Fatigued?

We have learned that when a patient walks into your office and says "my chief concern is fatigue", we have to ask a bunch of questions to understand what they actually mean by fatigue.

What does fatigue mean to the patient? Does it mean:

 ...tired? ...sleepy? ...physically exhausted? ...apathetic? ...depressed? ...is there lassitude?

The descriptors above would each point the doctor towards a different diagnosis so it is very important to ask the right questions to make that sure he or she is going in the right direction when a patient presents with fatigue. 

Several examples of questions that may be asked to help determine the diagnosis: 

- Are you still fatigued after a good night of sleep?

- Do you feel well rested in the morning?

- Do naps help the fatigue?

- Tell me about your sleep. Is your sleep of adequate quantity and of good quality?

- Does the onset of the fatigue happen at the end of the day?

- How is your mood?

- How is the fatigued changed by exercise? Increased or decreased?

- Tell me about your diet. Are you consuming adequate calories, nutrients, and iron?

- Do you drink caffeine? How much and when?

- Etc, etc...