Advice Please (Just tell me if I'm being silly!)

[Vicky1110]

So, just wondering if anyone has any thoughts or if I'm just being delusional and there's nothing wrong.

Since the end of last year I have found that I will just hit a wall and suddenly have no more energy, and the next day I wake up and am just wading through treacle to do anything (I won't get any housework done, and tea will just be from the freezer, we won't go to the park) and I'm just exhausted and literally fall asleep on the sofa without trying to, everything will be sore and more often than not I'll feel like I'm getting a heavy cold and have a bad sore throat - then after a day or two like that I'll be back to normal (providing I don't push myself too much during that time). I also get regular headaches/migraines, my memory is shot (I can literally be butter bread for a sandwich and forget what I'm doing), and I fluctuate between diarrhoea and constipation (sorry tmi). I get a good 7 hours sleep a night, unbroken, but still wake up and feel like I've not slept a wink.

I have been to the doctors and they have run blood tests and everything has come back within range (and on the higher end of in range), and there's no obvious physical causes. The nurse has basically told me that it's age (I'm 29) and that I have children - I have tried to explain that it is a completely different kind of tiredness/exhaustion and that sleeping more doesn't really help. So, I'm just wondering if I'm losing the plot and it is just because I'm getting older and have kids, or could it be anything wrong? Tia x

For back story, I'm slightly overweight, but I've always been an active person - I always used to do at least one session of good exercise a day (HIIT, Running, Indoor Bike, Swimming), which I am finding hard to do now as it knocks me out for the next day. My diet is good and varied, and I've always (Up til now) made food from scratch with fresh veg/meat/etc. And this has all just come on very suddenly - 6 months ago I was still very active and full of energy and up for anything, but now I have to consider what I'm doing carefully as to whether or not it will have an impact on the next couple of days.

Did this come on after an illness like a virus or an infection?

@romdowa I had a bad cold, maybe about a month before we really noticed any of this and before I put two and two together with exercising or doing alot one day and being a zombie the next. (Obviously I could also have had covid at any point without symptoms - I'm not aware of having had it, or at least I've never had the symptoms or a positive test for it). Why?

Did you look at the blood test results yourself?

Human error can miss things. Also I gather different countries have very different thresholds for thyroid, for example.

@Ostara212 Yes, the Dr initially went through them over the phone but then today I saw the nurse and she showed them to me and everything was well in range, although I couldn't remember what the levels were now! (So that's 3 sets of eyes that have looked and not seen a problem). I hadn't thought about that though, I'm in the UK and they're all fine for the recommended levels here.

Def sounds post viral /long covidesque.
Especially as you’re pretty young and have a healthy lifestyle.
Do you snore? Could it be sleep apnoea stopping you get a full nights sleep?

@Roblockedin The Dr said they didn't think it was long covid because I've not tested positive for covid or had any symptoms of it.

As far as I'm aware I don't snore, and my partner has never complained of it haha! I do sleep though the night and very rarely wake up, it just feels like I've only just shut my eyes when I wake up.

Have you been tested for ceoliacs disease? What about inflamitory bowel disease? Also check out pots (postural tachycardia) to see if it rings any bells.

How is your mood OP? I can get like this with anxiety and have very physical symptoms sometimes. I find 7 hours isn't enough sleep for me and am much better if I get nearer 8 hours a night. It does sound a a lot ike post viral fatigue though.

@PuffinPeter the drs didn't even suggest anything like that, just did the normal anemia, thyroid, diabetes, and generic bloods. I've not noticed it different after eating certain foods or anything.
Thanks I'll look it up and see if it fits.

@SmallestInTheClass Umm mood wise I'm generally quite happy and upbeat, and this doesn't really change that, I mean I get a bit irritable on a bad day but I think that's bound to happen. I can't change my sleeping pattern or I get terrific migraines, I have tried sleeping more but I still wake up feeling as if I've had none and with a headache that develops into a migraine.
Probably a silly question but what is anxiety? I worry about things alot, even the silliest of things but I don't know if I'm anxious, what the difference is?

I'm not saying it's just this but a lot of people need at least 8 hours of sleepa night just to function properly. Try for 8 for a few days at least to see if it makes a difference.

Your ranges might be normal but not optimal, so you might feel the benefit of say a vit D suppliment or a prescribed B12, maybe go back to the doc asking about this.

It does sound like you may be experiencing post exertional malaise which is characteristic of me/cfs (although it would be currently classed as post viral fatigue since you haven't yet had it for long). It's good to get a copy of your blood test results though as some of what they consider 'in range' for iron and thyroid in particular can leave many people feeling horrendous.

If you do end up seeming to have cfs/me/post viral fatigue don't accept any recommendations of Graded exercise therapy or CBT. It is not evidence based and can be very detrimental and I believe NICE guidelines have been changed to reflect that. The best thing to do is rest and pace and try to stay well within your energy envelope.

I have long term me/cfs but many people will experience a period of post viral fatigue and then recover. I'm sorry you're experiencing this and I hope you feel better soon.

@nolovelost I have tried sleeping longer but it makes no difference and I end up with a bad headache or migraine on days where I change my sleep pattern - earlier this year I tried to get about 8.5 hrs a night for a week and it was honestly the worst week. I do take a multivitamin already, but I will look into D and B12, I'll get a copy of my bloods and go from there.

Sounds like chronic fatigue syndrome. Or even fibromyalgia. I don’t know much about either, but I know two women that have been diagnosed with CFS and one woman with fibromyalgia. I understand that you can’t test for CFS via bloods: I think the diagnosis is reached after excluding everything else). I’m not sure how fibromyalgia is diagnosed, but I think it might be similar to CFS. I do know that these three women have to ‘pace’ themselves, and can’t do too much on one day without it having a severe impact on the following days. Or it could be severe, chronic depression? I suffer with this and when it’s bad, I literally cannot focus, function and I want to sleep forever. Good luck OP. Don’t give up on trying to find answers from your GP. With these types of conditions, you have to keep on making a nuisance of yourself at the local GP surgery, otherwise they will just do bloods and that’s it.

Any history of early menopause in the family?

@superlesbian I will ask for a copy and have a better look, I do already take a multivitamin and we have a good diet so iron levels shouldn't be low.

I've never heard of CFS before so I will have a look. I just want to know what's going on so I can work on it, if it's something as simple as taking extra vitamins then fab - but being told it's age and having kids doesn't help and makes me feel like I'm being stupid.
Sorry for that moan, thank you for the information x

@ParvaAvis CFS is what a couple of pp's have said, I've not heard of it before so will have a look. I don't think it's depression, my partner suffers with quite bad depression so I'd like to think I'd recognise it, and don't feel down or anything but I guess I don't know.
Thank you, yes I will keep at them because they seem to be happy with saying bloods are fine you're just getting old and have kids, and don't believe me when I say it's not that, I know my body.

@Dontforgetyourbrolly not as far as I'm aware, I think my mum started in her fifties, but both my nans died young and as far as I'm aware never started menopause

I only said that because I feel the same way but I'm 45 and in peri menopause!

@Dontforgetyourbrolly thats ok, any suggestions are fine just so I can figure it out and get back to normal!

Check your thyroid results - if your TSH is at the higher end of the range then that might be your issue. High TSH = underactive thyroid, as this is actually a thyroid stimulating hormone, rather than a hormone produced by the thyroid.

Our reference ranges are often wider for TSH than other countries. I had symptoms for years along with TSH around / just over two, before both symptoms and TSH finally got bad enough for me to be diagnosed as hypo.

Definitely sounds exactly like my experience of ME/CFS. I started with it at pretty much the same age too. I really recommend joining some Facebook groups and doing some research into supplements. There’s basically no help on the nhs so you have to be your own doctor. As pps have said, don’t let anyone send you down the graded exercise route and also only accept cbs or any counselling which is to help you learn to live with a chronic illness rather than anything designed to rid you of false illness beliefs. By all means message me if you want any help.

@Utini thank you, after what PPS have said about levels, I'm going to ask for a copy of my results so I can get a better look. I just would have thought that if they're doing tests they should look at all possibilities with the results rather than just 'they're in range, good bye' - I get that drs are busy but it would save them time in the long run surely

@Bigtroubleinlittletrousers CFS/ME seems to be the most common thing pps have said, I have no idea what it actually is though so it's on my list to have a Google tonight once the kids are in bed. I just want to know what's going on/wrong so I can work with it and hopefully figure out a way to get back to normal. I kinda hope it's not this because I gather from the 'chronic' that it's a long term thing and I don't know how anyone can cope with this long term. Hats of to you! Thank you, I may well message you once I've done a bit of research!

When you say that everything is sore - in what way? Muscles or joints or skin?

@nolovelost I would say muscles, just kind of like achey and can get a bit weak if it's a bad day, if you get what I mean.