Crashing fatigue blowing up my life

[KittyFanesParasol]

About 18 months ago I started getting tired very quickly. I was diagnosed with iron deficiency without anaemia and iron tablets pulled my ferritin over 30. Felt a bit better but not much.

Since then I've been back to my GP 3 times and each time told my ferritin, haemoglobin and thyroid are fine (have checked thyroid levels myself from other sources and they are bang on average).

I was told to do more exercise but physically cannot manage this. I've had to go part-time so I can sleep in the afternoon before ds gets home from school.

I cannot continue working part time. I'm at a complete loss. DS told me that I'm "always asleep " and I felt the shittest mother ever. When I'm asleep I'm instantly deeply asleep.

Any advice welcome. I'm taking vit D, E, B, magnesium and iron supplements.

have you been ill- could it be post viral? Any chance it’s sleep apnea? I feel you need to explore other options

Could it be Long Covid?

I would look up chronic fatigue syndrome and see if any of it sounds familiar. It is usually after a virus but you might not remember having it.

I was struck by extreme tiredness in 2021, which culminated in me falling asleep one evening and forgetting to cook ds' supper. It was his "mum, why are you soooo tired" and then the arrival of my routine mammogram appt that sent me to get scanned, found breast cancer, and led to it being removed and treated.

Four years later I'm back to normal. Don't ignore tiredness. Go back to your GP and keep asking for help.

B12 checked?

Fecal calprotectin to check for IBD. I had this for years undiagnosed with fatigue as my only symptom.

im like this following thyroid cancer - have you had your bloods checked?

Has the GP actually given you the figures for your ferritin, haemoglobin etc or just told you they are fine? Lots of threads on here about how you can be scraping along the bottom of the minimum level but the NHS will say that's acceptable and send you away. In any case, still go back and say you are still not right and it needs investigating.

Any autoimmune diseases in wider family? Lots of them cause this kind of fatigue including coeliac and hashimotos’s which doesn’t always show in thyroid blood tests, it would need an antibodies test.

Were you tested for B12 levels? What were your original b12 results? Sadly b vitamins often aren’t often enough to resolve low b12 and they can skewer blood test results to give the impression your levels are fine. Is it worth paying for b12 injections if needed, can be accessed through fee paying clinics.

nhs has very low pass rates for many blood tests so best find out your exact results number wise and do some research.

Have you got the NHS app so you can look at your own blood results?

The normal value for ferritin is very low, you would still feel crap even if was 'normal'. What you really want to see is that it is improving each time it is tested.

Can I ask why you’re taking magnesium? Just because I came off magnesium because it was giving me a full nights sleep but with too vivid dreams and I’d wake up headachy every single time. I know it’s probably nothing to do with this but if you’re always sleepy and it’s not amazing for you I’d start there

I second what Shakethedisease said. Always ask for a print out of your results

I have hypothyroidism and was told numerous times by the GP surgery that my test results were fine or 'within range' despite feeling unwell. I eventually requested print outs for each test, and the numbers clearly showed that I was below range and required my medication to be adjusted.

I would recommend trying the Health Unlocked website once you have all your results. There are numerous people on there who can give advice on test results and suggest the best course of advocacy should you feel that your GP is dismissive of your symptoms.

Thanks everyone, it's really kind of you to post and I appreciate your advice

Yes, I checked numbers on my NHS app. Ferritin now at 37 so acceptable but low, this iron supplement.

I was taking magnesium because I did see it recommended on here for fatigue.

I had a colonoscopy which showed multiple polyps which were removed, but they did say it was not affecting fatigue.

No autoimmune conditions in family.

Ask for a blood test for epstein barre virus and, tell anyone that suggests that you can exercise through this to piss off. Its very important that you DO NOT DO THIS until you know why you are fatigued. It can nake it a hell of a lot worse or invite it to stay long term.

Yes, I checked numbers on my NHS app. Ferritin now at 37 so acceptable but low, this iron supplement.

This needs to be at 70 for healthy hair growth and optimally needs to be 100. You are still too low.

B12 needs to be above 600 (Europe classes 500 as low, USA is 600)

Folate/Folic acid needs to be 17 to be effective.

Vitamin D needs to be between 120 and 140.

What are yours?

Hi, can I ask where you got those numbers for ferritin. My 15 yr struggling with fatigue and, after 3 months of iron her ferritin has moved from 15 to 24. She is not anaemic so doctors aren’t too concerned. I need something to encourage her to keep going the doctors keep saying ferritin unlikely to be an issue !
She’s been fatigued but 18 months on and off. It’s having a huge impact on her life

Could it be long Covid?

My son had horrible CFS for about two years. Even now he occasionally dips for a bit but he bounces back fairly quickly. His symptoms were low iron not anaemic, absolute exhaustion to the point of falling asleep anywhere. He also had brain fog, awful constipation, aches and pains in his arms and legs, sensitivity to light, palpitations and wheezing, extreme sweating at night and at
his worst he even started sleep walking. Telling you all this in case it helps at all x

MN ate my answer but try this
(or go on scot.nhs.uk or south tees hospital websites or the AI that comes up when you google).

However, many functional medicine practitioners and iron experts suggest that optimal ferritin levels should be above 70-100 ng/mL for optimal energy, cognitive function, and overall well-being. The National Institute of Clinical excellence states that “In all people, a serum ferritin level of less than 30 micrograms/L confirms a diagnosis of iron deficiency.”

A woman with a ferritin level of 20 ng/mL may be considered “normal” by lab standards, but she may experience significant fatigue, hair thinning, and brain fog. Conversely, at an optimal level of 80 ng/mL, she is more likely to feel energized and healthy.
https://effectdoctors.com/blog/optimum-vs-normal-iron-levels-women/?srsltid=AfmBOorA4-0-1xKD6vJ0MqQkdJbppS7YFn3L1QeHBf1Phvq0rviLC5

As a point of reference, the Royal College of Nursing call a ferritin of less than 30, absolute iron deficiency.

@Losingtheplot2016 a ferritin of less than 12 indicates a total absence of stored iron - so your DD was not far off this at 15. She has clearly made some headway getting to 34 but it's a long way to 100.

Do she know why her ferritin was low - in someone her age it's usually diet or heavy periods. She will always struggle to get her iron up if once a month she loses it all again in her period.

www.rightdecisions.scot.nhs.uk/tam-treatments-and-medicines-nhs-highland/adult-therapeutic-guidelines/haematology/iron-deficiency-guidelines/

Another autoimmune to consider that doesn’t show up in blood tests is MS.

Could be ME/CFS. For more info:

https://meassociation.org.uk/