To wonder why I'm suddenly so thick?

[ProcrastinatorsAnonymous]

I'm hoping someone can help me figure out what's wrong with me! Or at least what sort of tests to ask the GP for...

I've always been reasonably on the ball and do an intellectually demanding job. I'm now 2 kids in, early 40s and my brain has shuddered to a halt. I can't think straight and am really struggling to deliver on my work commitments.

It could just be that I'm knackered - I don't always sleep well, could probably eat better and I'm breastfeeding an 18 month old (only a couple of times a day now - doesn't really affect my sleep). I'm constantly unwell - have had an almost constant series of colds over past 12 months, culminating in shingles which was AWFUL.

OR - I wonder if this is peri menopause brain fog? Hard to know, as my periods haven't come back postpartum (they took well over 2 years after first child). I do sometimes get something that could be a hot flush.

OR - Could this be long covid? I've tested virtually every time I've had a cold and the tests have always been negative, but maybe I did have symptomless covid and this is a long tail on it...?

If there's something I can do to change this, I would really like to. I was planning to get blood tests for the following -

Full blood count, Kidney Function, Liver Function, Lipids, Ferritin, Thyroid function (TSH, T4 and T3), HbA1c, Oestradiol, Testosterone, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Folate

Is there anything else I should get tested for?

I work in a competitive creative industry and my ability to produce quality work is closely tied to my self esteem. I'm finding this alarming!

@ProcrastinatorsAnonymous I just get a yearly test now and I pay for my own b12 injection
twice a year..or more if I feel myself starting to feel v tired/forgetful etc which is when it's starting to fall

I'm the same. I assume it's peri and exhaustion. My health and diet is pretty good. Never had covid.
I get quite tearful at how bad my memory is now. I make lists and forget them. I hope it improves once my children go to uni and I can sleep again.

@Ohpaella - How did you sort it? Ferrous Fumarate or similar...? Sorry to hear you've had covid 3 times. I've never tested positive (and I've tested a LOT), but my husband and kids have all had positive tests, so I suspect one or more of my many "colds" was in fact Covid, but for some reason the tests didn't pick it up...

My first thought was thyroid. I was just like you before i started thyroxine.

@biggreenhouse - Thanks! Are the tests available just through your GP?

I've got hypothyroidism and I feel like what you've described most of the time, even with medication.

@megletthesecond - Sorry to hear you're experiencing that! Lists keep me functioning on domestic / basic task stuff (just!) - but my head feels scattered and I'm virtually incapable of deep work.

@ProcrastinatorsAnonymous yes mine is willing to check each year. although when I lived elsewhere I just paid for a medichecks one to be sent to me privately for £30

@dottypencilcase - I've wondered about that... Is one of the symptoms thinning eyebrows at outer edges? Someone recently flagged a thyroid issue as something to look into because of the way my eyebrows look, but they have been like that my entire life... - I had thyroid tests once (about a decade ago) which were just about normal.

@KassandraOfSparta - What do you need to test to find out if thyroid is the cluprit? Would TSH, T4 and T3 cover it?

Peri menopause. I can’t imagine going through it with young children too 😳 HRT has helped a bit.

You are simply overloading. Trying to do 2-3 jobs.

Thinning eyebrows, hair (😭), brain fog (actual term), slurred speech, insomnia, feeling down and unable to shake off the blues and a feeling like you're dragging your carcass around! That's just me though! If you were borderline before, you may have become hypo. I have to take a heavy dose of medication in one go to feel human again. But I'm also low in iron and vitamin D so that doesn't help matters.

I would guess you are just very tired from having two children (one a breastfeeding toddler) and working after yet another night of broken sleep. Being in your 40s won't help, in terms of ageing and hormones, and like most of us you could eat better...I don't think we need Dr House here.

@dottypencilcase - That sounds really rough! Sorry you're battling that. If I got tested for TSH, T4 and T3 is that enough to diagnose it - or is there anything else I should be tested for in addition? (I'm trying to compile a really comprehensive list of things to get tested all in one go to try to get to the bottom of this!)

@TheYearOfSmallThings - It certainly could be general tiredness, but I have been tired before and pushed through it. This feels different. And if it is hormonal and I can do something about it, I want to get on top of it rather than just accept it. I have worked really hard to be able to do the job I do, and if I can't deliver the work anymore, I'll have to stop doing it! So this is a serious situation for me. I'm reaching out for ideas about what it might be, so I can make sure I test as comprehensively as possible.

I thought I was developing early onset dementia when My B12 went off - I couldn;t remember names for things and I slept all the time

Menopause also made me a bit foggy but the b12 was the worst - worth checking

@ghostyslovesheets I'm desperately hoping it will be something really clear that I can easily fix! Do you just have B12 injections now?

I was extremely folate deficient after breastfeeding and had similar symptoms

Could be anything, peri, Vit d deficiency or anaemia.

Blood tests and hormones check.

Vit D and HRT has been a game changer for me.

@Itsmeagainyes - Is that the same thing as a B12 deficiency?

@jeaux90 - Thank you!

If you have a Thyroid test done, they should (but not all do) check your TSH, your Free T4 and your Free T3.
If it comes back with your TSH raised then they should put you on Thyroxine and do an anti-bodies test (shows Hashimotos).
If it comes back with your Free T4 or Free T3 level below range, they should do an urgent referral to Endocrinology.
If you see Endocrinology, they will repeat the blood tests and if those come back the same as the GP's, they will investigate you for Pituatry issues.
It is quite common after having children that your Free T4 takes a nose dive but it's hard to get any actual treatment unless your TSH is also raised.
If your TSH comes back as normal with the Endocrinology dept expect to be dismissed as being 'run down after a virus'
Even is this has happened on three prior occasions.
I know far too much about this for my own good.

Yes - I had 6 initially over 2 weeks - now I have them every 3 months - last one due mid August and just this week I realised I was bone tired and a bit scatty - forgot to have it - now booked in for Monday!
They sting like hell but it's life changing!

I developed pernicious anemia initially - I don't absorb B12 through food etc
I also have a crap thyroid - but that never made me feel as bad as the B12 thing