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.

Did you get vitamin d levels checked?

OP, if you can afford it, go to see a private women’s health doctor as you’ll probably get listened to and treated properly.

I have to say that what you’ve described happened to me at 39. I hit perimenopause and given my age, most GPs dismissed my concerns. Perimenopause can caused thyroid malfunction, aching joints, stiffness and myriad of other symptoms that are easy for some doctors to dismiss.

This happened to my sister. She had multiple appointments with different GPs and numerous blood tests, but no one could find anything wrong. She was told that she came under the 'umbrella' of unexplained chronic fatigue / ME. After over a year of deteriorating health, sick leave from work, spending all her free time on the sofa etc., she decided to try giving up gluten. She saw a huge improvement very rapidly (within a couple of weeks), and then it took a couple of years to get back to full strength (I think this is because the gut takes quite a while to heal?). I know that giving up gluten is a bit of a fad at the moment, so please keep in mind that this is anecdotal evidence only. Gluten is not bad for you unless you have an intolerance or you are coeliac. Your symptoms could perhaps be gut-related though – there are food elimination diets you can do to try to pinpoint any problems foods. But I'm not a medical expert, so please do your own research :)

This is a very good article from The New Yorker about chronic illness in women: www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/08/26/whats-wrong-with-me

"One of the hardest things about being chronically ill is that most people find what you’re going through incomprehensible—if they believe you are going through it. In your loneliness, your preoccupation with an enduring new reality, you want to be understood in a way that you can’t be."

Hi op, not sure if you’re still reading, but could this be depression or something similar?

I would get fibromyalgia and ME ruled out.

Fibromyalgia and ME are disgnoses of exclusion. They can't be ruled out, they are what you have left when you've ruled out other things.

In my experience the NHS is not good at responding to conditions that are hard to define/need extra investigation and aren't immediately life-threatening. I have a mild case of MS and because it was mild I could barely get a neurologist to see me every few years.

Now I've moved to Belgium, and when I contacted the local university hospital about the MS, they promptly lined up consultations with four different doctors plus psychologist and social services, and physiotherapy.

NHS GPs often have to function as gatekeepers, to make sure only the most urgent cases get through to specialists. Trivializing is part of their job. But the squeaky wheel gets the oil eventually. Keep asking, keep complaining, keep trying more doctors. Good luck, don't despair.

@Staffy1 - I’ve PM you .

@LonelyFromCorona

Sounds like ferritin deficiency anaemia to me. Have you been checked for it?

Really can't tell if this is a joke or not

@StellaRockafella - do you have a reocmmendation for a private Dr/clinic that you saw for this and, if so, would you mind sharing please? Thank you very much.

@FatCatThinCat snap! My first GP just completely dismissed me, then luckily because I moved house I had to register with a new one. Who was completely brilliant!
Sleep apnoea is definitely one to rule out if you've not done already OP x

OP, this is a checklist doctors use to assess for depression. How does it fit with your experience?

Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems?
Little interest or pleasure in doing things?
Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless?
Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much?
Feeling tired or having little energy?
Poor appetite or overeating?
Feeling bad about yourself - or that you are a failure or have let yourself or your family down?
Trouble concentrating on things, such as reading the newspaper or watching television?
Moving or speaking so slowly that other people could have noticed?
Or the opposite - being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around a lot more than usual?
Thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself in some way?

Vit d or B12 deficiency will
Wipe you out.
My mum was unwell a Long time with recurring anaemia, turned it to be b12 deficiency because she had pernicious anemia and couldn’t absorb it. She only found out after collapsing and ending up in a&e! I’d push to get further investigation.

Your description is exactly how I feel and I have some kind of autoimmune arthritis/connective tissue disorder, most probably rheumatoid arthritis. I am treated with quinine and it helps enormously compared to what I am like if I go longer between doses. I’d suggest a rheumatology referral - you are exactly in the standard patient description, read up on the symptoms.

Thanks for all the replies. I got home from work today and sat on the couch, I’ve barely moved since. I’ve asked dr so many times to check my thyroid and B12 but they always say they’re fine. But, I’ve heard that “fine” by NHS standards can actually mean borderline but not worth spending money on? 🙄

I am hyper mobile, lots of R arthritis in the family. Grandmother is diabetic and B12 deficient

surely its the anemia though? Thats exactly how I feel when my iron levels dip.

I would also suggest testing for RA. The tiredness, stiffness and generally feeling 'unwell' were symptoms I had prior to my diagnosis. RA can also 'run' in families.

Probably but I have IBS also so the iron tablets play havoc with that

Last time my ferritin was tested it was 9 but it has been 6 before

Lots of people have diabetic grandmas, doesn't mean anything.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disfiguring illness tat causes severe joint swelling and deformity, untreated leading to disability. Its not tiredness and being achey.

If your thyroid and B12 bloods are fine, then they are fine. Thyroxine costs pennies, it's cheaper to treat if there is a problem than have 2 gp visits. You can buy B12 tablets over the counter if you think you are slightly deficient, why do you need the GP to be involved?

How would you say your mental health is, OP? Your life in general?

bastard with autoimmunity in the family I would be pushing or going private for thyroid antibodies and celiac and proper B12 screen.

@Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow

What's a 'proper' B12 screen? I take it you are a doctor?

You check B12 levels. It's low, normal or high.

B12 deficiency causes a megaloblastic anaemia. This means an anemia where the red blood cells are unusually large. IRon deficiency anaemia causes an anemia with normal sized rd blood cells, and is common in menstruating women.

With a normal TSH, what is the indication for thyroid autoantibodies?

If you have iron deficiency anaemia and Ibs they should do a coeliac screen. It’s a blood test. Have you had one?

You mentioned ibs, I spent years thinking I had ibs but I actually had coeliac disease.
In the years leading up to diagnosis I had awful fatigue, often felt dizzy & disoriented and generally felt awful!

Anaemia is also a symptom of coeliacs