Lazy or is something wrong with me?

[ncnewbaby]

I am late 20's and extremely exhausted all the time. Lifting my arm to brush my teeth is painful and bending down to pick somethng up makes me feel dizzy and hurts. Everything aches. I don't have the energy to get dressed and do normal things although I do manage to take care of the kids. I am a single parent. It has been this way for around 5 years.

I went to the GP and they did tests and found nothing wrong. Borderline anaemic even while on supplements but no deficiencies or thyroid problem.

I go to bed any chance I get. I'm ALWAYS tired. In bed in the middle of the day, too tired to go out. Family makes out that I'm lazy, when parents come over they have a look of disgust and tell me everyone is tired and to get up.

I don't feel depressed, just achy and exhausted like I have the flu every day.

Is this abnormal or AIBU???

I felt like this when I gave up meat. Are you lacking something in your diet?

There are a host of conditions you may have and I wouldn't like to speculate online as I am not a doctor but I would make an appointment with your GP and mention fibromyalgia and ask for a referral to a rheumatologist.

This doesn't sound like laziness to me at all.
Definately go back to see your GP and insist on more tests. You shouldnt be feeling like this in your twenties.

I would also see if you can get referred to a sleep clinic. It could be sleep apnea. I have this and like you, exhausted all the time

I expect its your "borderline" anaemia. Don't underestimate how debilitating low iron can be. Your body literally won't be able to carry enough oxygen in your blood.

Can you up your iron intake, or take a higher dose of tablet!? You can buy iron in liquid form otc which might be easier for you to absorb.

At your age with those symptoms the GP should absolutely be running more tests or at least prescribing iron to see how you feel with an increase in iron anyway? You need to keep going back and stop living like this. As PP said also address your diet and keep a food diary.

I feel powerless with GP, they ran a coeliac panel and never got the result and refused to run another one.

I went to a private thyroid doctor who said nothing was wrong and I could "sign onto benefits and lead a limited life" as a next step.

I go through phases of thinking I'm just lazy and thinking I'm really ill. But I don't know what to do. I can try more iron but my body doesn't seem to be absorbing it

I also have PCOS and had gestational diabetes. Normal BMI

Extreme fatigue is a very difficult one for doctors to get to the bottom of.
It could be so many things or it could be something they don't know about or fully understand.

Are you on any other medications at allapart from iron?

Are you take vit c with iron to help its absorption?

@ncnewbaby

I feel powerless with GP, they ran a coeliac panel and never got the result and refused to run another one.

I went to a private thyroid doctor who said nothing was wrong and I could "sign onto benefits and lead a limited life" as a next step.

I go through phases of thinking I'm just lazy and thinking I'm really ill. But I don't know what to do. I can try more iron but my body doesn't seem to be absorbing it

I also have PCOS and had gestational diabetes. Normal BMI

Why do you feel powerless? They can't just lose results and refuse to rerun Keep going back and keep fighting your corner. No one should be telling you at this age to just crack on and lead a limited life with no answers. Is there someone you can bring with you/can phone the docs for you to really back you? If not maybe put it all down into a letter and hand deliver it to the practice manager if you think that would get your point across in more detail than trying to get it all over in a short phone call. Good luck.

Sounds like ME to me... has your gp explored this?

That's not right OP.

Order a pack of Spatone and start keeping a diary with a rough summary of when you go to bed, get up, what you eat, what you do, how you feel. Make an appointment to see the GP for when you've finished the spatone.
If you still feel crap by then, you'll be able to bring them the diary and go,
"LOOK THIS IS NOT RIGHT! I get 8h sleep a night, I eat healthy food, and do healthy activity (*) and I am consistently feeling awful."
*(less easy I know but even if you try for a 5 minute walk every day, it's something)

If you do feel much better by then, you can cancel the appointment!

If you have to, write "I am still feeling awful, just because you have excluded X as a cause doesn't mean you have found a cause or treatment, I still need help!" ON YOUR HAND (or take a friend in with you?).

If you can have a think about what was going on when this started, that's useful to tell them too. Sometimes fatigue follows on from a viral infection, particularly if you weren't able to rest properly while recovering.

Did you have your vitamin D levels checked, I felt like this when mine were really low

I would start with getting a really good dose of Vit D in plus fish oil and looking at your diet.

What’s your diet like currently? You say normal BMI - closer to 18 or 24?

And yes to spatone if borderline anesmic.

Also with PCOS a low carb diet can be helpful. Not for weight loss as you’re not overweight so not very strict but eliminating refined sugar and grains.

I have PCOS and feel tired a lot, my doctor said the two are linked. The only way I feel better is to low carb and go to the gym at least 3 times a week which with a toddler and a full-time job is near impossible

OP you can get some really effective oral vitamin sprays from the chemist or Amazon. I’d recommend these. I take a multivitamin spray, vitamin d spray and b12 spray daily. I definitely notice the difference if I miss them for a couple of days

Also you need the results of the tests they did. They have reference ranges which can be quite broad… just because you are in range it doesn’t mean it’s optimum.

I really like the private blood tests you can get done too. You just prick a finger, collect the blood and send it off.

If your GP isn’t listening then you need to take control of your health.

Chronic fatigue- did this start after an illness of some sort like the flu? Could be post viral

Borderline anaemia could do it, and they don't always pick it up. I got tested for "tired all the time" last year, bloods all "normal" so they put me on antidepressants.

A few months later I was rejected from giving blood, as my hb was just a little low, okay, but under the giving blood threshold.

Got private tests, and my iron stores were in the toilet, completely in the toilet. Started taking proper iron supplements and I actually feel alive again. But I didn't even count as anaemic at the time on standard tests, but I felt as you do, as though I was half way to dead. And I'm a little peeved I was sent on my way with antidepressants when there was something physically wrong with me, and evidently getting worse.

What supplements are you taking?

Did your GP give you your blood tests or just say "everything was okay"?

Do you take vitamin supplements? Do you eat lots of fresh fruit and veg every day? Do you sleep early each night and get enough hours of sleep?

I went through phases of being so incredibly exhausted - coupled with depression - and those are the things that slowly made a difference to my energy levels.

I hope your situation starts improving soon, it must be horrible

Go back to the GP and tell them everything you've said here. They need to run more blood tests.

'Borderline' anemia can quickly tip over to severe anemia if it isn't addressed thoroughly...and if you've been on supplements before with little effect your GP needs to up or change them - and you should be having follow up blood tests to check your levels.

There are a number of things it could be- please don't let the GP suggest in anyway they have completed their test. This is not in your head, you are not lazy and it isn't normal. To not be able to brush your teeth is not normal.

Have you had anything like oral thrush or an infection? Things like that can lead to ME for example.