To think SOMETHING must be wrong with me?

[BastardBiscuits]

I’m 39. Utterly exhausted 24/7. When I wake up in a morning I’m not just groggy, I literally can’t function. I feel nauseous, utterly exhausted, headache, body aches, stiff everywhere, I can barely walk properly as I feel like I could just collapse onto the floor.

I only work part time. No kids at home. No illnesses that I know of other than ferritin deficiency anaemia.

My last shift at work is tomorrow. I’ve had to resign as I literally cannot function properly.

Dr says nothing is wrong with me. I’m 39. I look on Facebook and see pics of people out for lunch or at the gym etc and it makes me feel depressed. I barely have the energy to go to toilet. My 87 year old grandma has more energy than me.

Def find out what your ferritin is now. A healthy number is around 50-70. Mine was 12 once and i couldn't get up the stairs... (bottom of UK normal range was then 10!).

Takes a while to get it back up. Consider a blood transfusion. Lots of extra iron via tablets. Also if you're not veggie, red meat (with something containing vit C as it helps your body absorb iron). There are other dietary sources but iron is most easily absorbed from red meat.

As others have said get b12, vit d and thyroid checked.

Ask for actual results. UK normal ranges are lower than many other countries. Many people are sympomatic with UK normal range.

I'd also consider a coeliac test as coeliac disease includes many of your symptoms.

Good luck, hope you get some clarity soon

When I read your thread, the first thing I thought of was CFS/ME or possibly fibromyalgia.

But it's worth getting a carbon monoxide detector if you don't have one already, just in case. Everyone should have one anyway.

Try not to take social media as a true representation of reality... it really isn't.
Having said that, I definitely think that you have some kind of illness.
I don't know much about it, but would chronic fatigue show up on a blood test?
I really hope you get answers soon, because you need some support.
Anxiety can make people feel very tired, but it could well not be that.
Best of luck xxxx

I had very low ferritin levels and was given folic acid and a B12 shot which has lasted me about 2 years but I'm feeling the telltale signs again of leg cramps, exhaustion and pins and needles in my toes.

See another dr to get basic tests done relating to thyroid, vit D, B12

You can also get a nice range of tests through Thriva - relatively cheaply - and these are more comprehensive

Then see a BANT registered Nutritional Therapist who will look at the overall picture

Being ferritin deficient can make you feel like this. I was on iron tablets for 6 months to get my levels back up before I felt anywhere near normal again. I was getting out of breath just walking up a sight incline at work.

I would echo those that say it sounds like it could possibly be chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia. One other obscure possibility - if you have breast implants, is breast implant illness. All of the symptoms you've mentioned are found in these illnesses.

@CammieKennaway

Please, please, please get a second opinion - you sound exactly like I did in 2012 and it almost killed me! I too had ferritin deficiency anaemia and I also had a doctor who kept smiling politely at each appointment and telling me not to worry - I then went for a routine blood test and the nurse struggled to get blood from and when she finally managed it, she asked if she could take an extra sample for my platelet count - by that evening I was in a hospital bed on a life saving full blood transfusion and would have been dead within a week. I have since been diagnosed with a very rare blood and bone marrow cancer called Polycythemia Vera but if it had been left to the original doctor, I would never have even had the initial blood test. Wishing you the best of luck as I know how listless and exhausted you feel and know you're not exaggerating - are you struggling to breathe? Anaemia on its own can be very serious if left unchecked - good luck x

That sounds terrible! So sorry. Hope you are OK now.

Ask them to check cortisol levels. Sounds a lot like me before I was diagnosed with Addison’s Disease. It is rare, so may not be, but my life has been transformed since I have been on medication!

Surely it’s the anaemia?

Do you have any joint hypermobility? I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (type 3) and it comes with a big side helping of chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia. You can have either of those without EDS as the underlying cause but EDS is a very common, but vastly under diagnosed, primary cause. Your symptoms sound very much like my life and it's tough, it really is. It's much better controlled now than it used to be but required a lot of physical therapy and trial and error (and good painkillers). Bloods come back normal and a lot of doctors don't understand it well but you must persist with looking for a diagnosis even if you don't suspect EDS as it really does sound like chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia.

I went through a phase of sudden onset exhaustion almost to the point of collapse sometimes. My GP was great but my symptoms and test results were just were not making sense and were coming back normal .But she could tell something was going on . I was referred to an endocrinologist . He was brilliant because he had such a great overall view of how the body works . He asked detailed questions for about 35 mins and then said he knew what the problem was ( an autoimmune thyroid condition that was presenting in an unusual way such that the GP tests were showing it was normal when things definitely weren’t .) It turns out ( after a blood test ) that he was right and he actually identified several other issues including the fact that I had severe thyroiditis and two other autoimmune conditions - so no wonder I felt a bit rough . Some things were easy to treat , some things there was no treatment but lifestyle changes etc means that I am almost completely back to normal and seem to pack in as much as my contemporaries but I am wary of flare ups . Good luck and I hope you find a solution .

Low iron/ferritin often comes as a triad with vitamin B12 deficiency (+/- folate/B9 deficiency) and vitamin D deficiency. Either - and certainly both - of those will make you feel like death warmed up and served on a cold plate.

It might help people to advise/suggest if you can remember what you've been tested for already.

OP there is something wrong with you- you are iron deficient. But the NHS will probably say you are ok just take a supplement. I highly recommend a private iron infusion. I went to the Iron Clinic on Harley st and it was transformative.

@AbulaConundrum I was about to post that about hyperparathyroidism! I have this (need another operation as I have a rare form and not enough glands were removed in the first op). I also have hypothyroidism as half my thyroid was enlarged and it was removed during the op. As well as calcium op should ask for VitD and a bone profile blood test which includes calcium and phosphate levels. And if they will let you ask for parathyroid levels to be checked from the same blood draw.

I use medichecks for bloodtests, and then research the levels that are in the results. I was always 'fine' according to the GP but they don't do the full thyroid tests, like a pp it turned out I have an autoimmune thyroid condition. Now I'm being treated by my GP and while not quite up to full energy, I can work part-time and do some sport.

I second thyroid testing.

I have an under active thyroid and when it goes wrong it literally cells like I am wading through water. Every tiny thing is too much effort and all I can do is eat and sleep

Eat liver once a week to get your ferritin levels up, or black pudding more than once a week. See a private nutritionist who may be able to advise you on a safe iron supplement for you. Low ferritin will definitely make you tired. Check out the medichecks website. There are various blood tests you can buy from them to do at home or through a nurse that can be booked through them that will give you a good idea of what else you may need. They even have a "tiredness and fatigue" blood test.

Have you got a carbon monoxide detector?

Did wonder that, is anyone else in the house with you OP who is sharing your room if so they would have similar symptoms?

It woud need a boiler or flue leaking that gas to your room.

There is somethimng wrong no doubt the problen is as you can see from othe rposters is finding someone who can diagnose and effect a cure your doc is spouting bollikx saying that nothings wrong. See if you can get him/her to refer you to an endocrineoligist for a start!. Or a sleep clinic perhaps?..

@thisisconfusing, would you mind messaging me about who it was you saw? So hard to find a good endocrinologist.

As a pp suggested, I foundThriva tests so helpful - you get a list of all your results online and can track against previous results so you can monitor which way things are going. I think there are a few companies doing the same kind of thing. Made me feel a lot more in control as I found it hard to get my doc to share actual numbers, other than just telling me the results were 'fine'. In my case, it was my ferritin levels that the doc said were pretty much normal but I know they will undoubtedly drop down again (as they have regularly for 30 years!) so I'll be well armed with data when I do go back in. That said, I found the at-home blood test really hard to do so be warned that it might not be totally straight forward. I really hope you get some answers OP, good luck.

Could it be Lyme disease? www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease/ 'Ongoing symptoms
A few people who are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease continue to have symptoms, like tiredness, aches and loss of energy, that can last for years.

These symptoms are often compared to fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.'

What blood tests and other investigations have you had done so far? How long have you had your symptoms for? Any changes to your periods? Any weight change? Any depression, anxiety or stress? Any stuff going on in your life that might be relevant? Any snoring or breath holding at night?

Any recent Covid diagnosis?

I would get fibromyalgia and ME ruled out.