I never feel well… anyone else?

[OnceuponaRainbow18]

I’m 34 female and no underlining health conditions… apparently. I have a 3&5 year old and work 3 days a week in a very stressful job, but not ridiculous hours. I’m married and OH is fabulous.

I’m not overweight, BMI is 24, don’t really exercise but walk a lot. And don’t eat particularly well but not terrible. Don’t drink alcohol drink lots of water, take daily vit D and daily multi vits.

I just never ever feel well, I’m exhausted, I have chest pains, I’m out of breathe when I talk, my neck aches, my back aches, I get chest pains, I just don’t feel like a healthy 34 year old. Even my boobs hurt!!

My bloods always come back normal, my thyroid is fine, ECG scan is fine but honestly I don’t feel well.

I’m mentally ok- usual stresses and mild anxiety but nothing major.

I’m just at a loss; how can nothing be wrong yet I feel so unwell all the time for about a year now!

Any one else?
Any ideas?

My GP said that she sees a lot of women who start to feel run down, have a apparently very healthy diet full of veg and dairy (but without much iron-rich foods), so drink more and more caffeine (which inhibits the iron absorption) to keep going, feel more and more run down…

I went on a high iron diet plus vitamin pills, and massively cut down my caffeine. It’s made a big difference apart from just before my period when I can feel depleted. It turned out that there was a history of anaemia connected with the peri-menopause in the family.

Might be worth trying?

I think you could start by looking at your diet, that sounds like disordered eating. Your blood sugars must be very low throughout the day if you're not eating anything.

I felt a bit like this and my doctor ordered blood tests, a fbc, liver and kidney function, vit d.

My calcium levels were low which wasn't helping, I've made a massive effort to get my levels back up, as I didn't drink milk,
And I do feel better.

Definitely ask for more specific bloods

I feel the same. Have you tried to eat healthier and exercise? That could help and maybe lose some weight. That might help with the chest paints etc. I do not always feel great and I think partly I need to cut back on my drinking. I have wine 4 nights a week, but no more then 2 glasses....but still its a lot. I also used to eat poorly, but have improved that. I have a BMI of 19 and I exercise now...because I am trying to improve my health. I feel much better when I eat right and exercise...just need to cut down to 1-2 nights of drinking.

I haven't felt well for ages.
Really, really unwell.

It's now become clear that I am really really not well, despite being told bloods ate normal (they're not) a scan showed nothing (it did)

I'm slowly going through the very long process of trying to find out if A caused B, if B has got worse due to not being dealt with in the first place.

It's a nightmare!

That was me. I ended up at my GPs hooked up to an ECG, convinced I was having a heart attack..... turns out anxiety really does a number on your physical health. I started sertraline and overnight the pain in my chest and my general sense of feeling tired, stressed and just unwell vanished.

@Blupblup

Have you seen your actual blood results? There's a big difference between 'in range' and 'optimal'. I struggle with iron levels and feel like absolute crap when my ferritin gets towards the lower end of the range - but the GP would still say I'm in range. I'd start by getting details of your last results so you can see exactly what was tested and where you are in the range.

That ^^ Mine were "normal" for 8 years Until I ended up seeing a locum GP because of night sweats, and had yet more bloods I had maybe 40 blood tests done in the 8 years, all of which has missed my neutrophils were out of range. At the consultant they were 0.3, and normal range is above 2

I was diagnosed as lactose intolerant as a child. I do sometimes have dairy but feel very generally unwell for about a week after. Tired, achy, lethargic

@Hairobsessed123

Anxiety can make u feel like that and depression!! That’s how I knew I was struggling because I felt so ill all the time dr said it can be physical illness I don’t even know I’ve been on anti depressants since may and feeling well again x

Yep, felt like this for months in 2020. I then crashed properly and it was anxiety. Nausea, heaviness, lack of coordination, slow thinking, fluey head feeling. All physical symptoms of anxiety.

Check your diet for high histamine foods and see if cutting them out helps at all. My DD has all the symptoms you've described and has a series of chronic health conditions, including histamine intolerance. Obviously everyone is different, but her anxiety is a physical response caused by a number of things happening in her body. There's a lot know now about how gut health impacts on the brain, so probiotics and focussing on your diet may help. Plus get your ferritin levels up to 50 and look at alternate day dosing for iron supplements which is more effective.

[quote OnceuponaRainbow18]@Hairobsessed123

Glad you’re feeling better.

Can anxiety not present as feeling anxious but feeling physically unwell?[/quote]
Anxiety gives me chest pain, headaches, tummy ache etc. I now know my general unwellness is anxiety because anxiety meds have helped.

Did they check your vitamin d levels? I went to docs numerous times after giving birth as was so exhausted I felt unwell, told everything was fine, but never checked vit d (not standard to I think). A few yeard later they did for something else and it turned out I was very low - 23 I think. If you're properly deficient, even a daily supplement at recommended dose isn't going to touch it! I felt much better after a loading dose.

Keep investigating. If you feel something is wrong somewhere it probably is, but might be something easily fixable. If its anything serious, symptoms will eventually come to a point where you will know. At least that's what I tend to think now!

Did they check your CRP levels? If this is high you could be suffering from chronic inflammation.
Symptoms:
depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders
body pain
constant fatigue and insomnia
constipation, diarrhea, acid reflux, and other digestive issues
weight gain
frequent infections

The vit D levels range of "normal" is considered too low by many doctors.

Definitely ask for a copy of the bloods and try increasing Vit D. Most people are deficient especially since we are more cautious of sun exposure and by autumn we'll be deficient in the UK. Look at Dr John Campbell Vit D recommendations on levels rather than RDA.

I’ve not heard of CPR levels so will look into this thanks!

@OnceuponaRainbow18

I’ve not heard of CPR levels so will look into this thanks!

It's CRP (C-reactive protein test) not CPR

@Rosamond35

Did they check your vitamin d levels? I went to docs numerous times after giving birth as was so exhausted I felt unwell, told everything was fine, but never checked vit d (not standard to I think). A few yeard later they did for something else and it turned out I was very low - 23 I think. If you're properly deficient, even a daily supplement at recommended dose isn't going to touch it! I felt much better after a loading dose.

Keep investigating. If you feel something is wrong somewhere it probably is, but might be something easily fixable. If its anything serious, symptoms will eventually come to a point where you will know. At least that's what I tend to think now!

What was your loading dose if you don’t mind me asking ? My vitamin D was 20, and my GP hadn’t flagged it up as a problem, so I went on for ages not knowing. I have managed to get it up to 40 by taking supplements but the private blood test I had flagged this as too low.

@samthebordercollie

Hahah oops!! Glad didn’t call doc and ask for CPR

That's terrible SirVix! I think it was 20, 000 twice a week for 7 weeks. And even then I didn't really feel properly better til the last week or so. I think you can get up to 4, 000 over the counter.

Can't remember what the measurement is, but I know 400 of it is the RDA.

A bit late to the party on this one but yes I feel like this too! I'm 36 and have an 18 month old but I felt like this long before he came along, probably for most of my adult life. Like you I've had blood tests over the years but all ok. I've had depression on and off for a long time so I suspect that's got something to do with why I feel so crap all the time

Chest pain and breathlessness - look at postural tachycardia syndrome.
Also links to mast cell activation syndrome which is managed with a low histamine diet.
And linked to hypermobility Ehlers danlos syndrome.

Good luck 🤞

I have autoimmune disease. And not feeling well was the start of it. I was low in vit d, so put on supplements, then something else was wrong. Then it was thought it was early menopause (I was underweight) so hrt followed.
Normal blood tests for the most part for about 2-3 years. Mild anemia which self fixed. Then one day I noticed I had mildly swollen fingers.
As I don't have rheumatoid arthritis which can be picked up by a blood test, it took 3 years to get a referral to rhemuatology.
Just a thought. (I thought i was going bonkers)