To be sick of feeling poorly

[Spottymushroom]

A bit of background. I am 39, teenage kids. I have b12 injections, take folic acid and iron tablets. I am 6 stone overweight (I was 12 stone overweight 2020). I generally eat healthy now, do my 10k steps a day, keep hydrated, don’t smoke and don’t drink alcohol. My job is not stressful at all, all relationships good and I take time to meditate, journal, etc.

I could cry with how poorly I feel. Headaches, upset tummy, nausea, joint pain and exhaustion.

I’ve been back and forth to the drs. They gave me Citalopram (which I have been on for 12 months and hasn’t made a bit of difference), b12 injections, iron tablets and folic acid. I have been tested for celiac, diabetes, menopause and so on. My infection markers are fine. I’ve had eyes tested and I paid for a dietician and all is well.

I can’t seem to do anything without suffering for it. Last night we went to a friends until about 10.30pm I drunk water whilst there. Today I have struggled to move. Every joint hurts, I’ve had an upset tummy, I’ve had to sleep off a headache. This happens every time I do anything a little bit ‘extra’. Even typing this on my phone has made my arms feel like I’ve just done an hour of weights in the gym.

I manage to keep on top of my work and the house (everyone helps out at home) but I’m in bed by 8.30-9pm.

Does anyone know what this may be? My drs are great but I get the feeling they are fed up of me talking to them about this. I have been to them 3 times in 12 months (not including the appointments for blood tests and b12).

I feel similar to you @Spottymushroom - I'm quite overweight too so wonder if it is that. I am 42 - so a bit older than you but wonder if it is peri menopause for me. I'm curious as to what people say.

Amazing weight loss over the past few years for you - well done! That is some achievement!

Fibromyalgia?

OP, you don't really give much of a history. When did you start feeling like this? Did it coincide with anything else happening in your life?

are you on any other drugs eg for high blood pressure? Do you work? Have you had COVID and suffered since then? Have you kept a food diary and noticed any correlation with anything? (eg I definitely do better when I avoid wheat and highly processed things including sugar. Energy levels better, skin glowing etc)

Very similar for me too. Except I’m not overweight. I am unfit and could do more exercise but that causes me to be even more tired and more joint pain. I’m currently waiting on a whole load of test results. The nausea really gets me down in particular. So over feeling sick.

What're the reasons you've been given the b12 injections and folic acid and iron tablets?

Is the upset tummy related to your iron tablets? Some people can't tolerate them.

Could you keep a diary of times of the month it's worse? I used to get nausea and cramps at ovulation and then feel like I was coming down with something for a few days
I cut out dairy and that solved most of my IBS type symptoms
Hrt has helped some of the joint pain but if I sit or stand in the same position for too long (is driving or at work) I can't move the next day. I'm a bit older than you are though (48)

It sounds like it could be fibromyalgia but I think they'd have to do various tests to rule other things out to diagnose that - I'm not clear what you've already had done but it sounds like you need to go back to the GP and push for further investigations.

Thanks for the replies. I have the b12 due to a deficiency. I started it last year. The iron and the folic acid I was told to take by dr after blood results.

I do work, it’s not stressful at all. It started dec 19. Nothing was going on in my life, I hadn’t been poorly or anything. I have had covid twice. I was extremely lucky to just have a runny nose both times. I didn’t get to see the dr until Sept 2020. My bloods were all ok then.

I have kept food diaries and have had allergy testing (paid for privately) and there doesn’t seem to be any correlation.

I spent 5 years going backwards and forwards to doctors and being told there couldn't be much wrong because my "blood tests were normal". Was made to feel (at various points), like a hypochondriac, like it was my fault in some way, like it was all in my head.

Eventually an optician spotted my eyelid droop (ptosis) and asked the GP to test for Myasthenia gravis. It turned out all those years I had had a serious neurological condition.

Keep taking care of your health (it's never going to do any harm) but also keep pushing. "blood tests normal" doesn't necessarily mean you aren't ill. I regret letting the doctors dismiss me again and again.

DH has had some weird virus since covid, some 2 years ago...fatigue, sore throat, groin glands a bit painful....nothing ever found...all tests are coming back negative, it comes and goes, about to do a ct scan privately on the area as nhs wont fund it as tests show nothing....all such a mystery ! so understand your frustration and need to find some answers and a treatment.

You've done great losing so much weight but if you are still 6 stone overweight it's highly likely that a lot of your symptoms are due to that. Joint pain and exhaustion are the obvious ones. Being overweight wreaks havoc with your hormones so if you are also entering perimenopause it is likely to make symptoms even worse.

Thyroid? Is b12 deficiency pernicious anaemia? If so it is autoimmune so possible you have another autoimmune condition.

Do you have B12 injections on the nhs OP? Many people find they're insufficient to combat symptoms and pay privately for additional injections

How’s your diet? Fruit, veg, whole grains? Do you limit sugar, carbonated drinks, UPFs? And do you get out side every day for a walk?

I have a teenage daughter that had psoriasis in her ear this time last year. When this happened she started to feel nauseous. After the psoriasis cleared up she started to feel sick about 5 days every month. I kept getting her ears checked and just got told they looked wet. I then seen a pattern - severe nausea around her period. However this has now escalated and she has been nauseous every day since early May! She can eat fine but the nausea is quite bad and she is having so much time off school. Paediatrician wants to treat it as a migraine, I’m thinking hormone imbalance or anxiety has now took over the initial problem. Bloods are fine, brain scan clear. However she now does have ear issues again and wondered if it could be her ears but the only symptoms is the nausea. Any ideas as we are really struggling x