Pain I'm learning to live with. Fatigue, not so much. I've been waiting four months to see a rheumatologist and I have another two months to go. I have a healthier lifestyle than half of the medical professionals I know, and I'm still exhausted.

I'm trying so hard to finish my degree, which will allow me to have flexible hours and take some of the financial stress off of the household. But I'm having a lot of trouble completing stuff in a timely manner. Teachers aren't sympathetic, and without a diagnosis I can't get disability accommodations. I've had pain issues for way too long, but it finally got bad enough that I got the referral.

My spouse in a very, very nice guy but he can't fathom what it is like to feel like a zombie all of the time. All I want to do is sleep. I stopped working because I couldn't deal with being a wife, mom, student, and worker. He doesn't quite get that school is actually really time consuming and wanting to just sleep doesn't make it easy. He really wants me to finish so we can, you know, move on with our lives. I see where he's coming from, but no amount of explaining what this is like seems to make him understand that I might need some time off.

I also have a preschool-aged kid who is hyperactive, messy, and willful. I love her to death, but I have trouble keeping up with her.

Caffeine isn't particularly helpful. Any tips on this? I go to bed at a reasonable time and usually have a nap at the same time as the child, but it's not enough...