Constant pain & fatigue

[AchyMcAcherson]

I wonder does anyone have any idea what, if anything, could be the matter with me?
I'm in pain, all the time. From the moment I get up to the moment I go to sleep.
Bit of background. I'm mid 40s, pretty overweight & unhealthy, non smoker, don't drink much. Eat a reasonable diet but too much rubbish really.
Obviously with those stats I'm not going to feelfighting fit constantly but the pain! It can't be normal!
Worst at the moment is my arms. Stabbing pains in my forearms and wrists, neck pain, knee pain (that's probably because I'm fat).
I'm also constantly knackered. Really bone tired, I sleep pretty well & for at least 8 hours but I wake up shattered.
What can it be? The arm pain is really starting to bother me.
I know that my GP will just say it's because I'm fat. But arm pain? Why?

[ForeskinHyena]

Could be any number of things, from a vitamin deficiency to an autoimmune or other chronic condition. Without specifics it's difficult for anyone to say, but you should note down exactly HOW tired you are (e.g. falling asleep at 7pm, unable to walk 100 yards) exactly how painful your arm is (can't hold a hairdryer up in the air, can't write without severe pain) etc and then speak to your GP and insist on some preliminary blood tests.

I'd put money on thyroid issues, but then I always do! IME, they dismiss anything vague as being hormonal/women's troubles etc and it's not until you give them concrete evidence that they take any notice [bitter] .

I was at prime time for thyroid problems (post natal), spelled out exactly how it made me feel, just like when I had glandular fever (a known pre-cursor to auto-immune conditions) and that my mum said it sounded like how she felt when her thyroid failed (it's hereditary) and still my GP ignored all of that and gave me anti-depressants! You may need to push this to get your GP to listen and not just blame your weight. Good luck.

[AchyMcAcherson]

On my way to GP now. Arm so painful I can't hold my phone to mn!! This is serious!

[MrsCakesPremonition]

I hope your GP is helpful.
When I had lots of joint pain and bone deep fatigue I was eventually diagnosed with Lupus. But with the right medication, my symptoms were quite quickly brought under control.
Good luck.

[AchyMcAcherson]

Doc is testing me for Vitamin D deficiency and inflammatory & rheumatoid markers. He did take me seriously, which is half the battle!
So I'll see what the tests say.

[MrsCakesPremonition]

So glad he listened. It can be a long road to getting a diagnosis for some of these things.
Did he give any advice on managing the pain in the meanwhile?

[Achymcacherson]

Just the usual painkillers, ibuprofen gel etc.
my CRP inflammatory marker has been a bit high for years (4-5 x the normal upper limit) & no one has ever found out why, or even really worried about it. Maybe there is something going on

[LongTimeLurking]

CRP 5 times the upper limit surely suggests something is wrong and if they could get to the cause of that you might feel better.

What does your GP say about it and have you asked for a second opinion or to see a specialist?

In my experience they don't seem to take fatigue very seriously, if you are lucky they will order some bloods and if they are normal then that is that, no further suggestions. If you have "unexplained" pain then they will diagnose fibromyalgia (or similar) sooner or later and just throw antidepressants at you.