Happy National Napping Day!

[dakski]

Unfortunately, having degenerative kidney disease for 9 years, and then a kidney transplant, taking lots of meds, and the kidney being stable, but not functioning anywhere near 100%, naps are part of my life.

I am fortunate to work from home most days and probably take a nap more days than not. It is what it is. Sometimes I can push through the exhaustion and fatigue, but I generally pay dearly for that.

If my body says it needs rest, no matter the time, I usually listen, when I am able to accommodate it. If I don't I usually crash with nausea, headaches, aches, etc. Then I need to sleep for 15-24+ hours to recover.

I don't think people understand the difference between being tired and exhaustion/fatigue unless they have experienced it.

I tried explaining it for a while, but people tend not to get it. Exhaustion can come on quick and takes a long time to recover from. It's not, oh, I am tired and could take a nap. It's, if I don't rest now, I may not be able to make it to the bed and I'll feel really sick.

My cousin had breast cancer and needed radiation and chemo, in addition to a mastectomy. She had read a blog I keep about my experience with kidney transplantation, and we had spoken often during the year or so of recovery for me.

She got the cancer about 1 1/2 years after my transplant, and called me out the blue one day, to tell me, she "got it."

She said, "tired is not wanting to climb the stairs to go to bed; fatigue is when you literally cannot make it up the stairs and collapse/pass out, and sleep, on the bottom step."

Not trying to pull rank, or over justify my nap situation. I just wanted to share a different perspective. Believe me, I miss the days when I didn't need naps!