What is wrong with me?!

[Barneythepurpledinowhore]

I will start off by saying I am absolutely fine at the moment but this has plagued me since I was at least 15 and I am now 28.

Sometimes I wake up and I'm tired. I haven't had a bad night's sleep but it's like I'm in a fog. When I wake like that I know I will struggle that whole day. I'm a sahm now but when I worked I would force myself to go in but feel barely able to function. I'd sit at my desk and try to focus on simple tasks, but things like walking to the station would be really hard. I don't know if I'm describing it well but it's like a fuzziness in my brain.

I go through periods where I have several days/weeks/even months of feeling tired all the time. Not always as extreme as it can be but still too tired compared to the sleep I get. And I can't do this now I have a child but I used to sometimes sleep for nearly 24 hour periods and still feel like that.

Another thing that I'm not sure if it's related is some days I will feel completely fine, not groggy or tired but the tiredness will take over me out of nowhere and I will just lie on the sofa and fall asleep. I usually only sleep for 5 or 10 minutes and feel much better when I wake.

I have been to the gp a couple of times a few years ago and said I was tired all the time. Both times they did a blood test and my results were normal. I don't think I have ever impressed Just how tired I get though.

I have been fine for a while. I do think the sun helps though I still sometimes get it in summer. I have been taking vitamin d and a vitamin b complex tablets for about a month so I'm not sure if they could be helping. Any ideas what this could be? Sorry for the really long op but it bothers me as I'm generally quite an active person but can't be on those days. And it makes life hard too.

[needanewjob]

Hmm I suffer on and off with tiredness too but not as extreme as yours... I take it you've had a thyroid function test? When I was a teenager I could've slept all day and night and was eventually told I had some kind of post viral fatigue... It did improve a lot eventually but sometimes I still get worn out. I find in very sensitive to caffeine and diet and if I drink too much tea/coffee and don't eat a good enough diet then the tiredness will really start to hit me again.

[BluePitchFork]

what bloods were tested? usually just bloodcount and iron are tested.
other possible causes:
thyroid
deficiencies (vit d, b12, iron)

[Purplemonkeydishwasherpimp]

Could it be sleep apnea?

[bigoldbird]

A dear friend of mine had this for years and no one took any notice until her hair started to fall out. After a couple of years of dealing with that they finally decided she has Myositis (spelling?) Which is an auto immune disease. My advice would be just to keep plugging away at your GP until they take you a bit more seriously. Hope I haven't frightened you, she has learned to deal with it now with the aid of the drugs she takes.

[5minutestobed]

I get very tired and brain foggy if I am really stressed/anxious. I also have what I call dizzy days when I'm really stressed and not getting enough sleep where I feel really dizzy/brain foggy. I think this is related to TMJ and grinding my teeth in my sleep. Could any of that relate to you?

[Crinkle77]

I can sympathise cos I feel the same. Sometimes I come home from work and feel exhausted. Even light exercise does me in. If I take the dog out even just for an hour I am exhausted. I don't sleep well due to an over active bladder that means I am up 3 times a night which doesn't help. I can also wake up several times a night although I do get back to sleep straight away. When I am off work I could easily sleep for 10/11 hours. I have had blood tests which tested the liver, kidneys, full blood count, thyroid and a couple of other things which came back normal. I have also had 24 hour ECG as I was having palpitations which came back normal. I am currently waiting for test results for coeliac disease as I have been suffering from IBS type symptoms for some time.

It's frustrating as I feel like a bit of a hypochondriac and that perhaps I am just lazy/unfit. I do need to lose a bit of weight as I am 16/18 which I am sure would help but doesn't account for the crushing exhaustion.

[Tia4]

I started, and am still, like this but have muscle pain and sore skin too. Finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia and then rheumatoid arthritis. The brain fog and lethargy affects me every day and is no fun so I hope you get sorted soon! I know there can be many causes of these symptoms so I hope it's something that can easily put right for you

[Barneythepurpledinowhore]

Thank you for all the responses everyone. I don't know the details of my blood tests, they were just standard blood tests (if there is such a thing) as far as I know...sorry I can't be clearer I just don't know. I don't think they did check my thyroid or any vitamin deficiencies.

Tia4 you poor thing. It must be horrible to have it everyday. I hope you're getting help. Your post has reminded me I do get some pain when I have it. I think it's my wrists and the back of my knees mostly.

I don't think it's sleep apnea because I don't really snore (which I've read is a symptom) and my dp has never seen any signs of it. I don't think I fit the bill for narcolepsy either.

5minutestobed Im not sure what TMj is? I don't grind my teeth though.

I don't have much caffeine. Don't drink tea or fizzy drinks or eat much chocolate and I very rarely have coffee.

Crinkle77 I hope you feel better soon. Crushing exhaustion is exactly how I feel.

bigoldbird thank you for sharing your friend's story. I don't really know much about autoimmune disorders (I don't know anything in fact!) but I will do some googling. Anything to get to the bottom of this before it strikes again!

[pinkstarsarefalling]

I'd say go back for some blood tests again - could be thyroid.

Any noticeable link to your periods? Might be worth tracking for a bit. Surges in progesterone I think can make you sleepy.

But sounds a bit thyroidy to me. Or ferritin (iron) b12 or vit d.

[Barneythepurpledinowhore]

I don't think it's linked to my periods. I've decided as a result of this thread that I need to keep a diary for a few months. Document how often it happens and how severe. Then I'll go to the doctors with that.