Totally worn out by any exercise

[pudsma]

Hello. It's taking me an hour to recover from something as simple as walking to the PO (about 15 mins each way) just now. I've recently had a couple of days out that have involved a fair bit of walking (the zoo and a stately home and garden) and was embarrassingly knackered afterwards - totally flopped on the sofa, endless yawning etc. We had a day with a photographer for our business and I had to keep sitting on the floor between running around getting different products set up. It's getting ridiculous.

I've never been what you'd call energetic, but I've always been able to walk for miles no bother. I don't take much exercise-with-a-capital-E so have relied on walking to the PO (several times a week) as at least some form of physical activity, but I can't really afford the hour in recovery afterwards. Luckily I work from home and it's our own business, so I do have the freedom to take the time I need, but it's not very practical on a daily basis.

Has anyone else had this? Exercise releases histamine and I already have a high histamine sensitivity, so I wondered if this might be involved. Also, like so many others, sleep isn't what it could be but is very variable. Many days I'm yawning like it's bedtime from lunchtime onwards. I'm 50, perimenopausal, but still having regular periods, the joy.

Iron levels?
Mine were on the floor due to heavy periods because peri so got some tranexamic acid and iron supplements.
Hope you get it sorted

Thanks @TanteRose, it hadn't occurred to me. My periods are now really light but I'll follow up the iron levels.

That doesn't sound normal. Unless you are very overweight or something, that walk should be easy. I'm exactly your age and am also perimenopausal with regular periods and have improving but low iron, and I can walk for hours or run 5k (the latter does make me tired though!). Obviously we're all different anf have different fitness levels, but I'd definitely get checked out if I were you.

I found reducing sugar and alcohol really helped, then I could exercise which also helped. (Have you excluded Long Covid as a possibility).

Read up on Lupus and see if this rings any bells.
Unnatural tiredness after exercise was one of my first signs of Lupus. Lupus is also very related to hormones and is often triggered during menopause. Take care x

Yes & despite blood tests etc I'm no further forward. I'm due another set soon.

Good luck getting it sorted

I think you need some blood tests and possibly an ecg to check everything is as it should be.

Assuming that that’s all okay it might be that you just need to do more - build up a tolerance / stamina. Download the active 10 app which registers how much brisk walking you do and aim for 3x10 sessions a day.

@jenniferjane21

Read up on Lupus and see if this rings any bells. Unnatural tiredness after exercise was one of my first signs of Lupus. Lupus is also very related to hormones and is often triggered during menopause. Take care x

Yes I have lupus (and all sorts of other things) and I was thinking this as well.

Perimenopausal here too. Felt exactly the same a couple of months ago. Struggled on for almost two years. Iron levels etc all fine - had full blood count done. HRT has cleared all that up and I now run 3 times a week and did a 9 mile hike last week

Thanks everyone - I'm really touched that so many of you have made sugestions. Thank you.

I can more or less rule out Long Covid as I'm 99% sure I haven't had Covid. With a high school child in the house we've all been testing regularly, all negative.

Looking up the symptoms of iron deficiency, I have quite a few of them. While I was trying to get through to the doc this morning (no luck) my husband was looking it all up with his must-get-facts science brain and reminded me that vit C is essential for iron absorption. Because quite a few high vit C foods are also high histamine naturally avoid them, but I hadn't registered that. I'm going to start taking a vit C supplement as soon as I can get my hands on some and see if that helps.

I'm carrying a couple of extra stone but I'm not vast and it's crept on over a few years. This fatigue is a noticeable change in the last few weeks so it's probably not weight-related.

I'll look up Lupus, thanks for the suggestion.

I've found a magnesium supplement has really benefited my energy levels

Thanks @Seasidemumma77 but I take one already. I take a combined magnesium and B vitamin supplement. I also take fibre, omega 3 and vitamin D and about to add vitamin C! I eat a good healthy diet with plenty of fresh stuff but it's still quite hard to get everything you need, especially if you're trying to keep histamine to a minimum.

Am curious about how you have had a diagnosis of histamine intolerance.

Who diagnosed you and how? What does it mean in day to day life for you?

TBH it sounds hormonal. Energy levels can plummet in peri meno. Even though you are having periods, you may not be ovulating each month and your estrogen will be lower.

The weight (sorry!) won't help. Two stones is quite a lot and may well be pushing you into the overweight/ obese range. Have you done your BMI? Imagine carrying two heavy suitcases around all day- that's the same kind of thing your body is coping with.

I think you should see your GP if that's even possible! to have your blood checked, do your own blood pressure at home with a machine (£20 ish) and work on losing some weight.

If all that doesn't work, it's likely to be your hormones.

Thanks @JinglingHellsBells The histamine sensitivity is self-daignosed but it's a diagnosis I'm very confident of. I've had allergy and skin issues all my life and it really clicks into place. It's known to get worse with PM and that's definitely been the case for me.

Day to day it means I avoid high histamine/histamine releasing/DAO-inhibiting foods, which includes lots of otherwise really good stuff including fermented foods, citrus fruits, vinegars, much meat and fish, most nuts, dried fruits, much dairy and on and on and on and on and on. It's a personal thing and no two people will react in the same way to the same thing, but there tend to be trends. It's also a question of amount. So I'm keeping a close eye on my diet plus trying to minimise anything else that contributes - stress, vigorous exercise, lack of sleep. The last one is obviously a pain just now. I am having no luck at all with losing weight, and instead am focussing on my diet and trying to reset my weight set point without doing anything drastic or faddy. Good whole foods, very little junk, hardly any sugar or caffeine, try not to sit down for too long. Not easy when I can't eat a ton of stuff, I'm knackered if I exercise and my job is largely sedentary.

I'm hideously aware that two stone is a lot :( The thing is it's not recent, but the exhaustion is. I'm going to see if the Vit C helps, and if not I'll go to the doc.

Just a word of a warning about magnesium supplements. They can cause side-effects in some people, including muscle weakness and drowsiness (and stomach problems) OP. It might be worth stopping them for a bit and seeing if they are at least partially responsible for your tiredness.

I took them to help with sleep. They worked, but I later had months of very worrying stomach problems. I had all kinds of tests, tried excluding various foods, but didn't think to associate my problems with the magnesium. It finally clicked, I stopped taking them and within 5 days I was fine. Supplements are not always harmless!

P.s. I tried using magnesium spray after that, on the grounds that it doesn't go through your stomach. Nope, same problems started to happen again!

I'd really recommend that you see an professional about your histamine issue. It may be something else. If you suffer from atopic issues like rashes etc a lot, an allergy specialist may help. You won't get this on the NHS but there are good immunologists out there who can test you.

Your diet sounds restrictive and hard to sat healthy on it.

Vit C won't do a thing. Sorry! We only need 30mgs a day and anything else is excreted. If you eat broccoli, potatoes, oranges, blueberries, other berries etc, then you will get Vit C. The whole vitamin/ supplement world is overplayed IMO unless someone is on a very limited diet.

The trouble with the histamine intolerance (I have it too, though its heaps better) is you end up with these deficiencies and a depleted non functioning gut microbiome. The restricted diet really isn't the answer but allergy medicine isn't really coming up with any other answers so we end up managing symptoms as best we can.

@pudsma It might help you with your diet if you consult a qualified dietician like this one www.wisediet.co.uk
Sounds as if you might benefit from an elimination diet to get to the root of what's going on and whether you do have HI or it's a food intolerance ( similar things, really.)
The list of symptoms for HI could apply to so many other conditions too.

Oh, and you could try (if not already) pre-biotic foods and pro-biotic foods (and maybe some high quality supplements of these) to help your gut health.

You might be interested in registering with Zoe which is led by Tim Spector (Covid expert) as they are doing research into gut health and eventually (was supposed to be this summer) they will produce a test so you can have your gut health analysed. www.joinzoe.com

Yes @GoWalkabout, that's exactly how it is.

Are you on HRT OP? I felt absolutely exhausted - and had no symptoms of perimenopause apart from that (and insomnia). I was having to nap. couldn't make myself exercise and also did have a few aches and pains.

I have been on HRT for 3 months now and am transformed! My energy levels are back to normal. I'm pretty sure the oestrogen has done this.

I have regular periods and my blood tests didn't show any deficiency in oestrogen levels so I had to fight for it. But it's helped so much.

I also take iron, magnesium, vit b12 and vit d .