RA & Recovery Time - Update

A couple of days after I wrote my last post, I was reading a book on the wide range of autoimmune diseases when I came upon something called post exertional malaise. About.com defines PEM as

a vague feeling of body discomfort or a general feeling of being unwell, much like you feel when you're coming down with a cold or the flu.

Post exertional malaise is a period of intense exhaustion and increase in symptoms that lasts for more than 24 hours following physical exertion.

Several of the websites I read also describe a "crash" that happens after physical/mental exertion, which can be anything from exercise to daily chores.

I just kept thinking, "This is me! This is what happens to me! This is what I go through every time I push myself past small amounts of activity!" Then I thought, "Why was I able to find this, but no doctor I have ever talked to has been able to tell me what is happening?"

I am definitely going to bring this up when I see my rheumatologist on Thursday, especially since this is not typical of Rheumatoid Arthritis. PEM is actually considered a symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome.

I answered one of my questions, but now I have so many more.