Do I just accept that feeling unwell is normal?

[yummumto3girls]

Hi, advice please?! I am constantly unwell with what feels like lots of separate things but overall just makes life hard going! I am permanently exhausted, asleep by 9 every night, no energy or enthusiasm for anything. Have always got aches and pains, pain in my legs that comes and goes and is sometimes so bad I want to throw up, glands in my beck go up and down daily, abdomen pain, every few weeks I feel like I "crash" with exhaustion and need to spend a day in bed. Have been to GP, had bloods, nothing major came up, always lower end of anaemia/iron but never anything to worry about. I have underactive thyroid and type 2 diabetes, both well managed and medicated. So why do I feel so rubbish? GP started asking questions about depression today which may me so mad as that really is a cop out! Any ideas??

Sorry you're feeling so crap. Can you ask for a referral to rheumatology? How do your joints feel? Is your pain muscle or joint pain? Do you get minor injuries?

Have you considered Fibromyalgia?

Hope you start to get some relief soon

Start researching.
'Lower end' of 'normal' iron isn't ok.
Your underactive thyroid may not be adequately medicated.

Hi, thanks for responding. I am sure thyroid is ok, it's 0.5 so well below recommended by GP but under 1 which endocrinologist recommended.

I don't know if it is joint or muscle pain, sounds rubbish I know, sometime my leg gives way but I am inclined to think it is more nerve pain. Yes I get injuries, pulled a muscle in my elbow about 6 weeks ago and still get intense pain in it.

Sorry to hear that. :( have you considered Fibromyalgia?

Also, how is your diet?

No I haven't considered fibromyalgia! Symptoms are similar but not sure joint pain is sufficiently widespread, mainly hips and elbows. Fatigue sounds spit on though, don't have any trouble sleeping! (Except tonight!)

Diet not bad, could always be better and several stone lighter....

I was also going to suggest Fibromyalgia. Do you get stiff if you've been sitting down for a while, or first thing in the morning? That's a feature of it.

How are your vitamin D levels? Get them explored. Don't accept it, keep probing. You will eventually find something.

Do you take supplements? I felt similar until I started taking a daily iron supplement and a multivitamin with omega 3. I used to think vitamins were a bit of a con but I really notice the difference.

I feel really ill if my thyroid is below 1. The doctor says that is ideal but it's not ideal for me.

Do you know anything about adrenal glands? Could it be them?

(I'm saying that because you mentioned your glands were up and down)

I hope you figure out what's going on. If you have several autoimmune deceased then there is a lot going on and there is a reason for it all.

Yes, thyroid TSH 0.5 is good.
Would try taking iron, and yes pp is right, get your vit D checked.

Having several stone to loose could well be the cause, I speak from experience. Good luck OP.

Definitely get your vitamin d checked.

erm, lower end of anaemia would fit your symptoms?
also vit d test
what were your t4 levels? my tsh was suppressed and t4 still crap. I tried natural thyroid for a while then stopped taking meds altogether and felt better. bizarre. I cant recommend it as I guess one day I might feel ill again and they say you shouldnt stop taking thyroid meds. in my case they made me feel like I was slowly dying. sympathies. it is shit.

Rheumatology can diagnose fibromyalgia and can also check you for Elhers Danlos Syndrome. Most say it is a rare condition but with greater awareness it is being diagnosed more often. It's not something you can get mis diagnosed with, so worth asking the questions.

Thank you everyone, I saw GP yesterday and asked if they would check my Vit D, parathyroid and calcium levels so will wait and see, but I got the impression from her that I am just wasting time and nothing will come up. Have iron tablets so will start taking but they never seem to make a difference. It's sad when you have to start diagnosing yourself as I don't want to be that person going to GP telling her what I have researched but there has to come a point when I take control! Massive health kick starts Monday when I am back at work, there has got to be more to life than this!

I was going to say ask to have your parathyroid checked! It's a relatively unknown condition, but can cause years of misery before it's diagnosed. My mum has hyperparathyroidism and it was accidentally diagnosed after she broke her collar bone and it didn't heal properly. She had 2 of her parathyroids removed and years of relief after that. Unfortunately she needed a 3rd removed which, again provided a few years of relief. But last week she had another blood test which showed her last remaining parathyroid is shot, and a scan showed another growth on it. It's basically unheard of and nobody is sure what the treatment plan will be because you can't be left with none at all!
Obviously that's a really rare case, but my point is that parathyroid disorders cause utter misery for the sufferers, and they frequently go undiagnosed for years.

Good luck OP, let us know how you get on.

Do you watch Doctor in the House OP?
Last week's episode included a man who had been feeling exhausted and ill for about 20 years. It turned out he had a very high level of (I think) homocysteine and needed a specific vitamin B supplement.

Sorry I can't remember any more details.
I think it is such a good programme. (The doctor is lovely).

Generally I think GPs just don't have the time or expertise to think of everything. It can be a big problem working out which specialist you need and you end up getting referred to an endocrinologist when you really need a rheumatologist, for example.
Medicine has become so specialised that often the specialist doesn't recognise something outside their particular field.

This happened to my friend. She spent hundreds of pounds seeing an eye consultant, then a chest physician. GP wouldn't do an NHS referral.
After 4 years she finally got a referral to a rheumatologist after a family friend (doctor) recognised her symptoms during a phone conversation. By which time she was really ill due to her autoimmune condition.

Before you go down the fibromyalgia route, just keep in mind that your body won’t be able to use the thyroxine you take unless vitamin B12, folate, iron/ferritin and vitamin D levels are optimal, and that means in the best place in the range, rather than just within the range. There’s lots of good advice on the ThyroidUK website and on their forum on www.healthunlocked.com

Hope you are feeling better soon

yummumto3girls

                                Lots of good advice above ,    just an additional couple of points.     When considering the symptoms of fibromyalgia , it is worth noting that  50% of people that have been diagnosed with fibro , do in fact have a Vit D  problem.  When their levels are increased ,    not just to the very bottom of the normal range i.e. 50nmol/L  ,    but up  above about 100 , this is  still in the normal range ,   but  closer to the levels we all had through millions of years of evolution, for many people their symptoms  markedly improve or even disappear entirely.  The diagnosis of fibro is often not correct. When you get your vitamin d level,       do not just accept a level  50  or thereabouts at sufficient.   Worldwide many in the medical profession are re-evaluating,  such that at least 75 nmol/L is now seen as desirable. Many vitamin d researchers recommend 100 -150  as the optimal.    

          Have a look at this thread , here are  many people with somewhat similar symptoms ,   see if you can recognize yourself here. It may be a help to know what they did, how it helped etc. 

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/2421492-Vitimin-D-can-it-have-this-effect

A good vit D level will help your body fight many conditions which you may or may not have developed. I have posted quite a bit about VitD here on mumsnet , search my nick. If you need any more info , just get back to me. !

best of luck , hope this is helpful.

BTBH

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Wot @BTBH said!

This was me six years ago. Life was basically up, commute, work horribly long day, gym, home, bath and bed by 9:30 and then repeat. I felt shit all the time and spent weekends asleep!

I had my first child five years ago and started to miraculously feel better while I was on maternity leave. People didn't recognise me!

My husband was so shocked at how different my energy levels were. He almost insisted that I take an extended sabbatical from paid work and I didn't take much persuading. I'm still a SAHM five years on. My career was everything to me and I still can't believe this is who I am.

When I look back, I think I must have been stressed/depressed or something like that. I would have totally disagreed with my doctor too if it had been suggested. I was a high achieving business woman- I didn't get stressed! Of course I might be talking absolute rubbish- it could be something else about not being in the office. I never really went outside in my old life so it could be something as simple as getting more fresh air.

I know everyone can just jack in work and it's not what I'm suggesting. I'm going back soon because if I don't I'm going to be virtually unemployable. But when I do I'll be very, very aware of stress levels and looking after my head as well as my body. Is it worth having a think about whether you could actually be stressed/depressed?