Just whining, I guess

morningstar

morningstar

Cathlete
I didn't want to hijack the Breath Right Strips thread, but it got me thinking, so I'm starting another thread.

I am having all kinds of health issues - extremely low energy, hard time working out, immune system issues where I'm constantly sick. In a way, I wish it was all caused by sleep apnea, because that's such an easy fix, but I've been recently tested and I don't have it now. I'm going for my annual physical soon, and I'm hoping to get some answers, because I just can't go on like this. I know I'll be sent for lots of tests, because I will insist upon it, but I don't know if there will be any answers.

I truly don't know what's going on. I've been pretty much low grade sick constantly since I got shingles (very unusual at my age, and they said it was from stress) a year and a half ago. I've seriously curtailed my workouts, stopped walking so much, hardly run anymore, just desperately trying to have enough energy to do my job. I was diagnosed with low iron and told to take iron three times a day. After 3 months of this, I still had low iron, so I had to start taking it 4 times a day, and switched from ferrous gluconate to ferrous sulfate.

My sleep has sucked for so long (I have been diagnosed with a condition wherein I can fall asleep easily, but I have a tremendous time staying asleep); now I take at bedtime:
  • Taurine
  • 5HTP
  • Magnesium
  • GABA

I actually sleep pretty well quite often now that I'm taking these, but I still don't have any energy.

I just had a really bad performance review at work (my new job) because I have so little energy I can't think strategically - it's all I can do to get up in the morning. It's gotten so bad I actually feel like quitting my job to just not have to try to go to work anymore and be brilliant at it. This is a job that I beat out 600 people for. This is a job that I love, working with people I admire. This is a job that is incredibly important to me. But if I didn't have to work for the money, I would really consider getting out of there. Just getting up in the morning is so damned hard.

I've come up with a diet, workout, walking and sleeping schedule all geared to try to give me more energy. I don't know if it will work, but I've got to try something. After a year of stable weight, I've recently gained 5 lbs from overeating to try to get some energy through food and from lack of working out. The weight is the least of my worries, though. I'm starting to think something serious might be going on - I should not be feeling like this. I shouldn't be getting more sleep than I ever have in my whole life and still dragging myself through the day. It doesn't help to stress over it, I know, but have you ever tried to not stress over something stressful?
 
Have you ever had your thyroid checked? I know before I found out mine was underactive, I was sick and exhausted all the time.
 
They did check it a year ago and it was fine, but I'm still kinda wondering about that. These are the symptoms of hypothyroidism from Wikipedia (in red font are the ones that seem to apply to me):

Early
Poor muscle tone (muscle hypotonia)
Fatigue
Cold intolerance, increased sensitivity to cold
Constipation
Depression
Muscle cramps and joint pain
Goiter
Thin, brittle fingernails
Coarse hair
Paleness
Decreased sweating
Dry, itchy skin
Weight gain and water retention
Bradycardia (low heart rate – fewer than sixty beats per minute)


Late
Slow speech and a hoarse, breaking voice – deepening of the voice can also be noticed, caused by Reinke's Edema.
Dry puffy skin, especially on the face
Thinning of the outer third of the eyebrows (sign of Hertoghe)
Abnormal menstrual cycles
Low basal body temperature

Uncommon
Impaired memory
Impaired cognitive function (brain fog) and inattentiveness.
A slow heart rate with ECG changes including low voltage signals. Diminished cardiac output and decreased contractility.
Reactive (or post-prandial) hypoglycemia
Sluggish reflexes
Hair loss
Anemia caused by impaired haemoglobin synthesis (decreased EPO levels), impaired intestinal iron and folate absorption or B12 deficiency[10] from pernicious anemia
Difficulty swallowing
Shortness of breath with a shallow and slow respiratory pattern.
Increased need for sleep
Irritability and mood instability
Yellowing of the skin due to impaired conversion of beta-carotene[11] to vitamin A
Impaired renal function with decreased glomerular filtration rate
Elevated serum cholesterol
Acute psychosis (myxedema madness) (a rare presentation of hypothyroidism)
Decreased libido due to impairment of testicular testosterone synthesis
Decreased sense of taste and smell (anosmia)
Puffy face, hands and feet (late, less common symptoms)
Gynecomastia
Deafness (ref) clinical medicine by kumar an clark. thyroid axis endocrinology page 610.
 
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Kinda sounds like depression. Are you taking 50mg of 5htp or 100? Take 100 if you are taking 50.

Have your vit. D. checked and Folic acid also.

It's time for the S.A.D. season to kick in. Getting lots of light or using a light box will help if you have that.
 
Morningstar,

Do you have to wait for your annual physical to see a doctor? A couple of things stand out from your post (and previous ones).

One possibility is depression. Lack of energy, focus, and decreased interest in things you previously loved to do are all typical symptoms of clinical depression. Serious depression is not something you can deal w/ on your own. Can you talk to a psychiatrist or other trained mental health provider?

Another possibility relates to your prolonged tiredness. This can be a red flag signal for more serious illnesses. Not trying to be an alarmist, but I strongly suggest going to a doctor ASAP and fighting for lots of blood work.

"Diagnosis by Google" can be haphazard BUT it can bring an objective view to things we see/feel every day and discount.

In the meantime, (((((((hugs))))) for all you're dealing w/ right now.
 
I have nothing really to add except to say the you are NOT whining. If you hated your job, I could understand better about your work performance. But you love your job and really wanted it. Something else is going on and I agree that you should get to a doctor ASAP.
 
Maybe you need a sleep study for sleep apnea its where you stop breathing for a little bit and then start again. They can put you on a CPAP to help you with breathing.
 
Roxie 1965 said:
Maybe you need a sleep study for sleep apnea its where you stop breathing for a little bit and then start again. They can put you on a CPAP to help you with breathing.
Click to expand...

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion. As mentioned, I used to have it, but no longer do. I almost wish I did- it's a nice easy fix for low energy!
 
Last year I got some kind of respiratory thing around July, that they could not really give a name too, and did not feel antibiotics would help, then for months and months I was just having issues, just standing up would cause shortness of breath and heavy heart beating, I remember walking into a mall and having to stop and lean on something (I really should have gone to a doctor again at this point), I passed out from getting a chair massage, got some kind of horrid flu and the worst sinus infection ever, every now and then I would get this big swelling under my eye, I was not myself energy wise, but was not quite as run down feeling as you sound all of the time. Finally I went to the doctor again, and she decided to first try a 2 week course of antibiotics, they really did not know what was wrong, but she said it sounded like I may have had some kind of infection lingering from all the sicknesses and to start we would just try to kill it and see what happens. And actually I have been fine since.

I will also add regarding sleep issues, I'm not a good sleeper, and need a pill every night to get to sleep, I would stay asleep if not for my cats, but I can't stay in bed and sleep very late, and it's very hard for me to nap.

Also need to add that I was selling my house at the time and had to live in a hotel for a few months, so my stress levels were extra high, but the first respiratory issues started before the whole house selling part. So my whole ordeal went from about July through March of the next year.

Good luck in determining what is going on.
 
Have you been tested for Lyme desease? My neighbor had what was diagnosed as shingles but she just could not recover and went for a second opinion. The doctor took one look and said lyme desease. She was tested and that is what she had. Just a thought but if you are going to the doctor ask about it and maybe ask to be tested.
 
morningstar said:
I've been pretty much low grade sick constantly since I got shingles (very unusual at my age, and they said it was from stress) a year and a half ago.

I was diagnosed with low iron and told to take iron three times a day
Click to expand...

Interesting. . . I wonder if you still have the infection? Did they put you on antibiotics for shingles? I bet they did. Do you remember whether or not your gut/body bounced back from the antibiotics? Have you tried a probiotic? (enteric coated so that it gets into the gut, not torn up by acid in your tummy.) How is your white cell count?

Btw. You did not catch shingles because you were under stress. That is patently false. According to Dr. Mark Crislip (an infectious disease doctor) aka Persiflager (on iTunes a podcast) people are getting shingles because children are immunized (good for them) which means the adults in the household are not getting the effect of being exposed again. (bad for the adults.) and so they are actually more at risk for contracting shingles (chicken pox basically.) So, don't feel like it was your fault or something you could do yoga to get over.

What about melatonin for your sleep? Is your room dark enough?
Are you using day light spectrum bulbs? Have you had your vit d. level checked? How about B12?

Are you bruising easily?

I don't want to scare you, but the symptom for my Aunt Peggy's Non-hodgkins lymphoma was low iron.
 
Morningstar,
Wow! Sounds like you need Dr. House! I remember when you had shingles and i can't believe you haven't fully recovered since then. I'm sorry you are going through this.

You can pretty much apply a lot of your symptoms to a whole whack of illnesses but only a doctor will be able to tell you what is going on.

I can't remember if you got shingles before or after one of your hiking trips but someone suggested getting tested for lyme disease. Is that something you may have been exposed to on one of your hiking trips?

I hope you get to the bottom of this and feel better soon.
 
Just had to jump in here.

20 years ago I got Glandular Fever (thought it was jet lag to start with then when the glands swelled up like golf balls inside my hair I thought it was a brain tumour).

The Glandular Fever was short lived, but 20 years on I'm still living with the after effects.

I got (1) Post Virual Fatigue, (2) Chronic Exhaustion, (3) M.E.
It has a variety of descriptions. From what you've written and the fact that you suffered from Shingles this could very much be something to investigate.

I now know how to maximize and manage my energy - but this has taken years and years of experimentation.

The whole sleep area of the problem is a complete separate thing.

Suffice-it to say my main hobby outside of my 'Cathe' workouts is Line Dancing. This opens a huge social arena and offers the possibility of dancing 7 nights a weeks + all day @ weekends. My dancing friends are all 10+ years older than me, but I'm the one who's always tired and can't keep up. It's got nothing to do with fitness - I'm as fit as a flea. It's all about the late nights and the sleep deprivation. They all just go dancing, get tired and go to sleep. But Morningstar, this is not the pattern that my body adheres to - and I suspect you can identify with this. A late night can put me out of action for 3-4 days.

P.M. me if you'd like to discuss further as don't wish to become to long-winded on here.

Best wishes
Kim
 
I just want to send lots of {{{{{{HUGS}}}}} and healing energy to you!

One thing I didn't see anyone mention is adrenal failure. Have you been checked for that? This can happen from extended stress.

I hope you can find out what's wrong sooner than later! If you're having problems, you should see to them now!

Good luck! I hope you get a diagnosis and it's not a bad one! Hopefully, something easily treatable!

Keep us posted!
 
I have experienced a very similar problem, but mine started when I came down with mono over 2 years ago. I went from a fit, healthy, active, happy woman who mostly enjoyed her jobs, school, and hobbies, to a barely functioning, slothful, piece of crap. As soon as I became sick, I developed severe insomnia, followed by severe anxiety. My hair started falling out and bad dandruff took its place, I suffered daily panic attacks and a constant level of anxiety, my face blew up with acne and I'm now severely scarred, my thyroid took a dump, I almost failed school, my memory and concentration have completely disappeared, my energy is gone, my bowels don't function correctly, my eyesight has become much worse, I started developing cysts on my ovaries, and my PMS has become intolerable. I haven't looked at myself in over a year, but I cry daily over the unattractive freak I've become.

I have seen a whole host of doctors, ranging from holistic to completely traditional. According to every naturopathic and/or holistic practitioner I've seen, everything is wrong with me - adrenal fatigue, stressed liver, malfunctioning pituitary gland, pineal gland, leaky gut, etc, etc. The problem is that they're all hacks and haven't been able to do a single thing to help me. Apparently, visualizing myself healthy is the ultimate cure-all (but I had to pay $400/hour for that essential piece of medical wisdom). According to traditional medicine, they can't find anything wrong. I have no respect for them, either. My diet has been completely overhauled, and I've done everything short of a 100% raw diet, which doesn't seem to agree with me. I've done cleanses of all sorts, fasts of all sorts, and more supplements than most people would use in 10 lifetimes. There have been a few things that have helped: fish oil has helped with my psoriasis, digestive enzymes on an empty stomach has helped with energy and persistent yeast infections, my particular brand of vitamin has helped with energy, and the same brand of immune balancing supplements have kept away most full-blown illnesses, using UV blocking yellow glasses at night helps with sleep, (even though I go through phases where it helps a bit, but then I'm right back where I started for awhile), and Natural Calm Magnesium helps tremendously with constipation.

My parents pushed me to get to the Mayo Clinic, and we traveled very far and spent a lot of money for my first appointment yesterday. We expected to be there for weeks, finding out why this is happening to me. Instead, I was pretty much laughed out of my first appointment, and told that it's all in my head and that I simply needed to start taking better care of my appearance. Needless to say, we were all devastated. The clinic was my last hope and it was the worst experience.

Before I got sick, my life was good. Things had finally clicked for me and were better than they had been in years. Now I feel like living life is a punishment for something. It's miserable. I don't have a single moment where I'm comfortable or content. It's just pain, anxiety, depression, and a complete lack of self-esteem. I have the best family in the world who is taking care of me. Otherwise, I don't know where I'd be. I do have days where I feel close to normal, and I get a workout in and am able to kind of enjoy things I used to love. On those days, I do wonder if it's all in my head. But those times are rare and don't last.

If you do find a doctor who takes your complaints seriously, keep with them. They're apparently a rare breed.
 
Hi guys,

Sorry, I've been swamped with work and haven't have the time (or energy, unfortunately) to respond comprehensively to all of your thoughtful feedback and input. I have been reading, though, and writing a thorough list to take to my doctor. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday, so that I can get my blood tests done before my annual physical. That way I should be able to have a physical with some actual information to discuss. I really do appreciate that all of you took the time to offer your own experiences or sympathy - it got me through some tough times the last few days.
 
Aw, MorningStar,:(

Let us know how things turn out seeing your doctor and the test results. I sure hope things will be an easy fix for you.

Big (((((HUGS))))) for you, and lots of prayers.

Janie
 
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