Constantly tired and general unwell feeling, what should I do?

I'm 18 and I constantly feel exhausted. At the moment, it is worse than usual because I am unable to get to sleep before 3, and then I'll wake up naturally around half 7 (if I'm not working or at uni then I will try and sleep in, but I wake up hourly after this). However even when I'm getting a solid 8 hours sleep on a daily basis, I still feel exhausted and often end up napping for up to two hours in the day. I find it impossible to concentrate or focus on my work, so I end up avoiding the tasks that I need to do and consequently feeling really anxious and guilty.

I have a few minor issues. I get IBS regularly, often on a daily basis, particularly in the mornings. I really suffer from anxiety and at times it is too much to cope with. I have been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, which is alleviated by taking the contraceptive pill (my break weeks are horrible as the anxiety becomes crippling and everything seems black!). The worst thing though is my lungs - the doctors gave me inhalers and I assume it is asthma, but nothing has been tested and the inhalers don't seem to work. I have always had prolonged coughs after colds and things, however over the last two years it has gradually gotten much worse. I now seem to constantly have a cough, sometimes productive and sometimes non productive. It is aggravated by everything - cars, people smoking, exercise, the cold, dust, deodrant, perfume, stress... and I can no longer do basic exercise without feeling awful. I have started going swimming regularly but it doesn't seem to be getting any better - I swim two lengths and I have to stop because I can't breathe at all. I go to the gym multiple times a week and for months I was putting myself through cardio with no improvements and frankly it was embarrassing. 5 minutes on a running machine cripples me! Yet I'm not unfit - I walk 5 miles daily and I do a lot of uphill walking. Walking normally isn't a trigger but uphill walking never gets easier and I find myself incredibly out of breath, more so than my 50 year old mother. When I use gym equipment, my heart rate apparently goes up to around 190, which would signify very poor fitness for an 18 year old, it just doesn't make sense.

I have been to the doctors multiple times about all issues. They have told me to exercise more and eat as well as I can, and they also once printed out 'tips for dealing with anxiety' from the internet. I'm not an idiot, I had already received all of this information from the internet myself and I do exercise regularly, I love food and cooking so I eat loads of fruit, veg and I consistently eat proper meals. I have a job at uni and most of my money goes on eating properly and exercising! As for the anxiety, it's inherent and not solved by breathing exercises, yoga, camomile tea or 'trying to be positive'. Honestly, I try everything, but it's well beyond my control!

I'd imagine that the anxiety is greatly effected by the PCOS, but it seems that there is little out there to combat it. I have tried the PCOS diets, and they don't seem to change anything - and they are also the polar opposite of the diet you should supposedly follow for IBS. My diet now is simply eating what I believe to be healthy - fruit, eggs, seeds, pulses, a dinner with a source of carbohydrate, meat (usually chicken), and vegetables. So diet and exercise can be crossed off the list of things I should try. Doctors don't take me seriously because I am young, and so I am now completely at a loss as to what to do.

I'm sick of being exhausted and anxious and unwell. And I'm fed up of being dismissed by the doctors. It feels like my only option is to get on with it, but I know that if I do nothing then my degree is going to be wasted because I won't be able to achieve anything feeling like this. Urgh!

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