Extreme tiredness - just fibromyalgia or something else?

[sweetkitty]

Got the GP on Wednesday but she puts everything down to my fibromyalgia. I’m constantly exhausted. I struggle out of bed at 7am, work quite a demanding job with SEN children until 3pm, come home at 4pm, usually have a nap until 5pm although I’ve seen me fall asleep until 6 and miss dinner. After dinner I’ll have a shower another nap then am falling asleep by 10pm.

I always do my 10,000 steps, but my legs feel like lead especially on the mornings I have zero energy. All I want to do is sleep. weekends are spent recovering from the week (I only work 4 days a week). My body is heavy and painful. I have to take painkillers in the morning to get moving.

I take a Multivitamin with iron, vitamin D 4000IU, magnesium.

I feel utterly awful everyday it causes friction with my family they think I’m lazy as I’m always sleeping. I’m at my wits end.

Have you considered CFS/ME?
Symptoms range but the lead weight feeling, non refreshing sleep, generally feeling rundown for weeks on end seem to fit. Might be worth looking at the other symptoms to see if it ties in with what you’re feeling.

How long have you been experiencing the extreme tiredness? You don’t normally get a diagnosis of this until you’ve had the symptoms for over 6 months so might be worth documenting your symptoms ASAP. This’ll give the GP a good idea of the impact on your life and it could help you identify triggers.

There’s a lot of misleading “facts” about it online but the ME Association has reliable info www.meassociation.org.uk/about-what-is-mecfs/symptoms-testing-assessment/

Good luck OP.

There does seem to be a lot of crossover with fibromyalgia and ME/CFS. A rheumatologist diagnosed me with fibromyalgia so I have no reason to doubt I have it I have all the classic trigger points.

At the moment if I do something I have to have a rest afterwards, even something like taking a shower. I feel broken.

You could well have both, as you say there are links between the two and people often develop the other.

I have a very finite amount of energy. Most days I have to make a conscious choice between two things. Do I wash my hair or make dinner?

If I do ‘too much’ I feel out of breath. I call it my dying batteries, because I feel like I’m getting slower and slumped over through the day. It has a knock on effect to the days after too. You just don’t feel better after a rest.

When I was first figuring out what was wrong I tried eliminating things to see what was triggering it. Mine are alcohol, too much activity and stress. I also find normal colds take me at least 2 weeks to get over no matter what.

I would speak to the GP as they can get some bloods done to make sure it’s not anything like iron levels, b12 etc.

I’m going to ask the GP to do a full blood test when I am there on Wednesday and I want to actually see the results instead of phoning up and being told everything’s fine

Could be iron (haemoglobin or ferritin). Could be vitamin D - though if you are taking that amount every day it is a high maintenance dose. Could be B12. Could be folate.

When you ask the GP to do a full blood test request ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D. These are separate. Most of the time due to cost they won't do any or all of them.

Ideally you shouldn't take any supplements for various days before the test.

As a vegan I take a multivitamin with iron, B12 and folate in it. Was thinking maybe calcium as I get tingly fingers

GP said it’s probably just my fibromyalgia but she’s ordered a full blood test just to be sure. She said I have a lot going on with a large family and a demanding job!!