Ffs sick again

[greatape]

I am so done with this. Since September I have been constantly ill. Firstly with something covid -y (neg lft so never got a pcr but was rift around me at the time and I had the same symptoms as many), then the huge cold that did the rounds. Then really bad thrush that needed prescription treatment to shift it then an ear infection and now have woken up with a sore throat. Constant buggered up sinuses and also migraines coming more frequently that ever before.

I have piled on weight - about 1.5 stone in 6 months and I was no lightweight to start.

I have no energy, I wake at 3 probably 4 days out of 7 and I struggle to go back to sleep.

I am doing 12 hour plus days when I am stuck in a chair on my arse doing call after call. It's a 'big' professional job with little social worth so I feel it's expected of me to put up and shut up.

I look like a big fat slug. No energy. Sex drive totally dried up. I find excuses to not even go for a walk because the simple act of getting outside seems like an effort.

I am crawling to Christmas but just know as soon as I stop (have 10 days off) I'll get sick again.

No point, just a rant to get it off my chest as I lie awake yet again.

[RavingAnnie]

Have you had your thyroid checked?

Also vitamin deficiencies. In particular ferritin, folate, vitamin d and b12.

[greatape]

Yes - I have had a full panel done (those private kits you send off). All the usual suspects are fine - I do supplement vit d and iron as have been deficient in the past.

My thyroid is a bit dodgy - my tsh wanders around the nhs sub clinical marker and I have auto immune antibodies so I get tested every 6 months. But it goes up and down and never enough to medicate. I have tried gluten free but it didn't seem to make a difference.

[RavingAnnie]

Your TSH wanders around 10? Or the top of the reference range? What are your FT4 and FT3 results? Are either under range?

Either way I would feel horrendous if my TSH were that high.

I have hypothyroidism and I started getting symptoms years before my TSH was high enough to get a diagnosis. I was very unwell.

Lots of people often report feeling really unwell when they "only" have subclinical hypothyroidism.

There is a paper that supports prescribing levo when antibodies are present. I can't quite recall the detail of it.

Go onto the Thyroid U.K. forum on Health Unlocked. You'll get some great advice the pointed in the direction of useful evidence to take to GPs reluctant to prescribe.

I had to go private in the end though to get adequate treatment. Just gone into combined T4 and T3 and the difference has been pretty amazing so far. It's early days but I felt more myself in the last two weeks than I have in 6 years! 🤞🤞🤞

[greatape]

Ahhh sorry I meant the bottom end of sub clinical - so around 4.5ish! My t3 and t4 were in range i seem to recall. The only off thing was the anti bodies and they weren't too awful.

Tbh I think I'm just a bit burnt out. I may see about tagging some extra days on the front of my Christmas holiday to decompress and give myself a full 3 weeks off.

[ChirpyChirp]

It could possibly be long covid?
If you didn't get a PCR test when you had symptoms, then you'll never know if you had it or not. LFT tests are to identify asymptomatic cases. With symptoms you should have taken a PCR.

[THisbackwithavengeance]

Some of your post resonates with me.

I've had constant cold and coughs. Got back ache at the moment and my hips hurt like fuck. Piled on a shit ton of weight which might explain the joint pain. Feel like I just sit on my arse all day WFH with spells of cleaning and chores. Would love to start exercising again but it's bloody Christmas, we are probably going into lockdown again and I don't have time. My diet is shocking, I basically eat bread all day, no wonder I feel like shit.

I'm generally very positive but I can't remember feeling so meh in my life. It's honestly not just you.

[RavingAnnie]

@greatape

Ahhh sorry I meant the bottom end of sub clinical - so around 4.5ish! My t3 and t4 were in range i seem to recall. The only off thing was the anti bodies and they weren't too awful.

Tbh I think I'm just a bit burnt out. I may see about tagging some extra days on the front of my Christmas holiday to decompress and give myself a full 3 weeks off.

Well in many countries you would have a diagnosis and medication when your TSH was over 3.

Honestly I strongly suspect this is your thyroid. Being burnt out doesn't cause weight gain.

Please go into the forum I mentioned, explain your symptoms and get some advice. I don't know where I'd be if I hadn't done that. Really very unwell still I expect.

It's up to you of course by perhaps start by having a look around the thyroid U.K. website.

Best of luck wherever you decide. I battled with your symptoms for years and it's soul destroying. Don't give up.