Is it in my head?

[pastelsloth]

For over a year I have been severely tired, no matter how much I sleep. I can sleep from 8pm-6 or 7am and still struggle to wake up. When I eventually wake up I feel horrendous like I’ve slept on a plank of wood, I feel stiff and achy all over (it’s not my mattress I have a decent one which is fairly new).

I struggle to stay awake at my desk when at work, my eyes are so heavy. When I work from home, I sleep during my lunch break, and often power nap during 15 min breaks.

I am so tired I have become clumsy, and have fallen and injured myself multiple times. At work, my colleagues tease me for being clumsy, tripping over, and dropping things.

I have headaches several times a week, I’ve never been one to suffer from them.

I lost my last job, due to time off because of whatever is going on with me, also I couldn’t seem to make it to work on time no matter how hard I tried, suffering with brain fog just can’t seem to remember things. I have a new job and I’m struggling with the same and I’m afraid I’m going to lose it too.

I’ve been back and forth from the GP. First they said it was my iron and folate being low- fixed that but still struggling.

Then they said it was my vitamin D and put me on a loading dose. Still feel rubbish.

I’ve been told to do 3 more months of vitamin D and then come back…

I have depression and anxiety but I’ve been on medication for 8 years and to be honest no changes in that and I consider myself stable.

But the GP seems to be concluding that my symptoms are mental health related? It makes me feel like it’s all in my head. I have a new car that does “fatigue warnings” and every time I get in it these come up with it telling me I’m fatigued and to stop. I’ve stopped driving very often because this scares me.

I had a baby a couple of years ago and at first I put the symptoms down to that as I’m a single parent so I thought it was normal to be so tired but it’s getting worse.

Can anyone help? Should I get a second opinion… or is it really my MH and do I have to live like this?

Do you have heavy periods? All your symptoms sound like anaemia, have you had your haemaglobin and Iron rechecked?

Thyroid? Your gp should do thyroid function tests. Even if the results are ok according to the nhs, it is worth doing some reading about post natal thyroid problems.
Vitamin d deficiency causes awful symptoms.
You don't say what your level was or what dose you are on, but you should do some reading about Vitamin D.
It is possible that you are on too low a dose to correct deficiency.

The headaches are concerning.
You could make a start by seeing a high street optician for a full eye exam. They can do a whole range of tests that can pick up whether you need to have further investigations.

A lot of this sounds like B12 deficiency, has that been checked (they often say your levels are fine but they are actually ‘just’ above the minimum).

Are you drinking plenty of water ? Could be dehydration

I had similar problems years ago. A blood test showed under active thyroid but Dr sent me to the Sleep Clinic and I was also diagnosed with Sleep Apnea too
Double whammy, and a CPAP machine and thyroxine sorted me. My team at work said I was a different person!

My thyroid is normal, b12 is normal, I used to have heavy periods but I’ve had the mirena for the past 2 years which has sorted it. I do wear glasses but had an eye test not long ago. I used to be anaemic but this was treated and apparently levels normal now. My loading does for vit d has been 20,000 2 times a week for 7 weeks. Now on 1000 a day which they want me to do for 8 weeks.

You could Google Epworth Sleepiness Scale and answer the questions. If you get a high score, tell your GP.
Have you shared a bedroom with another adult recently? If they have noticed you apparently stopping breathing that is another sign of Sleep Apnea.

Thanks, I did this and it came out as 16.

I’ve been to my GP so many times though and explained how debilitating I’m finding it and explained everything I’ve put here so many times, he just seems to have concluded it’s MH related and I feel at a loss as I can’t keep going on like this.

I haven’t shared a bedroom with another adult in years so no one would have noticed if I stop breathing.

I am in my 30s, normal weight etc.

Well, as you will have seen, 16 is high. Are you able to see a different GP?
I'm no expert but with all the sleep/nodding off issues, I'm surprised your GP hasn't tried Sleep Clinic.
Is there anything at work you are able to access? Sorry if this has been covered before.
I realise I might sound fixated on Sleep Apnea but I would have thought it should have been explored. Not all sufferers are overweight.

This may sound a bit out there but consider going to a traditional Chinese doctor. I’ve had unexplained migraines/headaches for the past 5 years and have only been offered increasingly stronger pain killers for them.
I have been to a Chinese doctor who has identified the cause and within three weeks I am a different person.
I also suffered with weeing up to 5x a night, which was put down to menopause but no, it’s a kidney issue and that is being fixed too and I wee only once a night now.
Please consider this as it has been life changing for me.

You sh

You should ask to be referred to a specialist

You sound exactly how I did after having my DS. I had an overactive thyroid. You need to see a different GP

I appreciate all the different thoughts and perspectives from everyone. My thyroid has been checked though and it’s normal apparently. I’m just so stumped by it all. I used to be so fit and healthy and now I can’t even mow my tiny lawn without having to stop and rest multiple times, it takes me all day to do such a simple thing. Even walking up the stairs wipes me out, getting dressed I have to do in stages I keep stopping. Having a shower especially washing my hair is a huge task, I put it off because of how much it takes it out of me. I’m not that old, it’s getting me down that there’s no answer and this might be my life from now on.

It sounds so extreme that I would ask your GP if they can refer you to a specialist, maybe a rheumatologist due to the stiffness and pains etc - they will do different blood tests. If you are bone tired like this, a second opinion is needed.

It's possible you have sleep apnoea - my son has it and it really affected his day to day life, he was exhausted all the time and often fell asleep even during conversations! He now has a CPAP machine and feels SO much better. Sleep apnoea can have health implications making sufferers more likely to suffer a stroke or cardiac event. Please ask for a referral to the sleep apnoea clinic in your area - they will give you a monitor to wear at night to test if you're having apnoea episodes during the night. It's quite straightforward.