Struggling with extreme fatigue - what gives?
nixish16
Posts: 6 Member
Hi everyone,
So I've really been struggling with lethargy and general fogginess. I got back into exercise in November 2018 after being fairly sedentary for about 2 years. One of the main reasons being that I was told it would improve my chronic fatigue!
My routine is as follows:
Monday: weight training
Tuesday morning: light sunrise walk (2km)
Wednesday morning: Pilates
Thursday night: Pole dancing (I'm quite experienced, so it's pretty heavy duty)
Saturday: Pole dancing solo practice 1 hour
Other than that I aim for at least 10k steps each day and I work a typical desk job, 8-5. I try to stand at my standing desk, but I've been just too tired lately.
My diet is fairly balanced as I follow the low GI lifestyle, but I drink 1-2 coffees a day. I also take a women's multi, hair and nails supplement and vitamin C each morning.
I had my bloods checked recently and while my iron levels are on the lower end, they are still within the healthy range.The medications I am on are an SSRI/Lovan 1/4 each day (I am super sensitive) and 1/2 tablet of dostinex each week. Though I had issues with fatigue before starting these meds.
My sleep routine is OK. I moved in with my BF 2 months ago and he has insomnia, so he gets up a lot or tosses and turns. I would say he is resting properly 3-4 nights a week. I was struggling with lethargy prior to living together though, so I can't attribute it to that.
If you see any red flags in the above routine, please let me know. I'm tired of, well, being tired!
So I've really been struggling with lethargy and general fogginess. I got back into exercise in November 2018 after being fairly sedentary for about 2 years. One of the main reasons being that I was told it would improve my chronic fatigue!
My routine is as follows:
Monday: weight training
Tuesday morning: light sunrise walk (2km)
Wednesday morning: Pilates
Thursday night: Pole dancing (I'm quite experienced, so it's pretty heavy duty)
Saturday: Pole dancing solo practice 1 hour
Other than that I aim for at least 10k steps each day and I work a typical desk job, 8-5. I try to stand at my standing desk, but I've been just too tired lately.
My diet is fairly balanced as I follow the low GI lifestyle, but I drink 1-2 coffees a day. I also take a women's multi, hair and nails supplement and vitamin C each morning.
I had my bloods checked recently and while my iron levels are on the lower end, they are still within the healthy range.The medications I am on are an SSRI/Lovan 1/4 each day (I am super sensitive) and 1/2 tablet of dostinex each week. Though I had issues with fatigue before starting these meds.
My sleep routine is OK. I moved in with my BF 2 months ago and he has insomnia, so he gets up a lot or tosses and turns. I would say he is resting properly 3-4 nights a week. I was struggling with lethargy prior to living together though, so I can't attribute it to that.
If you see any red flags in the above routine, please let me know. I'm tired of, well, being tired!
1
Replies
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How's your B12 levels? I sleep a lot when mine drop.3
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Are you currently gaining, maintaining, or losing weight?
Has your sleep been tested?
When your blood is checked are you being checked for anything/everything that relates to fatigue? Like @Terytha mentioned B12 then there is D, potassium, magnesium, and probably a few others I don't know.1 -
Thyroid levels?
Both of those meds have tiredness as a possible but rare side effect, I assume the tiredness did not coincide with beginning the meds.1 -
rheddmobile wrote: »Thyroid levels?
Both of those meds have tiredness as a possible but rare side effect, I assume the tiredness did not coincide with beginning the meds.
That's correct! I've been tired for a long time. Way before I started those meds. I also had my thyroid levels checked recently and they were normal.
2 -
Your iron and your b12 are lowish? Are you sure you are eating enough to fuel all that activity?1
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Are you currently gaining, maintaining, or losing weight?
Has your sleep been tested?
When your blood is checked are you being checked for anything/everything that relates to fatigue? Like @Terytha mentioned B12 then there is D, potassium, magnesium, and probably a few others I don't know.
I don't track calories, but I would say maintain. I eat when I'm hungry and my body looks more or less the same. I had a blood test 1-2 months ago due to fatigue and most of my results were normal, albeit on the lower end of normal, so perhaps I should look after my Iron and B12 levels anyway as they could be better? I certainly don't eat enough red meat. I try for twice a week, but it's usually once a week.
My sleep has never been tested, though!
1 -
Are you currently gaining, maintaining, or losing weight?
Has your sleep been tested?
When your blood is checked are you being checked for anything/everything that relates to fatigue? Like @Terytha mentioned B12 then there is D, potassium, magnesium, and probably a few others I don't know.
I don't track calories, but I would say maintain. I eat when I'm hungry and my body looks more or less the same. I had a blood test 1-2 months ago due to fatigue and most of my results were normal, albeit on the lower end of normal, so perhaps I should look after my Iron and B12 levels anyway as they could be better? I certainly don't eat enough red meat. I try for twice a week, but it's usually once a week.
My sleep has never been tested, though!
I think that some people are more sensitive to lower levels so I would definitely try bring those up. I would also get your doctor to refer you to a sleep center. They will probably send you home with a machine first to determine if a full sleep study is warranted or not.1 -
Are you currently gaining, maintaining, or losing weight?
Has your sleep been tested?
When your blood is checked are you being checked for anything/everything that relates to fatigue? Like @Terytha mentioned B12 then there is D, potassium, magnesium, and probably a few others I don't know.
I don't track calories, but I would say maintain. I eat when I'm hungry and my body looks more or less the same. I had a blood test 1-2 months ago due to fatigue and most of my results were normal, albeit on the lower end of normal, so perhaps I should look after my Iron and B12 levels anyway as they could be better? I certainly don't eat enough red meat. I try for twice a week, but it's usually once a week.
My sleep has never been tested, though!
When you say you're maintaining, do you mean that your weight has been stable over the short term or the long term? Short term weight stability could still mean you're eating at a slight deficit that's being masked by normal weight fluctuations. Long term weight stability indicates you're eating at maintenance.
Whenever someone is tired for no apparent reason, I recommend asking the doctor whether sleep apnea is a possibility. Most people who have sleep apnea believe they're getting enough sleep, because the sleep disturbances are so brief that the brain doesn't remember them.2 -
If your iron levels are on the lower end it is entirely possible they dip into the deficient range assuming you're someone pre menopause with a menstrual cycle. This is what happens to me and taking iron supplements to keep it boosted into the healthy range has done wonders for me. I was also deficient in vitamin D so I also supplement that. I'm much less fatigued in general now although I have found not all supplements are made equal; some are better absorbed than others so I've had to experiment with brands.2
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If you don't mind me asking what is your age?1
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Have you been tested for Lyme, West Nile, etc.? A lot of the tick borne and mosquito-borne diseases manifest as tiredness.2
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You absorb the tiniest fraction of the B12 in a supplement, about 30 in every 1000 mcg. I take 2000 mcg every morning just to keep myself normal.
It's more or less impossible to overdose on B12, so try taking a big dose for a few days and see what happens.4 -
Was your ferritin tested along with iron? I was low-normal on iron for a long time, but my body was depleting ferritin to keep it there until eventually I hit a level that it couldn't keep up and wound up very low in both. It's been very slow to recover from. Just a thought.4
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Was your ferritin tested along with iron? I was low-normal on iron for a long time, but my body was depleting ferritin to keep it there until eventually I hit a level that it couldn't keep up and wound up very low in both. It's been very slow to recover from. Just a thought.
Yes, I'm anemic and was wondering this as well.
I have crippling fatigue when my iron is not well treated.
Also, if iron is indeed the problem, one extra helping of red meat isn't going to fix the issue.3 -
You and I have a lot in common, OP. I have also been suffering from extreme fatigue and I am also a pole dancer! I've had my blood work done and, like you, all my numbers came back normal (although my glucose was on the low side of normal). I recently added a B12 supplement and it's helping a bit, but not as I'd hoped. That is to say, my endurance has increased, but not my energy, if that makes sense? Like I can keep running errands, doing housework, etc. for longer than I used to, but I'm still dragging every single morning when my alarm goes off.1
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It is possible for fatigue to be symptomatic of ill health, others above have suggested various dietary deficiencies which can contribute. Please, take yourself off and get yourself checked out by a recommended doctor who will work with you to discover if there is an underlying health issue. I hope you can short circuit your struggles.1
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Before moving straight to biological imbalances, sleep has many psycho-social factors that come into play.
Calm, cool, quiet, comfortable, and safe.
Think about those; are they all in check? Can you easily improve one (or more)?1 -
I also have CFS. I've had the condition for many years. When I overdo it, it takes a week or more of doing nothing to get my wind back. Sounds like you are in a downturn. I would scale back your exercise for a bit and try to ensure you rest as often as you can. I also take Evening Primrose oil. 2000 mg a day. The specialist had told me to take 3000 mg but I've cut it back and seem to be doing ok. When you go back to exercising I would start a bit slower and build it up gradually to see how much you can maintain. As for the iron and B12, I have never encountered that but it probably wouldn't hurt to add some in. Check your stress levels as that seems to aggravate the problem. If you are stressed you need to find a way to reduce it. Hope you feel better soon.2
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Hi everyone,
So I've really been struggling with lethargy and general fogginess. I got back into exercise in November 2018 after being fairly sedentary for about 2 years. One of the main reasons being that I was told it would improve my chronic fatigue!
My routine is as follows:
Monday: weight training
Tuesday morning: light sunrise walk (2km)
Wednesday morning: Pilates
Thursday night: Pole dancing (I'm quite experienced, so it's pretty heavy duty)
Saturday: Pole dancing solo practice 1 hour
Other than that I aim for at least 10k steps each day and I work a typical desk job, 8-5. I try to stand at my standing desk, but I've been just too tired lately.
My diet is fairly balanced as I follow the low GI lifestyle, but I drink 1-2 coffees a day. I also take a women's multi, hair and nails supplement and vitamin C each morning.
I had my bloods checked recently and while my iron levels are on the lower end, they are still within the healthy range.The medications I am on are an SSRI/Lovan 1/4 each day (I am super sensitive) and 1/2 tablet of dostinex each week. Though I had issues with fatigue before starting these meds.
My sleep routine is OK. I moved in with my BF 2 months ago and he has insomnia, so he gets up a lot or tosses and turns. I would say he is resting properly 3-4 nights a week. I was struggling with lethargy prior to living together though, so I can't attribute it to that.
If you see any red flags in the above routine, please let me know. I'm tired of, well, being tired!
Sleep would be the issue not much details on it but it's like the most important thing that ppl neglect all the time. You need 8 hrs... so figure out a way to get them
3 -
good sleep is important. i rarely slept in the same bed with my husband. he snored and tossed and turned.
also are you eating enough? if you aren't getting enough calories, you could get tired
how long have you taken these medications?1 -
i'd also echo how are your calories - it could be you aren't eating enough that contributed to fatigue and issues with sleeping1
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I had post viral fatigue that became chronic for 15 years. It’s the worst. I also had chronic inflammation during that time and was in considerable pain. I saw many specialists and had years of testing and scans to diagnose me and work on a treatment plan. I highly recommend seeing a specialist if it persists.1
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good sleep is important. i rarely slept in the same bed with my husband. he snored and tossed and turned.
also are you eating enough? if you aren't getting enough calories, you could get tired
how long have you taken these medications?
Yes, I started sleeping in a separate bedroom when I quit drinking in 1999 - best move ever!1 -
Mouse_Potato wrote: »You and I have a lot in common, OP. I have also been suffering from extreme fatigue and I am also a pole dancer! I've had my blood work done and, like you, all my numbers came back normal (although my glucose was on the low side of normal). I recently added a B12 supplement and it's helping a bit, but not as I'd hoped. That is to say, my endurance has increased, but not my energy, if that makes sense? Like I can keep running errands, doing housework, etc. for longer than I used to, but I'm still dragging every single morning when my alarm goes off.
How interesting! Here I thought pole was such great exercise that it would make us stronger and more energetic and not the latter. I'm desperate to find a solution as I won't be able to progress through the levels if I'm too weak to do anything.1
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