Can we talk about my symptoms honestly, while waiting for my GP appointment in 10 days?

[QuintlessShadows]

I cant take much more of this now, and would like to trash out some symptoms/complaints, and see if anybody has any ideas.

I have put on 10 kg in the last 3 years, through minor illness and inactivity. I have gone from size 16 to 18 (in trousers).

Respiratory infections and putting my back out 3 times have meant that I am only able to exercise in between feeling unwell, and never enough to dent my weight.

I have very little energy overall. Some days I barely manage to do the school run, and sit idle, aside from perhaps some laundry and emptying the dishwasher, feeling totally drained, until it is time to go on the school run. I struggle through dinner and washing up, sorting kit and child related chores, and cant wait until we all go to bed.

I am on antibiotics quite regularly for either sinusitis, tonsillitus, or chest infections. I was diagnosed with Asthma in April. Stopped using inhalers in July, and was managing well until Christmas. I am now using inhalers again.

I feel too unwell to do much. Going to the shops brings me out in a sweat. It knackers me.

Some days I have bursts of energy and I manage to get things done.

I eat healthily. Fish, veg, meat, salad, rice, pasta. I dont like crisps, I dont like biscuits, boiled sweets, etc. I sometimes eat cake, and sometimes chocolate. I snack on nuts.

Breakfast is usually 20g of cereals (Dorset or Rude health), natural yoghurt (sometimes fat free, but mostly regular), with a few chunks of pineapple and a few chunks of mango. Lunch is wholemeal bread with ham & Cheese, or mackerel in tomato, tuna, or the like. Dinner is stuff like roast chicken, rice and steamed veg. If I eat supper it is just a small slice of wholemeal bread with a slice of cheese, or some fruit or a handful of almonds. I dont drink juice, I dont drink soda pop, but I do have a pepsi max/diet coke habit. i take vitamin supplements now and then.

I feel my brain turn to mush, and I feel it is difficult to concentrate and remember.

I have an appoinment with my gp next week, but am seeing an akupuncturist tomorrow - friends recommendation - she believe it is all the antibiotics thats been causing havoc with my system.

Any ideas?

If i start Tyroxin treatment, will I be able to manage my weight?

I have wondered what I have been doing wrong for years as even when I was well enough to exercise, I was not losing weight, despite eating around 1200 calories a day (following Myfitnesspal).

Is cod liver oil good for vitamin D, or will I need something else?

Cod liver oil has oodles of vitamin d but also other stuff that means you can overdose on - can't remember - is it vitamin a or e? Anyway, it would be good when levels are normal to maintain but not if you want high dose to sort a deficiency

Oh and thyroxine should help with the weight if that is the problem. Partly as your metabolism will run faster, and you will have more energy to move around more!

Quintless, anaemia is a simple equation whereby if your 'loss' of iron/RBC is greater than your intake you will eventually become deficient.

In my case, whilst I am a vegetarian, I was never even mildly anaemic until I had my first child at which point the scales started to very slowly tip, RBC reduced in pregnancy, then post parturition bleeding, then my post natal periods were a bit heavier, also I have IbS so at times am not absorbing much if what I eat. My point is you may be eating a good diet but your body might not be absorbing well or you may just be losing a bit too much eg from mentruation.

Also the problems of thyroid disease, B12 and vit D, and absorption issues do tend to go hand in hand for many people.

If all your tests are ok ( really ok- there are some really good people on here who can check your blood results if you ask the GP to print them off for you) then maybe consider whether you do have CFS/ME??

I wish it helped with weight but honestly I have always battled. I did 5:2 recently on Gps advice as I was battling And she says that it's harder even with a treated thyroid. Mind you I plan to get back to my diet after having this baby in 4 weeks.

This is like my tick list. I'm seeing my Doctor on the 20th. I've felt like this for ages and it's driving me nuts. Good luck!

Are you on the pill/implant? I got very similar symptoms to this from being on the pill - theory is my hormones got so knocked out of kilter my body went haywire. Three months off it and I felt so different!

definitely get all printouts
you say your sister has fibro?.what was her tsh and t4 (thyroid)?

I am the world's biggest hypocrite as I've got a diet coke on the go while typing this, but I would really try and cut out the diet drinks for a while and see if it helps.
I've heard of people experiencing similar symptoms as a reaction to the artificial sweeteners in them. I need to do it too

id say thyroid.

both my mom and her mom have to take thyroxine. since i turned 30 i have to have bi-annual thyroid check as they both developed problems in their late 30's early 40s, its got quite a strong genetic link!

I feel like this a lot of the time. I have iron deficiency anaemia. Really heavy periods and iron stores never really recovering from pregnancies. My ferritin was 2 or something, the GP said I had practically no iron stores. I'm taking iron. I hate it, but GP also said that dietary intervention wouldn't touch the sides; I need the pills.

Hope you get it sorted.

curly, I thought the same, so I had a box of coca cola life yesterday, which is reduced calorie, and no aspartame. It was not the same....

I am trying now to stay off the diet drinks. I usually dont have more than one glass a day.

What carlywurly says. A diet coke/ pepsi max habit won't be helping you at all, sorry. There was a thread about it recently- jaw dropping.
I cut out my full fat coca cola habit at the beginning of the year. It is bloody difficult but I feel much better.

I've recently started taking vit B supplements and feel like a new person, and DH went to Dr with symptoms similar to yours and was found to be very low in vit D. I wouldn't start taking supplements at this point though, as you'll want your blood test to give a true picture of your body's natural state. Hope it all gets sorted for you and you start to feel better soon!

I had a lot of your symptoms before I was diagnosed diabetic and I wasn't drinking that much

I also have low iron and take a vit D supplement which helps

There are so many different causes of fatigue that google really is not your friend until you are a bit closer to figuring out the cause.

You need a good doctor

I have just had my GP appointment and she will do blood tests for thyroid functions.

She said that the horsehair would not be the reason for my allergy and asthma problems, unless they are disturbed through redecoration/building work. She said that Thames Valley and London was on top for respiratory problems, and asthma and allergies, and she was confident the cause to my problems is found in the environment. Damp climate and pollution.

So, any move would be out of Thames Valley, but where?

Ds wants to be in commuting distance of his secondary school!

Good luck op . I suffer mildly from some of the same issue and am pleased you getting seen to. This vitamin d thing is a big one hey

Also the achey legs - what's that all about

Oh and not only do I have asthma- I smoke . Yes smart

Good luck I hope they can give you some simple tips I spent most of last year tired and ill it miserable hey

Also rather than move can't you really increase the inhaler useage ???

DH has a non active thyroid, your symptoms sound horribly familiar to me.
What are you're eyebrows like ? Sparse at the ends ?

You can watch the entire segment online at ABC's Good Morning America website .
I also liked his "pencil test." To illustrate the idea that loss of the outer edge of the eyebrow can be a thyroid symptom, he said to line up a pencil vertically with the outer edge of your mouth. You should have some eyebrow that extends beyond the pencil. If not, said Oz, "it's either hypothyroidism, or overzealous tweezing."

I found this ^^

I have had my blood tests, but not spoken to the doctor, as I was driving when she called. I just got the receptionist when I called back later, and she said there was a note that a prescription for Vitamin D had been sent electronically to my pharmacy.

So, I guess that is a start. The receptionist could not read the blood test to see if there was anything about my thyroid, but my gp will call me back on Monday.

So, hey, Vitamin D deficiency is big one!

Thank you to all those who mentioned Vitamin D, as I might not otherwise have mentioned to my gp that I wanted her to include that in the tests.

The nurse who did my bloodtests also measured my blood pressure, it was heightened, at 149 over 90, so she wants me to come back within the next few weeks. My blood pressure was similar when checked at out of hours when I had to go in for antihistamines after an allergic reaction to clotrimazole, so its a bit of a mess really.

My allergies and asthma is playing up, my blood pressure is high, but it could perhaps be connected with the vit D deficiency.