Can you be tired for 1,5 years, have bloating and it is not cancer?

[Wobblyheart]

I know you all are tired of me. Heck, I am tired of me. I am so tired of feeling absolutely exhausted. It's been 20 months now and every day no matter rest or not... just full body total exhaustion.

So many tests done, nothing to be found. I also lost my appetite or seem to get full quicker than before. Put on weight and my belly really is big and feels heavy like I am pregnant again (I am 100% not).

My thought is now colon cancer but I had normal fit and calprotectin tests. My bowels habits did change a bit? But seems that I have normal weeks sometimes too. I am awaiting a referral for a rapid diagnostic center and just so scared. We couldn't find any innocent explanation for my tiredness and I read about cancer fatigue and it is exactly how i feel.

I am 38 and have a 1,5 yo.

My sleep isn't great but not the worst, I don't do more than a normal mum would do with regards to household etc.

So if a kind person reads this, is this possible to be tired for over 1,5 years, have normal blood and normal fit and to have cancer?

Have you tried a change in diet and exercise? Cut back on carbohydrates, stop drinking beer, and try to get a daily 30 minute walk.
These are simple changes that could do you a world of good.

Thank you, I know I also think it's connected to pregnancy but sometimes wonder if it was a red herring...

As to vit d - I was deficient last year (34) but it's 56 right now. I am guessing maybe this is still towards a lower end... could it cause the breathless too though?

Thank you for your comment. Yes I consume too many processed foods and always have had (hence colon cancer worries too!)

I also have to fully disclose that I have been extremely stressed for over 2 years now without much respite. And my sleep ... well I think I do get 6 hours or even 7 sometimes but most often it's broken sleep as my toddler wakes up a lot a lot a lot.

I've started swapping with my husband and had first 6,hrs uninterrupted sleep in 20 months but didn't feel different at all.

You need to give up carbs (except veg) and possibly dairy
You will feel marvelous after a week or two once carb flu has passed

Hello I don't want to add to your anxiety either but like a pp said I too would want to double check there is nothing sinister going on with ovaries or womb. As they said too, just to rule out. I am an anxious sort too so feel free to ignore this but the bloating and feeling full after less food stood out to me xx

Are you a man? I felt absolutely lousy giving up carbs. It affected my mental health. Many women need carbs (and specifically starch) in order to have a normal menstrual cycle and ovulation.

OP, I had 10 nights of poor sleep in a row recently and I was wrecked. I thought, damn how do parents do it? Maybe it's just burnout from long term sleep loss?

I felt exactly like that with low ferritin (2, should ideally be above 60) which was discovered during the 1st year after my baby was born, however I was exhausted throughout the pregnancy so it must have developed then. I had been fine before this and had other children previously where my ferritin level hadn’t been an issue.
I was very breathless and felt like I had no strength in my muscles. I needed to nap once or twice or day just to get through the day. All those symptoms went away when I had an iron infusion.

My boy is 20 months old now but the top of my abdo looks like this since birth.

I actually had a very very flat stomach tight after given birth as I lost too much weight through breastfeeding and stress and now this belly is huge and it's hard to know hither it's due to all the chocolate I ate or something else. I sort of feel fullness and heaviness inside...

Haha, no, not a man and I definitely don't need carbs!

I'm riddled with endometriosis and adenomyosis and I'm permanently like I'm about to give birth so definitely gynae issues can cause this.

Also, as some of the other posters have mentioned, endometriosis can also cause bloating and extreme tiredness. It’s quite common to have endo alongside adenomyosis and ultrasounds don’t necessarily pick it up, depends on the size and location. A pelvic MRI can sometimes pick it up, although a laparoscopy is the gold standard diagnostic tool.
You don’t necessarily need to be have much pain to have endometriosis for it to cause issues either and it can definitely be the cause of toileting issues if there is endometriosis present on the colon.

I wouldn't just give up carbs totally! I would focus on having healthy carbs as opposed to ones you get from cakes, biscuits, processed foods, etc.

How is the erm 'gut motility' to put it delicately? Are things moving along nicely or sluggish?

Have you had your iron checked? My mum had these symptoms and she has haemachromatosis x

Prolapse?

I feel similar and i think it was once periods came back after bf ive felt bloated and its even if i dont eat all day
Imo ive lost my stomach muscles.

Is your bmi over 25?

My stomach is now like this after forever of being flat. Last two years it went this way I'd say.

I have Crohns. My fatigue is overwhelming. 25 years of Crohns, 18 operations. 10 years of fatigue. I barely get out now. It's highly depressing. So I feel your pain!

Hi 👋

1. I have had full blood count, autoimmune panel, extensive thyroid panel, heart markers, diabetes, creatine kinase, liver and kidney function tests, hormones, vitamins b12, ferritin, foliate, diabetic, coeliac, some cancer markers over a year ago when I had a suspected sarcoma but not recently. I had crp recently which was normal.

1. My diet isn't great, I eat some good food but also a lot of upfs and sweets. But it has been like that for long time so can't attribute it to that.

1. With the current level of fatigue I cannot exercise (not thay i dont want to i just physically cant. Like i jump but feels like my body is 100 x heavier than it used to be. Every movement requires thay much more effort that was effortless before). I am followed by a pt in hypermobility clinic and our goal is 20 mins walk twice a week for now.

1. Sleep is all over thr place. On a good night. Asleep at 11, wake up 8 but I will have several interruptions through the night (between 2 and 5) every night. On a bad night asleep at midnight get up 6... in the last 20 months I had 6hrs of interrupted sleep maybe on 2 -3 occasions only

The very broken sleep is most likely the main problem. You need to regularly sleep a minimum of 4 hours consecutively as otherwise you are classed as genuinely sleep deprived - getting one night of good sleep here or there is not going to make any material difference. Can your DH do more to help with this - a few nights a week or getting up early sometimes so you can get a lie in?

Poor sleep also makes it a lot harder to eat healthily as you're tired and looking for instant hits. As we get older, and exercise less, and sleep less because of small children, our bodies can't cope with the same level of food abuse than they could when we were younger. So I would strongly recommend that you limit the highly processed foods as much as possible.

And I completely hear you about exercise, but a few more steps today than yesterday is a win.

Thank you for your kind response and I sooooo hope it is true.

Yes I have a wonderful PT who's got a plan for me to become a bit more active so am going along with that. DH is now sleeping with the DS 2 nights a week too but we only in our 2nd week.

I know logically - good bloods, good stool and fit yest, no blood I think that I see visibly - should be fine.

But fatigue, loss of appetite (I am rarely hungry now), and abdo bloating get me really worried.

I will update some time in a future if case someone else will find it helpful.

Wanted to say thanks to everyone today, foe your support and suggestions. I hope it's me just being awfully sleep deprived, stressed and a little low on vitamins.

I get what you mean about your diet being the same for many years but it's cumulative.

What your body can deal with when your in your 20s is different from what it can deal with in your late 30s onwards. Added to that the additional stress and therefore cortisol your body is dealing with and the broken sleep and it's a perfect storm.

Cutting out processed foods, increasing good sources of protein and reducing unhealthy carbs (not cutting out carbs altogether) could really benefit you. What you need to do is improve your gut biome and your blood sugar swings which contribute to fatigue. Are you getting exercise, which also help our bodies to work optimally?

Are you addressing the sources of your stress levels? Is this possible. You may need to get additional emotional support to help you manage your stress. Have you got people around you who can help a bit more? Women of your age tend to feel they have to deal with it all and that can be disastrous to health and well-being. When did you last have a day to yourself doing exactly what you want to do, for instance?

You've been tested for all kinds of cancers and illnesses and everything has come back clear, but you seem to be forgetting that you're nearly 40 with a toddler, aren't getting enough sleep and (by your own admission) don't have a great diet or do any exercise.

It sounds like you're just exhausted, run down and not looking after yourself properly. Unfortunately, the kind of diet and lifestyle that you can get away with in your twenties is rarely one you can get away with in your late thirties.

Sorry to sound without hope but I found after having kids I felt like this always, I was young then too. Perimenopause is another thought, basically many non cancer potential causes.

I eat a low gluten low lactose diet, very few upf's and moved, new area, soon to be new husband, I'm better but still tired.

You might not be gluten intolerant but you could still be sensitive to it? Or maybe sensitive to lactose but again not intolerant. A friend is not allergic to either but felt much better and markedly less bloated and tired after removing reducing both. Just a thought. Obvs I’m not a medic and is worth reading up on how to reduce these safely and still getting a balanced diet to get enough calcium, fibre, nutrients etc.

I thi k it sounds very much like perimenopause, maybe a trial of hrt would help?