These are my symptoms. What is wrong?

[MirabelM]

For as long as I can remember, I have very little energy beyond going to work as a teacher, sorting out my two kids, house and husband and general day to day stuff. I'm sick of feeling soooo tired. My exhaustion is now affecting my kids and husband.

Symptoms include: fatigue, exhaustion, never waking up refreshed, irritable, very low mood, tearfulness, slow weight gain, brain feels heavy sometimes and cannot juggle thoughts or tasks.

I've had blood taken recently and awaiting results but I'm worried. I'm worried there'll be something majorly wrong but at the same time worried there'll be absolutely nothing physically wrong so I cannot fix it.

Please help. I just feel like crying.

Have you tried overhauling your diet and doing exercise, drinking water etc? I am 46 and have zero symptoms of peri menopause. That said, I have never taken any hormonal medication in my life as I think it really screws your body!

I felt like this, turns out my vitamin D was non existent and my ferritin was super low. I doubted them entirely when they said some Adcal-D3 and a loading dose of coleocaliferol would fix me, but my God it was like the veil was lifted. Now as soon as I start to get these symptoms, I get checked and it always comes back as low again (I take the Adcal every day but I have malabsorption issues, so often ineffective). Depression and vitamin D are very linked, so is fatigue, hair thinning, tinnitus, bone pain, general aches and fatigue, irritability and the most unreal tiredness. It's easily fixed though. It could be something to investigate

Thyroid almost certainly

@ThisMammaCat

Some great suggestions on this thread. OP, do you have any root canal treated teeth? If so, get it/them checked out, as when they fail they can do so very quietly and cause a lot of issues that don't necessarily seem serious yet can add up to be quite debilitating.

This is interesting. I had a dodgy tooth and root canal in the summer. I had hoped that this would be the cause of my issues and I'd get better but I've got worse. But I'm wondering if mine has failed. Still getting some pain and sensitivity form heat or cold. I wonder if this could still be having an impact on me. I will perhaps try for a check up.

B vitamin deficiency can cause severe fatigue.

There will be very, very few on this thread qualified to answer your question with any more authority than WebMD (don’t go on there - I had stomach ache the other day after too much chocolate and it told me I was dying).

I am not someone who can help in a qualified capacity but I can give you a virtual hug and tell you that I too, would be feeling scared and anxious about having to wait to find out. Partly wanting the bloods to be fine but also hoping they show what is wrong so you can tackle it.

I’m so sorry you’re stuck in limbo - I hope you can rally some friends or family (or some errant cats) to help take your mind off it and that you get better soon!

@MirabelM

I take anti depressants for anxiety and low level depression. So not meaning to drip feed. I've gone private ly for bloods as I wanted a full lot done and not just usual ones. I don't think the GP has ever checked my thyroid just gave me some iron tablets. I'm genuinely so down at feeling like this. I've been wishing for a small bump in the car or something just to give me some time off! Sad isn't it

It is good to read you have gone private. I had the same symptoms.

My GP dismissed it as depression and motherhood for years. Changed GP, who gave in after many appointments saying “I am too tired”, ran blood tests and found Vitamin D was too low. Fixing vitamin D helped enormously, but not completely.

It wasn’t until I went private that I really felt listened too, a much wider suite of blood tests were ordered and discovered I have a metabolic issues that is easily resolved with daily medication. I feel like I have my life back again!

I am so very grateful for the NHS but it is so underfunded that GPs don’t have the time to actually listen and consider other options.

Blood tests ordered looks quite thorough. Only other thing (presume FBC has been ordered?) is a coaliac screen, is that on there?

*Coeliac

Menopause.

I’m the same as you, OP. I work 20 hours a week in a very easy job but that takes every little bit of energy I have. I am exhausted from the moment I wake up to the money I go to bed, my hair falls out intermittently, I get ill all the time, my bones and joints ache and everything feels too much. I’m congratulating myself today because I managed to put a box dye on my hair before I went to work for 10:00 this morning and I’ve managed to put some freezer food in the oven for DC’s dinner. It feels absolutely shit that those things feel like an achievement these days. I can’t even conceive of doing anything in the evening apart from sitting or lying down and I’m in bed by 9:30 every night.

I do have long covid but it can’t just be that and it’s been 2 years now. Blood tests only showed slightly low vitamin d levels but it’s very slight and 3 month on after taking a mega high dose delivery day I feel no better. Do let me know if you get anywhere with this. I absolutely understand how miserable it is. xx

How do you go private for something like this? Do you need a referral from your GP or can you just book in with a private doctor and say “I’m too tired, please can you help me?” And how much does it cost?

Low iron definitely. Explains many of those symptoms plus hair loss.

Thyroid but GPs don’t check properly and nhs lab range is crazy, only get diagnosed when it’s really really far gone

Hypothyroidism!

Poor diet and not enough water can really exacerbate feeling like this for me. When I cut out most sugar, processed foods and reduce carbs and eat a lot of protein, fat and veggies and take supplements I feel loads better. Even better if I exercise and get fresh air but it can feel impossible when you're that tired.

I'd want to rule out coeliac disease which can cause all of your symptoms.

Iron definitely
Take magnesium has transformed the quality of my sleep

Just put kids to bed and done bath time. Feel a whole new wave of exhaustion. Literally could have cried when you get stropped about cleaning her teeth.

I know my diet could be better and I could do some exercise but I'm stuck in the depths of a vicious circle. As I sit here and type, my head hurts, I'm hungry but yet too tired to cook. Please tell me this isn't normal.

I'm 41 for the PP who asked.

Low thyroid, potential autoimmune cause with a touch of anemia

I was checked for coeliac at the same time due to symptoms being very similar

I know this has already been suggested but I really think it's peri menopause. I felt like this. HRT has been transformative.

I also have hypothyroidism - similar symptoms and bloods will show of this is the case.

I really hope you get sorted soon. I absolutely feel your pain 💐

With regards to appointment for PP. Ive seen NHS GP about this for about a year. Fobbed off with iron and contraception.

I just got so fed up a few weeks back and told DH I wanted to see someone privately to fuel out any physical reasons for feeling this way. Initial appointment was £90 for half hour and bloods have cost about £350. More than I wanted or expected to pay but I'm desperate.

As previous posters have said sounds like deficiencies of some kind. I couldn’t believe how tired and awful I felt when my ferritin and Vitamin D levels were low. Sounds like your blood tests are thorough. Hope you aren’t waiting much longer and you feel better soon!

Sounds like Candida or mould overgrowth to me.
If you can, seek out a Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist for some testing.

Cut our sugar and gluten, and alcohol, for 6 weeks. Up your leafy green intake too.

Many, many premenopausal women are iron deficient.
Blood tests via the GP will show your ferritin number. Unfortunately not all GPs fully understand iron deficiency and will report all is well unless iron deficiency anaemia has set in.
Request a copy of your blood results by email.
Get onto the iron protocol Facebook group.