AIBU to hope it turns out to be something serious?

[COCKadoodledooo]

I know the answer. I am (and it's a 3 in one so I'm BU about that too ). Actually what I am is completely terrified that it really is something nasty.

Not sure where to start. I am ill. I have no idea what's making me ill and so far the doctor has only been interested in treating symptoms rather than finding a cause.

Last year (June) I had a miscarriage at 11+1. The pregnancy was unplanned and took us completely by surprised but we were so excited. Since then, I have felt utter crap. Apparently my mc was quite bad as these things go (was my first and I hope only). I lost a lot of blood and was very poorly (at one stage my BP was 80/39 and dh said the crash team was on standby, I have v little recollection of that). I was whipped in to theatre for a middle of the night ERPC. The bleeding afterwards stopped quickly but I was grey/pale for weeks afterwards. I was put on huge doses of iron tablets ? there had been debate about me having a transfusion but for reasons never explained they decided against. I was exhausted.

Eventually I stopped taking the iron tablets because they didn?t seem to be doing anything. I?ve had a few blood tests since and apparently my hb levels are fine. But I?m still knackered all the time. I?m regularly in bed the same time as the kids ffs and I?m only 36!

What else? Periods. First one about 3 weeks after the mc, and from then until October the maximum time between them was two weeks, and they lasted for a week or more, painful and heavy every time. It was that that led me to believe that my tiredness was caused by low iron levels but apparently not. Anyway when the last one lasted 2 weeks (continually heavy) I made an appointment with the gp. He put me on the pill and whilst it regulated the bleeding the rest has stayed the same. I feel utter crap

I have a huge list of symptoms and am going to the gp tomorrow. Would IBU to write them down and give him a shopping list?! Could list them here but this op is long enough as it is!

Anyway, for a final AIBU ? can I ask you to send me positive thoughts/do whatever you do tomorrow afternoon so I actually have the guts to tell him exactly what?s wrong and demand (politely) that he find out why? I am crap in social situations and at confrontation and I am shy and timid and more than a bit scared so I?d like you if you would to send me a little courage so I?m not in and out in 2 minutes clutching simply another prescription for the pill.

Thank you.

Have they done a full bloodwork or just iron levels? The symptoms you are experiencing could be in relation to a thyroid condition so I would ask for this to be checked. I'm not a doctor or anything, just have experience with dodgy thyroid.

Hope all goes well tomorrow and you get are on the mend soon, it sounds like you are having a terrible time of it.

Sorry you are going through this but try not to worry, almost everything is "normal" in the realm of menstruation and fertility.

I'd ask for a full blood testing and pursue the meaning of the results vigorously.

Agree that it sounds like a thyroid thing.

On y phone so can't link but, google hypothyroid symptoms and there should be a pdf document which has a fairly long list.

IIWY I would write my list first though and def show it to your gp.

Good luck x

Thanks for the replies. Just the iron levels as far as I'm aware Prizepudding. A friend irl mentioned thyroid to so I was going to ask about that. Just don't want to come across like I'm telling him how to do his job

chandellina it's not just the fertility/menstruation side. I get that there are different normals for other people. But being wiped out by 5 hours at my desk job and making the tea for the kids? That's not normal.

Thanks again.

I will be thinking of you. I am in a similar situation OP. Have had very poor health for the past year with really weird, scarey symptoms have spent time in hospital and have had all kinds of bizarre suggestions from Drs as to what might be wrong with me. It IS terrifying, I completely agree. Tomorrow I am seeing a Dr who thinks he is pretty sure he knows what is wrong, it's not good but it will be better than not knowing. Do make a symptom diary, tbe Dr may well see a pattern or recognise things. Try to think really hard even about small changes, turned out my increasingly red face was actually highly significant, I had thought it was just some weird hormonal blip and had begun wearing more make up! I hope we both get answers tomorrow xx

Thanks for the suggestion acrabadabra (do you know how many times that took to spell it your way?!). Will google in a mo but for now here's my list. Will see how they compare.

Utter utter tiredness/inability to function.
Inability to lose weight in spite of diet/exercise (in 2011 I did the Moonwalk. I walked a minimum of 4 miles a day for 12 weeks, with longer walks as well. I ate no more than 1700 calories a day. I lose, dun dun durrrr, 4lbs). Am 13 stone and hate it
Bloaty and constipated
Being cold, oh so cold. Even when others are warm in t shirts and I have a jumper on and am under a blanket.
Lacking concentration.
No libido, and even if I did have one would be too knackered to actually have sex.
Occasional dizziness/spells that feel like low blood pressure.
Nausea (though that's recent so think it may be a side effect of the pill).
Sometimes difficulty swallowing, feel like there's a lump in my throat. I find high neck jumpers/scarves restrictive too, like they're pushing on my throat even if they're not tight.
Mood swings.
Dry skin patches, particularly on my face and hands. Have never had perfect skin but it's yuk!
Random aches and pains (recently had a 'thoracic spasm' that lasted a week, for no readily apparent reason).
I'm sure there's more but I can't remember - short term memory on the way out too!

Sending you a big shot of steely determination for tomorrow. If you feel self conscious insisting on a proper investigation for your own sake, concentrate on the impact having an exhausted and constantly ill mother is having on your family.
Push hard for their sakes!

Am hoping it's not at all necessary and you get a lovely understanding GP who takes this seriously and gets to the bottom of the problem.

Will be thinking of you.

i don't know anything about medical conditions but i hope your doctor is more understanding and that you can get some real help.

Crossposted cherries sorry. Am sorry to hear you're having troubles too and likewise will think of you tomorrow. I hope you get some answers, you're right about the not knowing being worrying. I hope it doesn't turn out to be as bad as you fear xx

All those symptoms match an underactive thyroid, the dr should pick up on this if you list these symptoms, my dr actually picked it up by just looking at me as my neck was swollen (goitre). Don't worry about asking them to check for it if it is not suggested, just best to get checked. Good luck.

Ask for full bloods. Dh has serious hyperthyroidism and symptoms sound similar. I'm not one to diagnose people but shit like that doesn't get better on its own.

Dh`s escalated very quickly, he was sleeping constantly and shaking before it was diagnosed but looking back the signs had been there for ages, although he's trying to say that it's the reason he's been grumpy, until I pointed out he's been a grumpy shit for 12 years.

Holy shit. Just googled what you said crab and found this on the Bupa website:

Symptoms of underactive thyroid can include:

extreme tiredness
weight gain, but with a poor appetite
feeling the cold easily
dry and/or pale skin
coarse, thinning hair and brittle nails
weak and sore muscles
a hoarse, croaky or deeper voice
puffy eyes
memory loss and poor concentration
constipation
heavy, irregular or prolonged menstrual periods, if you?re a woman
tingling in your hands and arms
depression
poor sex drive
slow heart rate
enlarged thyroid gland (goitre), which causes a lump to develop in your throat

I swear I had never seen that before and yet it's so similar to my list it's not funny.

The thought that it is actually something real and not all in my head will hopefully spur me on to be assertive!

OOOHHHHH sounds very like hypothyroidism to me poor you sometimes it just happens doc will do a blood test and should automatically do this good luck m'dear it can make you depressed as well btw.

I also find it really hard to assert myself at the Drs, it is so difficult to explain how ill you feel while not sounding like a hypochondriac! Good luck! X

Thank you all for taking the trouble to reply. I shall not wimp out, I promise

Appointment not until 4.45 though so I imagine it will be too late in the day for bloods to be done tomorrow (they seem to always be done in the morning at our surgery). Appointment is also with the new registrar who is [quote] young, new to it and keen to prove himself [/quote] (gotta love the practice nurse for a bit of goss ) so hopefully that will help.

MrsKR that made me because I can just imagine dh saying exactly the same!

Haven't read whole thread but sounds like hypothyroidism. Has this been ruled out? Clues in op are tiredness and short cycles.

Oh and under active thyroid could explain miscarriage too. Ensure they test tsh t3 t4 and hashimoto antibodies. At diagnosis my tsh was only 6 so just above normal which us up to 4 but I still felt crap. Ideally tsh should be between 1 and 3. If its borderline is 4 and test done pm insist on further test in a month done first thing in morning.

Get them to check your ferritin which represents your iron stores. I'm not anaemic but have a low ferritin, which is associated with tiredness and hair loss. Hypothyroidism sounds likely though. Good luck.

Don't just ask for your thyroid your symptoms fit a whole range of conditions including Lupus, pernicious anaemia, coeliac to name a few.
Describe your symptoms and ask for bloods to investigate all the possible causes.

Sorry didn't come back last night. Don't be fobbed off and ask directly for your bloods to be tested for thyroid issues. If you are hypothyroid, like I am, the thyroxine made a difference within a few days. I am only recently dx'd so assume my dose is low. I still don't feel amazing but the difference is remarkable and now I can assume it's normal when you have a 3yr and 18m old.

I mean it about not being fobbed off. It took me at least 18 months to get a dx and I know from reading on here some people take much, much longer. I had ha a second dc with a small age gap and was constantly told and believed that the tiredness was just because of that. It is possible that I have been symptomatic for years but it was only after the birth of my daughter that it became unmanagable.

Hello and thank you all again

Didn't wimp out. Told him exactly how I feel. Look pretty crappy too so I think that helped! At first he tried to put the tiredness down to my busy life but I stood my ground and refused to be fobbed off

Upshot is I have to have a whole heap of bloods but unfortunately the next available appointment for that is Wednesday.

Ironically in view of what I said upthread I forgot to get my repeat prescription for the pill

Thanks again all.

Glad you were firm. Let us know how it turns out.

Hi COCK. I know your blood tests have now been booked, but your symptoms sound very similar to my DM's when she got diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease (hypothyroidism caused by the body attacking the thyroid). She thought it was early symptoms of the menopause & the doc only ticked for the thyroid test as an afterthought.

Once the results came throught and they started her on thyroxin, like acra, she noticed improvements within days. Fingers crossed they find an answer for you

good girl!