no energy, always tired.. any suggestions?

I am 33 years old, married and have 4 girls from 3 to 16. Since I had my 3 yr old I stay tired. I force myself to workout everyday. I take my vitamins and I get at least 8 hours of sleep a day. I also eat pretty healthy and I eat my suggested calorie intake. I have been to the doctor a few times and have had multiple test done. No matter what I do I stay tired all the time. I wake up and I am good for about an hour and then I feel drained. I am gaining weight and I just don't know what else to do. I have had several people tell me to have my thyroid checked and I have. Doctor said they can't catch it acting abnormal but that doesn't mean I don't have a thyroid issue. However they can't give me anything if they aren't seeing the problem. Is there anything I can do? I need my life back! :(

Replies

  • CJMommyof2
    CJMommyof2 Posts: 49 Member
    I had this problem for years, I was just always tired and had numerous tests done and took different vitamins and everything but nothing helped. Finally a friend suggested Vitamin D (I live in Oregon and the sun doesn't shine here too often and I spend a lot of time inside at work and kids' sports). I took it for 2 weeks and I had never felt more awake. Just a suggestion. Good luck and I hope you find something that helps!
  • tipadoo
    tipadoo Posts: 104 Member
    Vitamin D and B12. I was low in both and now take 2000 UI/mcg's daily (I'm sure your doctor checked your levels..?). worked wonders for me! good luck
  • FoxyMars25
    FoxyMars25 Posts: 112 Member
    I constantly feel tired as well and I think my iron is low, which may have something to do with it. However, I just started to take Super B Complex last week and that has helped tremendously! I highly recommend it.
  • I take Iron pills and B12 along with my multi. I hadn't thought about increasing my Vitamin D. I was taking the Super B complex but they mad me jittery. Maybe if I take a half a pill that will help. I will try The vitamin D and see if that helps. Thanks for your suggestions.
  • eat protein when you start feeling tired
  • mmmartje
    mmmartje Posts: 26 Member
    Just a quick question: hasn't the doctor checked your vitamin D levels? It's really simple bloodtest that at least for me only took 1 day before I got the results. If they check it then they can adjust your intake to your specific level and you can get it as a liquid, which apparantly is much more effective than a tablet, to ingest orally or in syringe to inject yourself with.
  • samntha14
    samntha14 Posts: 2,084 Member
    I am 33 years old, married and have 4 girls from 3 to 16. Since I had my 3 yr old I stay tired. I force myself to workout everyday. I take my vitamins and I get at least 8 hours of sleep a day. I also eat pretty healthy and I eat my suggested calorie intake. I have been to the doctor a few times and have had multiple test done. No matter what I do I stay tired all the time. I wake up and I am good for about an hour and then I feel drained. I am gaining weight and I just don't know what else to do. I have had several people tell me to have my thyroid checked and I have. Doctor said they can't catch it acting abnormal but that doesn't mean I don't have a thyroid issue. However they can't give me anything if they aren't seeing the problem. Is there anything I can do? I need my life back! :(
    Oh boy do I know how this feels. I spent the last two years tired. Did the whole blood vitamin thing. I finally got a great new GP who sent me for the works and took the most detailed medical history ever. Like Dr. House style. Thyroid conditions run in my family but my blood work was within normal, sent me for a scan anyway. Turn out I have very teeny tiny nodules that can't be felt and we wouldn't have seen without the scan. Sent me to the endocrinologist. No meds for the thyroid because the blood work is normal, but I was diagnosed with insulin reactive hypoglycemia. Basically my blood sugar bouncing around all day would leave me feeling exhausted. It also cause me to gain weight. When I wold feel sluggish I'd eat. When I felt my blood sugar drop, I'd eat. It was the only way to stay standing during the workday. She also sent me for a sleep study. If you aren't getting into the deeper levels of sleep, you will feel exhausted during the day. Turns out I do have a sleep disorder, but sadly there is no medication for it at this time. I was able to manage all of this through diet and exercise. I still have days when I am bone crushing tired, but they are far fewer now.

    Moral of the story, being constantly tired is NOT NORMAL. I don't know about you, but I just ran out of excuses. If the doctor isn't listening, get a new doctor. If you have good enough insurance, get the tests done. If not, get them done anyway when you can afford it. Advanced bloodwork should check for all vitamin deficiencies. A thyroid ultrasound could pick up something that isn't in the bloodwork. You can guess all you want but every person may feel tired for different reasons and you have to find out why YOU are tired.
  • christinazaia
    christinazaia Posts: 135 Member
    try having protein shakes in the morning
    also take a daily multivitamin and u may be low on iron or b12
    i suggest to take supplements
    could also be thyroid problems- go to doctor for a blood test- fast for it :)
  • I do the protein shake every morning and I I take the multi, iron and b12 . That is what my doctor had me do. I have also had my thyroid checked 3 times. Nothing seems to work :(
  • thank you so much, I have a dr appointment on the 19th so I am going to suggest more tests. I have great insurance so I am going to put it to use.
  • Just a quick question: hasn't the doctor checked your vitamin D levels? It's really simple bloodtest that at least for me only took 1 day before I got the results. If they check it then they can adjust your intake to your specific level and you can get it as a liquid, which apparantly is much more effective than a tablet, to ingest orally or in syringe to inject yourself with.

    I am not sure if it was checked, he just told me they checked everything that could be causing me a problem. I am going to a new dr on the 19th so hopefully I can get better answers.
  • darwinwoodka
    darwinwoodka Posts: 322 Member
    Hate to say it, but I finally saw a naturopath for my thyroid issues since my doctor wouldn't up the thyroid. Tripled the dose and went on Armour thyroid and can finally lose weight and feel SO much better.
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    I don't know if it will help you, but I will be more tired and hungry if I eat anything starchy or sweet (including fruit), especially anything refined like white bread, early in the day. I need protein first, then my energy is good.
  • kkgrasty
    kkgrasty Posts: 3 Member
    My best friend has Celiac and if she eats gluten then she is VERY tired all the time. Maybe you have a gluten intolerance or Celiac? If you did then your body would not be able to obsorb the other nutrients that you are taking in properly. Worth checking out if other things are not working. You could easily tell yourself by cutting it out of your diet and if you feel better... then you will know.
  • jcartwright2008
    jcartwright2008 Posts: 73 Member
    My best friend has Celiac and if she eats gluten then she is VERY tired all the time. Maybe you have a gluten intolerance or Celiac? If you did then your body would not be able to obsorb the other nutrients that you are taking in properly. Worth checking out if other things are not working. You could easily tell yourself by cutting it out of your diet and if you feel better... then you will know.

    She beat me to it :smile: I just started going gluten free and it has helped.
  • Hello have you ever been tested for sleep apnea? I am a respiratory therapist and I do sleep clinic. You said you "sleep " 8 hours a day but it may not be quality sleep. I would mention getting screened to see if you should have a sleep study done. I really can make a big difference in your life and body if you are not getting good quality sleep.
  • I had same symptoms. Found I had sleep apnea. Did sleep study, got a clap and voila feeling better.
    I am also anemic. I had symptoms of hair loss, muscles burning during movement (legs burned while walking)
    And extreme fatigue, ice chewing. Got I.v. iron infusions and that he pled too.

    Are you just as tired when u wake up as when u went to sleep? If so, could be sleep apnea. Worth checking
    Out.
  • Cpap=clap....constant positive air pressure machine
  • bearwith
    bearwith Posts: 525 Member
    I feel for you I was in the same boat. I have stopped adding sugar to drinks and food. I have also cut out tea altogether. I am so calm and do not get blood sugar dips and peaks. Lots more energy.
  • lisalu20
    lisalu20 Posts: 46 Member
    Hi, my sister was the same and her vitamin D levels were found to be very low. Even taking supplements her levels remain poor. It seems to be a very common problem! I want my daughter to have the test for it too. She is also 33, has 3 children and is completely exhausted and tired all the time. She's on iron for anaemia and has got a slightly under active thyroid, but nothing is helping! Good luck with the tests! Hope you get some answers. :):smile:
  • stadter
    stadter Posts: 13 Member
    I had some similar issues a few years ago and it actually ended up being an element of some food intolerances. I went through all kinds of tests as others have mentioned for hormones and low vitamin levels. Nothing stuck out in particular, although some were a little low. When the intolerences started triggering full blown IBS though, the pieces made sense.

    If it's possible, eliminate some of the bigger intolerance items for a week or two at a time (dairy, wheat, some people are even sensititve to certain types of vegetables). The first time will take a little while to cycle through, but you might notice a difference within just a few days. After you figure it out, you'll still be tired since you've got a toddler and all :-) but you might feel a difference between sleep deprived / exhausted tired and that 'my body is giving up on me' tired.

    Something else to keep in mind, if this could be it for you... For me, it is wheat, corn and sometimes dairy. I can do things in moderation but only every so often and once my body is 'clean', eating too much of something on my 'bad' list might not kick in for about 3 days, which makes it difficult to know what the problem is.

    Last thing that made a difference for me was to know when my body wanted to be fed. Not sure if that summed it up right, but basically, I know there are times of the day that I can and cannot eat (even if I am hungry) if my body hasn't given me certain signals (w/o giving too much detail... it has to do with the bathroom mostly)...
  • larsensue
    larsensue Posts: 461 Member
    if you have a heavy TOM it could be that you are low on Iron. i was like this for years then started taking iron supplement and was fine.
  • nadinepeabody
    nadinepeabody Posts: 1 Member
    Have your adrenals checked. With your schedule (kids, workouts, etc) you may be experiencing adrenal crash. Check it out.
  • garnet116
    garnet116 Posts: 144 Member
    I take Iron pills and B12 along with my multi. I hadn't thought about increasing my Vitamin D. I was taking the Super B complex but they mad me jittery. Maybe if I take a half a pill that will help. I will try The vitamin D and see if that helps. Thanks for your suggestions.

    I would get your Vit D level checked before taking supplements. I had mine checked and was very deficient. I started supplements and haven't felt the same fatigue. Problem is remembering to take it each day :)
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    How many calories are you netting a day?
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    Pregnant?
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    I don't have any suggestions, just popping in to say that your family is adorable!
  • Here are my suggestions... I would surely get your vit D and B12 checked as many other people have said. If you have a serious B12 problem your doctor will give you shots, just taking pills is usually not enough to bring your levels up enough. Also do get checked for sleep apnea, Do you snore, dream? Usually people that have sleep apnea snore but not always and you don't have to be over weight to have sleep apnea, it can happen to some people because of how their throat/jaws are built. I hope the doc did some comprehensive blood work, a metabolic profile, cbc, diabetes, etc. Also most importantly it could still be your thyroid. This is the issue with checking your thyroid.... see most doctors only check TSH levels but your TSH can be normal and you still have thyroid issues because you could have elevated thyroid antibodies. They need to check your TSH, thyroid antibodies, Free and total T3 and T4 (these are the test endocrinologist run) and do have your B12 and Vit D checked also. You may want to consider seeing an endocrinologist if your problems continue.

    Hope this helps.
    *i am not a doctor and only a doctor can correctly diagnosis and treat you* This are just some of my suggestions : )