Feeling really unwell but how do you know if it’s just exhaustion, hormones, potential anxiety, burn out or I am actually ill?

[Biosblbay]

I can’t even explain how I feel, I just don’t feel like me at all at the minute, I am so tired all the time, I feel burnt out, I feel a little bit fuzzy, exhausted, no energy, loss of appetite, feeling sick and nauseous daily,I keep getting pain around my temples, I feel weak at times. How can you determine if this is down to lifestyle, stress, the fact I have a baby and 3 year old and still having broken sleep, am I burnt out, has going back to work full time contributed more to exhaustion or am I actually ill with something?! I also suffer with anxiety and panic disorder so I am also thinking could that be heightened at the minute. I feel silly going to to doctors if it actually is just exhaustion or I am burnt out but I do worry incase it’s something deeper than that, but how would the doctor even know what to look for if my symptoms are the same as 101 other things?! I just can’t get my head around how they can know what to even test for. I just feel crap. My head now feels like it’s going to explode, I feel sick, tired, feel like crying, I just want to cancel all plans I have over the holidays but that isn’t an option as most of the plans are for my children.

Go to the doctor, it could be anything. I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid in my 30s.

Ask them to do blood tests for what they can do them for, maybe a general check up.

Is your anxiety and panic disorder being dealt with?

@Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain this is the thing, I wouldn’t even know where to start if I went to the doctors. But with regards to my anxiety and panic disorder, I have been fine for ages, haven’t been on meds or anything, I don’t like taking meds but I have been managing it really well. It’s since I have gone back to work after maternity leave that I’ve been feeling like this

You could start by going to the GP and saying you feel fatigued. From there you’ll probably have some blood tests to check iron/B12/ thyroid/ Vitamin D/ folate etc.

I hope you feel better soon.

‘Tired all the time’ is apparently such a common reason to present to the gp that it has its own acronym. For me, feeing like this turned out to be an underactive thyroid which is fairly common after childbirth and also usually easy to treat. So I would start with a gp appointment if you can get one, and they’ll probably refer you for bloods.

Go to the Drs and explain your symptoms. You don't need to 'ask' for anything, that's their job to decide what to request, if anything. They will likely order some blood tests including for example thyroid function and vitamin deficiencies which are quite common causes of what you describe.
It might be a good idea to jot down your symptoms before you go, just a list which you add to when a new one occurs otherwise you will almost certainly forget something!

Just explain what you have here and get some bloods done incl full blood count with thyroid folate ferritin etc.

it could just be life and very very possible but many women pass their symptoms off as new baby/ young kids/ menopause and can miss a simple or in rare cases a more serious diagnosis.

I have felt like this twice in my life, once when I had a 5 month old and it was post partum
thyroiditis. The 2nd time was working FT with family and I had low folate probably as my diet had gone to pot! Both relatively easy to treat and made a world of difference! But you won’t know without bloods.