bottle but not remembering
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  if you've already taken it, or if the fatigue makes you late on
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  a dose and you pay for it with symptoms the rest of the day.
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  Now, this isn't just inconvenient, it's dangerous
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  because staying inconsistent with your medication is one of
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  the most important parts of managing Parkinson's meds on
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  time, every time. So here's what I want to say.
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  Fatigue isn't laziness, it's not weakness.
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  It's just it's just being tired. It's real part of Parkinson's,
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  and sometimes the hardest part is explaining it to others.
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  People see tremors, they see stiffness, but they don't see
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  the invisible exhaustion that can completely take you down.
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  And that's why I wanted to make this podcast so you can point to
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  these red flags and say, see, this is what I'm dealing with.
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  This is about managing Parkinson's fatigue and sharing
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  real life Parkinson's stories so nobody else feels alone in it.
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  And if you made it this far, you've unlocked the price
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  system. You ready?
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  All right, here it is with Parkinson's.
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  Fatigue doesn't knock politely. It barges in, steals a remote,
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  and dares you to try to get up off the couch.
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  I like that one. So now it's your turn.
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  When has fatigue blindsided you? What's the one thing that helps
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  you fight? Backdrop your story below,
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  because your comment might be the one thing that helps
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  somebody else feel less alone today.
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  And if you found this helpful, hit subscribe and join us.
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  And if you're looking for something even deeper, like
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  private support, monthly meetups, and a space where you
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  don't have to explain yourself, check out the inner circle.
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  The link is down below in the description.
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  And until next time, keep showing up.
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  Keep being real and you keep doing life and you keep doing it
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  today. Parkinson's may be part of your
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  life, but it doesn't get to define it.
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  Thanks for listening to Living with Parkinson's, the good, the
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  bad, and the reality. If this episode moved you,
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  helped you, or reminded you you're not alone.
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  Share it with someone who needs to hear it.
• 8:31
  Want to go deeper? The Inner Circle is waiting.
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  Monthly Zoom calls, 24/7 community, and a Direct Line to
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  Bryce. You'll find the link in the show
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  notes. Until next time, keep showing up
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  and keep doing life today.