Am I just getting old or is something wrong with me?

[Waitinginmycar]

Is this just the aging process, is this how it happens?
I am in my mid forties and have always enjoyed good health and have been in reasonable/good shape but I realise my health has really deteriorated over the past few years.

Over the past years this has happened:

• teeth have gone bad, I floss every day and obv brush twice with fluoride toothpaste but I suddenly have so many cavities! Two of my teeth chipped out of nowhere, pieces fell out!
• I have really bad dizzy spells out of nowhere, just whilst sitting down or doing nothing. I sometimes wonder if this could get worse, at the moment it only lasts around ten seconds but what if it gets even worse for example while I am driving? I fainted once about two years ago but never since.
• constantly wiped out. Walking up the stairs has me embarrassingly winded

• BMI lower end of normal
• Private GP thought my iron was very low and said iron stores were totally depleted, I never got around to getting the treatment as the iron infusion was £900. Checked again with NHS gp after 18 months and they said it was low but normal
• Hormones normal, not near menopause yet.

I saw the NHS gp one year ago and they said this is just the ageing process, this how it feels to get older. Is it? Is it feeling dead tired all the time and seeing your body gradually deteriorate? Feeling slightly panicked!

I would also say check Vid d

I honestly don't eat very well at the moment, I cook healthy things for my family

I can relate to that - sometimes I have to kick myself up the arse to eat the healthy meals I prepare, instead of snacking on toast.

Whatever else may be going on, we are past the age where we can coast along on a poor diet (sadly, because I love a poor diet).

Oh, and an iron infusion doesn’t make you “worse”. It may make you feel ill for a few days, but it will still do the job. V.v.v. Occasionally someone can be allergic .

Yes I have this. I have thyroid problems and I'm also perimenopausal. The vertigo is a beast. A few of my friends who are also in their forties have similar. We are all normal weight and otherwise healthy. I take vitamin d supplements but my blood work is normal. I think it's just my hormones. My boyfriend is sick of me moaning about it so I just take my dog for walks and grumble to him instead.

@lakesummer

I'm your age and the only time I felt like that was about 10 years ago when I was very short of Vit D.

I would make sure your iron and Vit D levels are good as a starter.

That is very true, I was actually on prescription vitamin D after I saw the private GP three years ago. It was great, it really helped me feel a lot better.

NHS gp won't test for vitamin D and won't prescribe what I had previously either. They say it's standard NHS practise and nothing they will do.

Honestly it's a great gp practise, my children have always been incredibly well looked after, so I trust them, it just seems like they expect you to just deal with certain things. For example my ferritin was 10 and they basically said it was at the low end of normal and nothing that should give any symptoms, if I was feeling tired that's just the ageing process, make sure to eat leafy greens and red meat and so on.

Poor you op, I feel exactly the same at 46.
Although I also ache all over so that doesn't help. To all the posters saying to check vit d and ferritin, what are good levels of vit d and ferritin? Is ferritin called anything else (I can't see it on any of my blood tests but I know they tested for iron). Good luck op. It really gets me down and various doctors show very little interest.

Sorry to hear @79andnotout . Vertigo is scary. I have to say I'm a bit relieved to hear others have this too, I was beginning to worry that I was having TIAs or strokes

Yes same here. It was horrible when it first started. It was diagnosed as bppv and the manoeuvres to improve it helped. Now it just comes and goes.

I use medichecks.com to monitor my thyroid condition every six months or so. They do lots of blood tests if you want to check your vitamin levels yourself. My gp is by and large very good but getting blood tests out of them is impossible so it's less effort to just pay for it myself. They are quite happy to accept the results if I present them.

So many 40+ women I know have been fobbed off then turned out to have low thyroid or low bit B or the kind of vit D deficiency that needs injections but still causes permanent nerve damage! Pursue this! Wishing you energy.

Btw I have just noticed it is almost midnight and here we all are pootling around on Mumsnet when we should be in bed asleep.

Sleep debt builds up and has all kinds of physical side effects...

@lborgia

Oh, and an iron infusion doesn’t make you “worse”. It may make you feel ill for a few days, but it will still do the job. V.v.v. Occasionally someone can be allergic .

The reason I didn't go ahead was because I found multiple posts on health unlocked and patient info forums from users saying that they had taken a rapid downturn after ferrinject and other IV infusions and some of their symptoms were going on months later with a few having to have 4/5 weeks off work. As I'm prone to side effects and allergic reactions due to an autoimmune condition, I was scared off. Especially reading that these womem were all told their experience was "exceptionally rare" and an "allergic reaction" despite no anaphylaxsis, redness at site etc. It was all extreme vertigo, nausea, chronic pain etc and symptoms that started during the infusion and never went away.

Luckily after years of trying different forms of Iron, the Ferrous Gluconate is actually working for me, just alot slower than IV but I'm willing to go slow and steady.

Good point, off to bed...

Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to answer. I really appreciate it.

Ì honestly don't eat very well at the moment, I cook healthy things for my family and I try to eat with them but I'm struggling to eat meat these days so it's mostly veg, but not a carefully planned and balanced vegetarian diet, just eating whatever side dishes we are having. Not great considering the iron issue, I know...

So just cook balanced vegetarian meals for a bit? Lentils / tofu / beans will get some protein in you, and are also high in iron. Your family may not be vegetarian but it won't do them any harm, and it might do you some good.

I had a number of similar symptoms last year and did a Thriva test that checked vitamin levels. It wasn’t too expensive, they sent a test in the post and I did a finger prick thing fit a drop of blood.

The results they share are brilliant, they give you your actual data and where you are in the range of healthy. I was able to use it to give my GP a sharp prod and ended up with treatment for vitamin D deficiency amongst other things because it was so low. Worth checking out if you want some reassurance.

It's worth adding Folate to the list of blood tests. B12 needs folate

Same symptoms, 48 years old, and face planted a few weeks ago.

My blood sugar was 1.2, I ended up in hospital because I (I am told) couldnt be kept awake. I have an eating disorder so when I do eat its usually veg as I low carb and dont like meat.

I really think that you need your blood sugar looking into.

I had symptoms of anaemia when my iron was low but not that bad.

I could never get on with NHS iron tablets - gave me constipation - but I was recommended a great iron supplement by Nature’s Plus called Hema-Plex soft gels. They’re liquid capsules and much easier to assimilate than anything else I’ve tried. Much more iron in them than things like Floradix.

They were specially formulated to get your iron up relatively quickly. You only need to take them for 3 months.

Since I took them all the anaemia symptoms went.

If your BMi is low try and eat more carbs….they actually fuel your brain.X

I get iron infusions every 4 weeks on the NHS, why would this cost you £900?

My Thyroid was under active, and take meds for life, get yours checked asap.

I get B12 injections, you may want to consider this instead of vitamins, the injections will go straight to source and replenish your energy levels faster, speak to your GP.

HRT, you might consider this, it all helps.

See a different Dr if you feel you are not being listened too 🌸

@Gullible2021 - I was not dismissing that others have had that experience, but you need to weigh up the pros and cons.

In your situation, with auto immune issues, absolutely you need to consider it, but websites like that are obviously self- selecting. If the side effects were taken seriously, and logged, then it could be presented as an actual issue that needs consideration by every new patient.

If 1 in 1000,000 infusions leads to the side effects described, the patient needs to be aware of that, but I don't think it should be presented as " I actually found loads of people are ruined by this procedure", because it's skewed. Possibly more skewed than me saying "yes there maybe be problems but don't let that scare you away from considering it".

Not sure if I'm making sense, I'm pretty unwell right now and waiting to go into hospital, so waffling!

Interesting, I have been feeling awful for ages and it turns out my iron is low. Main symptoms seem to be rash and extreme itching. But also 45 so think I am peri too.

I've never had any problem with being prescribed iron tablets whenever my iron levels have fallen below the normal range.
Get online access to your medical records from your GP - then you can see test results, and blood tests usually show your result in one column with the normal range in another, so that you can compare.
If you don't get on with the iron tablets your prescribed, go back and ask for them to be changed; there are several options and reactions can include diarrhea as a side effect - which if very bad means you retain even less vitamins/iron, etc from your food.

Not having caffeine around the time you eat means that you will absorb more iron from food.

I've always had low iron and find spatone sachets useful when I'm feeling it.

Don't put anything down to just getting old- there are so many things that can be avoided, mitigated, or improved, might need a doctor to be aware of them, or mightn't be due to aging at all.

If you have any concerns speak to your GP or consultants. If your GP is crap then change practices (you can keep the old one for your kids maybe? Or isn't that allowed?) or I suppose you could see another one at the practice. I would seriously consider changing anyway even if they change with you. Your DC would benefit from a mum who is as healthy as she can be.

@Waitinginmycar Have you had any new stressors in your life? How is your mental health? It can effect how we feel physically.

I had the same with anaemia at one point- major symptoms when iron was only barely out of range. I took the prescription strength ferrous sulphate tablets (200mg) which I got from the pharmacist. It does take a while to feel better. I don't know if I would've paid £900 for an infusion tho, especially if I wasn't sure of its safety. I would've asked a mainstream NHS GP if I should pay for that treatment, is it worth doing for me personally if I'm willing to spend the money on it, is it ok, etc etc. They are usually happy to give advice like that.

I've never had any problem with being prescribed iron tablets whenever my iron levels have fallen below the normal range.

@ThinWomansBrain This did happen to me to be fair, they can have slightly different opinions about what's an ok range. Or they said it wasn't severe enough to be treated with tablets and should be addressed through diet, when I have an eating disorder. I suppose I should've pushed for them to give them a supplement- if I'd explained that I struggled to eat enough etc at the time, I would probably have been given it.

@Waitinginmycar Is there a reason you find it hard to eat more iron rich foods? If your BMI is the low end of normal, you can well afford to eat steak, pate, whatever- or whatever the veggie alternatives are if you're veggie and don't feel you can start eating meat for the purpose I suppose.

Folate I had a deficiency of at one point too, and was given a supplement. But I didn't really feel that one, it was just picked up in a routine blood test or something.

I felt like I had 'some sort of deficiency' a few years ago; sluggish and achey etc, and my GP's response was to test for vitamin D levels, which were low, and prescribe a vitamin D supplement which I take in the winter sometimes.

I suppose they mightn't test it unless someone has the right symptoms to warrant the test.

They mightn't prescribe it to someone without a deficiency as after all there is no clinical need as they're not lacking in it, and if they gave unnecessary stuff to someone they'd have to give it to everyone.

But the NHS website says that an individuals we could consider taking a supplement in the autumn and winter www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/ and for certain people throughout the year.

@Waitinginmycar Sometimes we can get symptoms and it's just one of those things, or we go through a phase of feeling a bit rough etc. I had a dreadful loss of balance and vomiting thing for a day a few months ago, had to call an ambulance as I was on the ground, but it was just one of those things.

they said this is just the ageing process, this how it feels to get older. Is it? Is it feeling dead tired all the time and seeing your body gradually deteriorate? Feeling slightly panicked!

We are going to see ourselves get old (hopefully!) and we will get more health problems and stuff.

I developed a couple of minor things, one of which causes an occasional slight ache in one part of the body but doesn't need treating and is normal for my age. The other thing needs a half-hour procedure I'm going to ask to be knocked out for.

Agree with you that it's kind of frightening, I'm a complete wimp lol and even when I had to have an MRI as a precaution, I got full of cramps in my head and neck and got them to let me out.

I take medications for two long-term, non-age related conditions, which are well-controlled.

Oh and I'm monitoring my blood pressure at the moment- it plays up for some clinics but has been fine when recorded at home first thing. I know I need to do stuff to improve my diet and lifestyle, even though I'm not particularly overweight.

Just letting you know all this to say
a) Don't let doctors fob you off. Try treatments/approaches they recommend and if it doesn't work, go back.
b) Do lifestyle stuff
c) Get therapy if you really struggle- it is hard to deal with what life throws at us and getting older is anxiety-provoking. xx Get help for anything that's effecting you emotionally and it might well improve your physical wellbeing.

Love your post @me4real - very structured!

I look at my MIL who is twice your age OP, and she's had her fair share of clinical and sub clinical problems, but it doesn't occur to her not to check and crack on with whatever works, physio, supplements, weight training, etc. Etc. Seriously loads of things, and she has about 4 specialists for cardiology, orthopedics.. others, but she's in amazing health. But she has an incredible level of executive functioning which means she doesn't even have to think about how to approach anything, she just gets on with it. Huge impact on mental and physical health.