Doctor. Go to the doctor. You need to see the doctor. This is not in anyway normal. See the doctor. You need to see the doctor. Go see the doctor. This is a medical issue and you should see the doctor. See the doctor.
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"I’m sleeping very well"
People cant assess themselves for sleep issues, you are asleep, you cant tell whats happening. If you have central apnea you might be 'waking' 30 or 60 times per hour and never have a clue its happening. But the side effect is you never get to the recuperative level of sleep the body needs.
This.
People with apnea say CPAP/APAP are life-changing.
They are not exaggerating.
I was dealing with a sciatica flare for months that would never get better. Had an unrelated sleep study, found out I never even get to deep, restorative sleep. Healing just...isn't happening.
Maybe unrelated, but since starting APAP my sciatica is much improved and I'm actually waking up refreshed.
Well, I think I can asses that I don't sleep well. When it takes me hours to fall asleep, then I wake up at 3am and can't fall back to sleep for an hour or more.
I'm pretty sure some people can assess themselves for sleep issues..
I mean you are awake, so technically you can't tell if you sleep well ;P you can make an educated guess though.
Well, I think I can asses that I don’t sleep well
I meant in the time while you are actually asleep, if you cant even get to sleep thats insomnia and is for sure an issue in it own right
Do you have a carbon monoxide monitor? If not, get one ASAP.
See your doctor. This is not normal aging. Getting a Hypothyroid diagnosis can take years if you are one of the people for whom the blood test is garbage. Insist that your doctor get the full T4, T3 testing done. Sleep apnea is also one that can be hard to diagnose but leave you feeling fatigued.
You don't have a husband or live in partner that might be drugging you? In this day and age, it isn't as far fetched an idea as it once was.
To tag onto the partner drugging you- had ur drinking water changed? Construction nearby or mold growing somewhere? My town water is currently potable but for a little white had too much haloacetic acid. It came under federal guidelines and was considered drinkable but fluctuates with rainfall amount, and fed guidelines are pretty generous anyways and not the best metric.
This identical story was posted months ago. At the time OP argued with everyone saying a doctor can't help. Just argued with every suggestion.
Yeah they kept insisting that women over 30 are geriatric and that this was normal. It was bizarre.
This new account is the one who posted a week ago the repeat post refusing to believe that any woman enjoys sex. OP claims they always experience debilitating penetrative pain during exams and any other attempts at penetration. There they also argued with anyone who said to see a doctor because it is not normal.
That makes me even more convinced this is a troll posing as a woman in order to bolster misogynistic tropes about women.
But like.... Why?
I still think this is because those posts get high engagement. I have seen another post recently not about woman i could have sworn i have seen before, but Lemmy being Lemmy there is no real way to recover deleted things (without setting my own instance). But why hunting a high amount of upvotes when upvotes really don't matter... I don't know.
Well at some point it just turns into trolling.
As someone with massive sleeping issues - no, that is not normal.
As @alienzx@feddit.nl mentioned, it might be sleep apnea. make audio recordings of your sleep - it should be pretty obvious the moment you are able to get the first breath in again, it will probably be a pretty noisy event. If you have apnea: DONT DELAY SEEING YOUR DOCTORS. This condition causes brain damage over time, you dont want to wait this one out.
If it isn't that, get your bloodwork done, there's a load of things that might be an issue.
Honestly, talk to a health professional if you can. That doesn't sound normal.
Have you tried a pregnancy test?
Doctors will do that a lot - send you for blood tests and then give up once they come back normal. You need tests beyond your standard blood test. I have narcolepsy and no doctor ever brought up getting a sleep study, my parents actually did. You should push for a sleep study since this sounds like it could be a sleep disorder. If it's not, you gotta advocate for yourself and push for answers because a healthy person does not feel that way after a good night of sleep.
Keep going back. It sucks but this generates a history of chronic ailment and is what will get the issue escalated for other testing or seeing specialists. If you are in the US this is especially important in order to get insurance to cover things, and specialists typically have a long waiting list. If you need one get on that list ASAP.
did you do full blood panel tests? checking all your deficiencies, anemia, blood gucose, urea,,,etc. and yes recheck thyroid.
I don't understand. Are you asking if pregnancies last 2 years?
Did you have covid? Long covid has made people lethargic and I have some friends who only recently fully recovered.
Either way this is serious issue and you should see a doctor. This is not normal aging.
Are you absolutely certain no one is drugging you? Do you consume something every day that ANYONE else prepares for you? Try going a week living like Madeye Moody, only eat and drink things you make yourself, from groceries YOU buy, from a store you don't normally visit.
Do you have a gas water heater, oven, or furnace? Do you have a carbon monoxide detector? Is it mounted low on the wall? Have you tested it recently?
Do airplanes fly over you often? Do you or anyone you know use firearms often? If yes to either, when is the last time you had a blood lead level test?
It could be a vitamin or nutrient deficiency. A routine blood test at the Dr. can rule this out.
Good, that rules out a bunch of serious stuff a lot of people don't think about.
Others have already given better advice, I'm just trying to brainstorm some of the less-likely possibilities.
Airplanes and firearms are the most common, but not the only form of lead exposure. Lead and heavy metal toxicity can take months of non-exposure to correct and wouldn't show up on a normal blood test. It might be worth getting a blood test specifically for lead and other heavy metals like cadmium, palladium, and cobalt, especially if anyone you know works at a muffler shop or something.
The only other thing I can think of is maybe Radon, especially if you have a basement or other area in your house where air doesn't circulate well. That wouldn't necessarily show up on a blood test either. Radon test kits are cheap, but I think some of them require lab processing so look at for that if you decide to buy one.
Either way, I'm older than 32 and don't have the same problems you describe. It's definitely not "just getting older".
Unfortunately, male doctors often don't take women's health issues seriously. I'm not sure how much you like and trust your current doctor, but a second opinion from another (possibly female) doctor may be a good idea.
Just FYI. Natural Gas is not carbon monoxide. Found out the hard way. If you have a gas leak, you will need to do the soap on joints or get a natural gas "sniffer." Fun fact, if the leak has constant pressure, you can find it with a open flame. I know insane.
Anyway, at this point, I wouldn't rule it out as part of the problem if you do have a leak.
Based on some of the posts. You should be collecting all your records and checking out other doctors. While this isn't normal. In my area it's normal to write this off as "aging" and a weight issue. My wife has something that makes her blood not collect oxygen. Not always an iron deficiency, but sometimes. Needed to see a blood specialist to find that out.
Good luck. But you have to become your best advocate and almost do more research than any doctor has time for any 1 patient.
People have also noticed that I’m moving slowly. I don’t drink alcohol, so this isn’t a hangover. It started rather gradually but is getting worse.
This symptom here is the most concerning. There's no way doctors are hearing that symptom and telling you everything is fine.
Are you the same user who posted about feeling this way and chalking it up to being over 30 years old and a woman a month ago or so?
Keep trying with your doctor, get another doctor if you need to. Doctors, even female doctors, are notorious for dismissing women's health complaints.
Change doctors as many time as you need. It's fucked up but one will listen
I've had to escort my wife to an embarrassing number of doctor's appointments just so they'd take her symptoms seriously. Just her symptoms, not even her, the patient! Those are the appointments where I almost always end up impatiently telling the doctor, "don't tell me, tell her," or, "don't ask me, ask her! She's the patient," because they'll try to talk to me the whole time.
Here's the same thing I tell my wife: blood tests are literally the least a doctor can do while still technically treating you. If your doctor is not putting their hands on you, thinking for more than a few seconds before responding, looking up your symptoms, suggesting specialists, or naming possible treatments to try out, then they're not really listening to you. If your doctor isn't listening to you or can't think of a cause, ask to see a specialist.
/rant
Also, if you trust that your doctor is listening to you and is trying their best, then consider seeing a physical therapist, performing a sleep study, and a neurologist. I'd start with the PT and go somewhere that is cool with doing general assessments rather than requiring doctor's orders. They might even refer you to a neurologist. Schedule your sleep study and just follow through with that. If your insurance doesn't cover sleep studies, online CPAP companies will often roll the cost of your sleep study into your CPAP.
Nope! I'm older than you and that doesn't happen. You probably need blood work done? I went through a time when I was exhausted constantly and was like "this must be middle age" but I had low iron and vitamin d.
They didn't do any followup? Low white blood cells for that long can indicate some stuff that should at least be checked for. Your doctor should also know if those numbers are normal for your age. Did they make any suggestions? 32 is genuinely still young.
Seconding everyone else saying you should get a second opinion. Something is clearly wrong and if your doctor isn't looking closer to figure out what the issue is or trying to find solutions then you absolutely deserve a second opinion from a doctor who cares
They should not be repeating the same tests, they should be thinking about what else they should be testing for.
i would probably see a 2nd opinion, if it appeared suddenly 2 years ago, there is a cause. b12 does nothing unless you deficient, usually vegans that supplement b12 gets it. or if you have absorption disorder like celiacs, which prevents intrinsic factor, small intestine from abosrbing. currently thinking about seeing a 2nd derm and pcp, because they are quite how should i say it, not very keen on atopic dermatitis, if they dont see a rash/severe symptoms they will not do anything further.
By the way, I think my initial reply reads dismissive, but my intention was to try and make clear that whatever is happening isn't normal aging. Can you see a second doctor? Fatigue is such a vague symptom, with so many possible reasons, but what you're describing could indicate a lot of things and you need a doctor who will take it seriously.
My friend was able to do a mini sleep study from home recently, to test for sleep apnea. I noticed when we were traveling together that he sometimes gasped in his sleep, and he told his doctor about it. I think there are DIY sleep monitoring apps but I don't know if they're any good. Might be worth looking into, if your doctor isn't helping. Or find someone to listen to you sleep.
The range of possibilities with bad fatigue is just so big. I can only make suggestions based on my own life experience, but a doctor in your corner would be able to look for so many more things.
Oh, did you have a bad illness at some point before the fatigue? Covid isn't the only virus that can have confusing long term after effects.
A relative with fibromyalgia had constant farigue, but I think pain is a factor with that one.
I can keep thinking of possibilities, unfortunately.
Your test results, plus fatigue, without an accompanying protein, vitamin, or nutrient deficiency, seems to indicate an infection of some kind, possibly in the liver or kidneys. Some environmental factor is also possible.
Your combination of test results and symptoms seems a cause for concern. I would consider asking your Dr. about it, possibly getting a second opinion.
32 isn't old I mean if you had said 60 then I would have told you you got a problem but age isn't it!
Go to the doctor!
Are you allergic? Food allergies are a beast and as little as a 0.001 gram can trigger it, making you feel like shit for days.
Now, go to the doctor!
I'm just trying to help, so please don't take this the wrong way, but what are you eating and drinking? It could be "healthy" stuff or it could be crap making you feel this way. My best advice is to try and figure it out now, because it won't get easier. Food sensitivities seem to be brushed off because they're not bad enough to kill you, but the damage can add up over time.
- Start with removing the crap
- See a good nutritionist or study up from the Mayo clinic or Cleveland Hospital sites, they have a lot of good info.
- Drink a lot of water no matter what you do
- Watch your caffeine intake, you have to be consistent if you're going to have it.
- Since your muddy headed, it might help to go on nature walks. It doesn't have to be a long time, just try to get outside.
Apnea tests immediately.
At the very least get or borrow any kind of smart device that can measure your SpO2 while you sleep. If it dips anywhere under 90, get the apnea test IMMEDIATELY.
As someone with sleep apnea, you have sleep apnea. You feel like that because your brain is not getting oxygen.
There's no way you can make a reasonable diagnosis from a 100 word Lemmy post, and doing so might be putting someone in danger.
I think this wording is too strong, but I indeed ctrl+f for apnea. OP should do a sleep study.
I saw replies saying you got a TSH test done. While this is the "gold standard" used for testing thyroid function, it's easily misleading. TSH levels are somewhat relative and do not tell the whole story. Doctors often label subclinically low TSH as "normal" but you may not feel normal.
The way hypothyroidism is diagnosed is dogshit these days and it's quite common (1/4 women, more common as you age). If you have only seen an MD and one who is not specialized in endocrinology, I would get a second opinion. My experience is that nurse practioners and DOs are more likely to take this seriously than MDs.
While it's possible it's something else, I wouldn't rule out hypothyroidism strictly from TSH. You can also request a wider thyroid panel that tests free/total T4 and T3, plus thyroid antibodies such as TPO. TSH only tests for the hormone telling your thyroid that your body needs hormones, it does not test for the hormones themselves. Additionally, it does not test for whether you have a thyroid autoimmune disease. This could lead to all your symptoms.
I've been through this struggle and known plenty of others who have as well (Hashimoto's, began in my mid/late twenties). Modern doctors underdiagnose the disease because of they leave it at a TSH test and will often shrug you off with a vitamin D prescription. Go to someone who specializes in this, check your symptoms against those of others and pay particular attention to how they describe how they feel. Trust your intuition about your own body and what feels normal.
Brain fog, body aches, feeling cold all the time, lethargy, waking up feeling like you can never get enough sleep or like your brain is awake but your body isn't, depression, hair loss, weight gain, poor appetite...these are all signs to look for, but unfortunately are shared with many diseases. You thyroid hormones control so much of your energy and everything surrounding it.
If this ends up being the problem, you can take a simple and cheap thyroid hormone replacement daily and everything will improve. There are natural and synthetic replacements, if you are put on one type and don't like it, try the other one. Synthetic T4 and T3 or armor thyroid/natural pig thyroid (contains T1-T4).
Good luck and I truly hope you can find how to feel better!
You need to see a doctor and get blood labs to start figuring this out. I'm an old woman and I can say it's not just age. If the first doctor dismisses you, they may be suffering from Female Symptoms Dismissal Syndrome and you should try another. Could be anything, including something serious like MS.
Have you been tested for sleep apnea? Might also be long COVID.
It's not normal ageing, unless you meant like 92. Have you mentioned how bad it is to a doctor? Been sick lately?
Okay. Insist that they keep running other tests until they find what’s not normal, because the symptoms you’re describing could also be warnings that something worse is coming (without treatment). Be persistent! Early detection can make a tremendous difference!
Consider visiting specialists. For example, a neurologist might be able to identify your issue very quickly. The whole body is a complex system, but the brain/nervous system alone is capable of some especially weird shit.
Assorted "post infection" bullshit is not uncommon, if that's the kind of sick you were. Certain infections have certain sequelae. Your doc is aware of the history, right?
That means literally nothing. They ran the most basic test and didn't do the other 1,259,649,693 tests.
- See a doctor
- [If outside of the US] See a physcatrists about why you posted this on Lemmy Instead of seeing a doctor
- [If inside the US] demand Medicare for all
I don’t know if anyone has said this, I didn’t go through all the comments, but be sure to probe depression or mood disorders. If you’re not active also definitely try adding a little bit of activity early every day even if you feel like you can’t, just let yourself tap out if you want but at least show up and start to see if you actually want to continue.
I am definitely NOT saying to not continue to probe medical reasons by any means. But feeling tired all the time can be a characteristic of mood disorders and it can be easy to misattribute just how physically tired that can make you for a physical ailment. It can also be hard to see it when you may have coped well with it your whole life, but are only now reaching the burnout from it.
*Said as a human not an expert at all.
Do you have an anxiety disorder? Anxiety can manifest physically in many different ways.
It could be sleep apnea. It could be allergies (sometimes you acquire them later in life). Could be that aliens are abducting you late at night and taking turns batting your titties around and you have amnesia about it.
Are you living alone? Start seeing doctors.
Are you living with one or more people? Start seeing the police. (edit: and then doctors)
Others have provided good advice. I'll only add that you might also think about celiac / gluten sensitivity. There's a wide range of possible symptoms there. You could just try cutting out gluten for a week or two and see if the situation improves, because it's not always easy to diagnose.
But yes, do talk to a doctor, and be prepared to push back and advocate for yourself if they brush you off.
Shot in the dark here, but consider L-methylfolate supplements. It’s the methylated form of folic acid (vitamin B9). Your symptoms line up extremely well with someone who is suffering from non-methylated folic acid, due to a mutation on the MTHFR gene.
Your body can’t use folic acid as-is. It needs to methylate it with an enzyme in your bloodstream (turning it into L-methylfolate) before it becomes biologically available.
Your body uses this biologically available L-methylfolate to break down something called homocysteine, which is a byproduct of producing DNA during cell replication. So the symptoms are caused by a 1-2 punch of your body working harder to replicate cells (because it doesn’t have the folic acid available to break down homocysteine when it is produced) and having too much homocysteine built up in your system (because it isn’t being broken down over time with folic acid.) High homocysteine levels contribute to all kinds of potential health effects, ranging everywhere from cardiopulmonary issues to brain fog.
And there is a gene mutation that causes you to stop producing that MTHFR enzyme, the same way you become lactose intolerant when you stop producing the enzyme to break down lactose. It usually happens in your late 20’s or early 30’s, so you’re right in expected timeframe for it to happen.
It’s not on most doctors’ radars, and testing folic acid levels on a blood test won’t help, because you probably have plenty of folic acid. Your cells simply can’t access it. So it tends to fly under the radar. Properly diagnosing it requires a gene test, which most healthcare providers won’t even think about unless you request it. Or I guess you could always just try the supplement and see if your symptoms improve.
The gene mutation is especially common in people who are AFAB, autistic, or Irish. I know because my wife is all three, and has the mutation. You can buy supplements on Amazon. Most people with the mutation take about 15mg of L-methylfolate per day, but suggest starting with about half that in the morning. It will likely keep you awake (and maybe give you a headache, oddly enough) at first, so start with just taking it in the morning. Then once you’re used to it, you can take a second one with dinner. Then you can simply move up to taking the full 15mg in the morning.
Obviously don’t start taking supplements without looking into it first. But at least this might give you another thread to tug on.
Omg go to the fucking doctor?!? No "could be B12 but I've been getting supplements" NO. Wtaf are you doing? If it's not B12 you would know because the doctor checked and your b12 was normal. Wtf are you doing asking the internet?
Do you have to communicate like this?!
He's really worried.
Then getting the point across should be the focus. All this hysteria clouds the argument and belittles OP, someone exhausted who doesn't get the help they need from their doctor.
Seems most others here managed to do that just fine.
Get your thyroid levels checked. When I feel like this it's usually that I need more Synthroid.
Women becoming decrepit and old at 30 years is such an unbelievable trope these days.
You see this quite a lot though, "I woke up and my arm had fallen off, is this normal or should I go to the hospitals", in the past when it was on reddit it was usually engagement farming not really sure what the point of that here is.
Echoing: talk to a doctor. Keep talking to doctors until you figure out the problem.
Someone suggested it could be low b12, but I've been having the sublingual spray for months and there's no improvement.
If you suspect a B12 deficiency, get tested for it. With serious deficiency you'd likely also see low hemoglobin, low hematocrit, and low neutrophil count in your blood work. Just to be clear though: I'm not a doctor.
The vast majority of "sublingual" B12 is absorbed in the gut. Very little is absorbed through the mucosa. If you have a b12 absorption problem, you may need a B12 injection. You can either get one from a doctor or do it yourself with an insulin needle, if you're comfortable. I've had a B12 deficiency that couldn't be resolved with any form of oral B12 supplementation.
Not necessarily, go see your medical provider. Could be thyroid or other issues.
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