What's a "normal" level of fatigue?

[Namechangefail123]

I'm generally iron deficient and have had hypothyroidism (12 years and counting since I was diagnosed for both).

The truth is not I don't know anymore how I should feel, or what's normal and what isn't. I don't absorb iron in my, but my trust can only give me an infusion if my reserves are completely depleted (I'm going to see a top specialist in a few weeks, so hopefully we can come up with a better management plan).

The truth is I'm ALWAYS tired, a mix of mental and physical. I force myself to work,and to exercise, but it gets to a point (normally mid afternoon) where I'd rather just watch TV or sit on the sofa and do nothing. Is that normal? I feel the fatigue on my shoulders if that makes sense. No amount/type of food can perk me up.

Maybe it's just the reality of someone who works FT, has a dog, a cat, a toddler , three other PT DC, and exercises for about 6 hours on a weekly basis? I really struggle to understand what's normal, and what's just my chronic conditions.

Bump

I'm in awe of anyone with kids who has energy to work full time (I can't with Chronic fatigue).

If you're managing 6 hours of exercise as well I'd say you've got more energy than anyone I know!!

For me it comes on quite suddenly. From “tired” to “I’m just gonna lie down here on the floor of Tesco and I don’t even care” type fatigue.

thankfully being a fat, middle-aged woman people expect me to be bats.

Sounds like your energy levels are actually higher than normal OP…

I have experienced fatigue in the past from both mental health issues and then again with long covid symptoms, and normal everyday tasks become so difficult, I had to temporarily cut down my hours at work after I had covid as I just couldn’t cope (despite needing the money). Dealing with fatigue is different to being tired. Think how you feel when you have bad flu, where all your muscles seem to ache, and you struggle to get out of bed. It’s incredibly frustrating to have to deal with.

It doesn't sound like you are really experiencing fatigue if you managing working f/t, exercising and looking after kids/a household, it sounds like sometimes you feel tired in the afternoons which sounds pretty normal.

I think I'm just very strong willed (or I can't face the alternative). When my iron is completely depleted I can still force myself to do everything I need to do, I just fall asleep very early (around 8) and I'm always cold. I can tell I'm tired, as I find myself staring at the ceiling.

Well maybe you're doing too much? Your body telling you to rest? Maybe adjust your timetable and do less? Or more time just playing with your child. FT work and 6 hours of exercise - do you just see the child at weekends? Have full time help?

With actual Chronic Fatigue theres no "pushing through" as your body can't do it.

I suffer from chronic fatigue due to health conditions I have. I am currently in a flare and I come home from work and go to sleep for an hour or two. I then lay on the sofa all evening. I’m struggling with work at the moment and I struggle to stand for too long. I could definitely not factor exercise in too

I always more or less feel this way regardless of level of activity. I workout early in the morning/lunch time/some evenings. Like I've said I've felt this way for a very long time, so I don't know what's normal and what isn't. Over the years I've learned to read my body and know when my iron is completely depleted. An iron infusion will just take the the extreme symptoms away (which does mean I just "chill" more often and wear extra layers around the house.

I think with everything you have going on it's ok to be tired! Give yourself time to rest, book it in to the diary if you have to.

I have hypothyroidism, 2 jobs, 2 kids and get very tired in the afternoon. Avoiding carbs for lunch definitely helps. As does strategic use of caffeine. Usually asleep by 930pm.

ITs not a normal level of tiredness I experience. I literally cannot do anything after 6pm unless it involves caffeine/alcohol (which perks me up by I pay the price for days after).

even if your levels are ‘normal’ with hypothyroidism it’s unusual
not to experience fatigue sadly.

Yes, I drink caffeine (in various forms) throughout the day. I don't actually know if it makes any difference. I never ever feel refreshed.

Feeling always cold is a symptom of low thyroxine - can you ask for the dose to be increased?

I have Hashimotos Thyroidism and ME/CFS and there is no way I can fight through the fatigue.

Even if someone was outside my house handing out money, I’d not go outside to take any as I don’t have the energy to move, I’d probably not even have the energy to even mentally consider it either.

Your comment about being strong willed is quite insulting, not sure if you meant it to be? I’m not someone who gives up easily either but chronic fatigue is debilitating! My whole life has changed because of this illness and I’d not wish it on anyone!

I’m unable to work, have lost my business, can’t take my child out, have no social life or hobbies and my poor partner has lost the person he knew and has essentially become my carer - Its like being trapped in a nightmare.

With all you are able to do, I would consider youself very lucky!

I only feel fatigued when I am due on my period. Just hormones and I know that on day 2 of my period the cloud lifts so to speak. So it's just a case of being gentle with myself and waiting a couple of days until I feel better.

I obviously didn't meant to be insulting, just that I just make myself do stuff. I'm on 100mg of levo and my ferritin is 40 if high, but can go as low as 2. I get more neurological symptoms than anything else.

What was last blood result? You may need a little more? I have to take 125 and weigh between 8.5 stone and 9.

You are doing much better than me but I've also been in perimenopause untreated for a long time and that caused a kind of cfs that tweaking thyroxine did absolutely nothing for.

Hrt has made the biggest difference. Interestingly higher oestrogen helps iron absorption. (Helps pregnant mothers absorb and menopausal women avoid iron over load.) btw, Davina is on thyroxine, plus hrt and testosterone....

I also absorb spatone x2 sachets (vit c version) far better than any other tablet in prescribed and quite quickly. You do need to follow their instructions though (and well away from thyroxine, 4 hours later is safest.)

I'm sure you know (?) that people on thyroxine ideally do better if ferritin is over 80, vit d, b12 and folate are in higher ranges. Some can both be depleted somehow by hypothyroidism and some actually help combat hypo fatigue either on their own or work with the thyroxine. So it's worth getting those checked.

I've been hypo all my adult life and phases of fatigue have always been an issue. It has affected my mh often. Other times I felt amazing- the right dose and regular exercise including strength is key. I'm not actually sure many people manage to feel as they did pre diagnosis consistently so please be kind to yourself. (Except maybe Davina, but she was clearly felled badly by menopause and needs a lot of oestrogen and testosterone too. And I've wondered peri is harder if you're hypothyroid.)

My last TSH (February) was 0.83. From what I know it's my iron deficiency that causes hypothyroidism.

With low ferritin I get twitches, numbing sensation in half my body (always the left), dizzy spells, migraines with aura...

I'm in dull pain all day and sometimes I get chest pain too (like I'm feeling right now).

How is it insulting? The op didn't suggest that she has cfs but is able to push through. She said she has other conditions that leave her feeling fatigued. She is able to push through that fatigue. Not all fatigue is cfs. But there's still a difference between tired

I think your comment is short-sighted.

My DH suffers from iron deficiency and it is very real. The type of fatigue he experiences is a completely different league to what most people would consider normal tiredness.

However, he still holds down a full time job and other responsibilities, because he has to.

Sometimes he'll come home and sleep in the middle of the afternoon and that is what no one sees. Most of the time he will push through feeling absolutely horrendous.

People who say/ think 'you're just a bit tired' are a huge issue for him because it's this attitude that he should just be able to push through it. It's very damaging to his mental health and makes him feel weak when he is actually dealing with a very real health problem.

I think the point is that just because you can push through, with all of your effort, dragging yourself to the end of the day, doesn't mean you are 'just a bit tired' and should be able to cope.

You can have a very real, medical fatigue that is more than regular tiredness without having to lie prone on the sofa all day. It's a sliding scale and it's also not a competition. People experience different levels of fatigue.

What happens if you do a lot more resting?

Thank you for the recent PP, they caught the essence of what I meant.

It doesn't change much if I don't exercise (apart from gaining weight), my energy levels I think remain more or less the same.

I do, however "long" for long periods of doing nothing, but that's impossible.

That's good and yes sounds like ferritin.

Have you ever tried spatone? It's so easily absorbed. It shouldn't work but it does!

I think your comment 'he holds down a full time job because he has to' shows a real misunderstanding of fatigue. I have CFS and other conditions. I don't hold down a full time job because I can't, I manage just to work vv part time, I haven't been able to have children because I wouldn't have been able to look after them, I can't exercise or often even make myself a sandwich. The idea that "well you'd do it if you had to" is really damaging around fatigue and I'd argue is the difference between fatigue and tiredness.