‘The Slump’
For a long time I have always thought that my energy levels are pretty good given that one of the symptoms of my condition (Hypopituitarism) is exhaustion. Of course I’m not climbing mountains or running marathons but I can make it to the end of most days without feeling completely whacked. However, out of the blue on occasion I get what I call ‘The Slump’. Suddenly without any warning my body says “I’m done for the day, ta ta” and shuts down. To those that can relate to the symptoms, I get a rush through my body, nausea, a stomach ache and then all of my limbs feel weak and I’m a little dizzy.
On Wednesday this happened randomly around 1.30pm after I had got back from a walk in the woods with my Mum and our pup Stan. It was a mini accomplishment getting out the house without having an onset of anxiety - go me! So I was feeling pretty proud of myself and my body should have felt revitalised. Well, so I thought. It had other ideas and dragged me to bed for an afternoon nap. This might seem like a win, cosy little afternoon in bed but a girls gotta work!
I don’t know about you but I rack my brain trying to define a cause for why I suddenly feel so blooming knackered. Was it the sandwich I ate for lunch? Did I remember to take my steroid? Do I have a stomach bug? The guessing game in my head begins and trust me it’s relentless. The reality is that this is more than often ‘normal’ with my condition. It’s taken me a long time to accept it but somedays I just have to take my butt to bed and sleep until my energy tank fills back up again.
I have come across comments on support group pages that others with my condition feel like they had been and I quote “hit by a bus”. I can thankfully say that my meds seem to be keeping my hormone levels pretty balanced and I’d liken my exhaustion to being hit by more of a Vespa than a double decker. Either way, ‘The Slump’ creeps up on you and I’ve learnt that there is no point in fighting it because you make the battle twice as hard for yourself. You simply have to give yourself permission to rest and I find that if you do that, the quicker you will bounce back!
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