To want to know why I feel so tired/ill all the time!!

[Bamboozle30001]

I'm 41, 5ft 7in 12 stone and I strength train for half an hour 4 days a week. I do under 20k steps due to being a cleaner 5 days a week. I eat very well and log my food on myfitnesspal.

Last week doctors thought my gallbladder was inflamed but, bloods, urine and a further physical exam all came back fine. Then why for the love of God am I am ALWAYS tired?Energy drinks or black coffee do nothing. I sleep for 8 hours.

I'd had a previous blood test a few weeks back as I suspected perimenopause but apart from high reading of b12...which I have no idea where that came from as I don't eat much in the way of the foods mentioned that are fortified, or take vitamin supplements either. I do have fibroids, but still I constantly feel tired and just generally unwell. Like the feeling that you're coming down with a cold, just run down all the bastard time.

Would it be worth getting a private doctor and see if there's any other tests or something because I am fed up of feeling like this.

Even dh is saying why the fuck are you taking advice from people on the Internet and not an actual doctor. Wtf do you mean the doctors dont know what to test for? I could cry

Just wondering - do you mean cocodamol? If you're taking codeine, it will make you tired and mess up your digestion... And if you're taking ibuprofen it can damage your gut lining and cause a bleed/anaemia...

I agree with the advice to get a printout of your results and take it from there.

Good luck, I know how demoralising it can be to be constantly tired - don't beat up on yourself for not living exactly right and 'doing all the right things'! 🤗

I'm just recovering from this, and in my case I had Epstein-Barr Virus (glandular fever) along with severe anaemia. I've run two marathons this year, but suddenly I got tired walking round Tesco! I hope you get some answers soon too.

Jeez she’s going to find out pretty sharp that is NOT true, whatever her 50 year old textbook says!!!
Every woman I know well enough to discuss this with, including me, had horrendous heavy periods in the run up to menopause!

Jeez. Getting up at 4am isn't going to be helping!

My results for ferritin was 19

That is your problem right there and you need to focus on raising it. NHS guidelines regarding ferritin are abysmal and doctors are very dismissive of women's symptoms regarding it. No idea why as Europe would treat this so can only assume it's penny pinching rather than health.

To put this in perspective your level should be 70 for healthy hair growth, and around 100 for optimal health. 19 is very low. Make sure you take any iron supplements with Vitamin C, and no caffeine for one hour either side as it inhibits absorption. This means no coffee, tea, cola, chocolate OR energy drinks. It is buyable from Boots, pharmacies and most supermarkets.

Any vitamin c tablets? And any iron tablets? The boots is shut due to flooding so will have to go to Lamesburys now.

Why are you on weight loss jabs yet taking protein powder for breakfast with waffles?

It seems backwards to be trying to consume extra calories whilst taking WLI medications.

Just have eggs ?

You are doing low cardio cleaning but that is movement regardless so don't focus on how many steps you've done, that's not a requirement to eat more or less - are you working slowly because you need to work slowly, or working slowly because you are tired?

Ok i have sainsburys vitamin c gummies, feroglobin capsules and haliborange iron+ energy support gummies.

I was on wli im not now.

Got vitamin c chews, iron capsules and chewy iron too.

Dont know why i couldn't post what i actually got but Lamesburys was rather limited. Absolutely shattered so going home for a sleep.

I see you eat eggs and I'm thinking

1 whole egg including yolk, 3 egg whites, 1 slice of toast, 2 whole grilled tomatoes + a sugar free redbull (311 calories total)

You would burn half those calories on your way to work with a 25min brisk walk.

Add a handful of almonds on your way to work your at (422 calories total)

if you want some milk in your scrambled eggs we can make it 450.

Or you could have 20 egg whites + a full sugar redbull for 450.

I'm putting toast as 150 calories in that by the way.

Your tiredness is not going to be tied to your protein intake, but it bugs me that you think you need proiten powder and wli at the same time. Save yourself the cash and buy some private blood tests to get to the issue.

And also, 'I am just a cleaner' is a terrible statement.

My bad, i didn't see this before I sent my previous message

The painkillers may be causing the constipation.

I get these iron tablets in case helpful: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0CCYXVMWB/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_5?smid=A2JFIHON374393&psc=1 I have them twice a week

It's absolutely fine. Under 1 is a very low score, says you have probably not got any ongoing infection or systemic inflammation.

There is a big difference between menopause and perimenopause.

An early menopause means your periods have stopped, and you've gone at least 12 months without one, by age 45.

Perimenopause can last for up to 10 years and symptoms (similar to what OP describes) can absolutely start in your early 40s. That's not unusual at all.

As for that doctor, she'll find out when she experiences it herself. It's actually very common for periods to get heavier and for cycles to get shorter in peri.

I have been having fatigue issues along with a whole bunch of other health issues and it is really hard.

Your ferritin is low as others have said, iron will help, im not sure what ones you have bought but if you can post the brands people will be able to help or honestly ask chat gpt for a good recommendation.

With your diet, I found a good protein powder that isnt UPF called protein + fibre. It foes taste like sunflower seeds but I like it, I have that for breakfast with Greek yoghurt and fruit or made up over shredded wheat. Lunch I have salads with tuna or egg and I found a good minimally processed salad dressing. Dinner is usually meat and veg or salmon, something like that. Its worth trying to cut out UPF for a while as honestly its been amazing how much ive had to cut out to avoid it. If you like fizzy as a treat have an appletizer.

In terms of perimenopause, my periods got heavier so that isnt true at all. Again if you want help with this it may be worth looking privately, I went to menopause care, they did an online appointment and went through everything as my GP did bloods and because out of 3 sets, 1 showed normal range, she told me it wasnt peri, but it very much was. I will say though that so far the hrt hasnt helped with my energy levels but its helped with other things.

Fatigue is hard to get to the bottom of but I will also say you do a LOT, I am being investigated as I have poor health and I have high fatigue from walking from one room to another. If I did what you do in a day, especially on low sleep, I would be shattered even before my health went downhill. So it could simply be a high activity level, low sleep and hormone changes are catching up along with low iron stores. Hopefully a good iron too up will help.

19 is v low for ferritin. That may be your answer. Anemia makes your exhausted

Absolutely this. I also had a ferritin level of 5 and it only ever raised to around 22/23 after months on oral iron. Had been cycling like this periodically since I was in my 20s (so 14 years). I eventually paid for an iron infusion (NHS refused this as my hemoglobin levels were normal) and my ferritin level raised to 73. I feel so much better.

I’ll be keeping an eye on it though to check it doesn’t suddenly drop as then I think we need to check for anything like celiac disease…

Also worth noting I am hypermobile which a previous poster also mentioned researching!

In a nutshell:

• check thyroid
• check ferritin
• check hypermobility

NHS baselines/support for all of those are SHOCKING. I hope you feel better soon OP.

Have you tried a food intolerance test? I did one through York Laboratories. Turns out I’m I tolerant to the protein in dairy and because my body can’t process it properly I was so tired. Might be worth a try. I couldn’t understand why I was so tired as I did all the right things as well.

Which energy drinks do you have? Loadsmofnthem are fortified with B12 and other vits, this way they can make on-pack claims for ... energy.