Extreme fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, NOT thyroid?
Posted , 5 users are following.
Hey,
Sorry in advance for the super long lost but I am really not sure where else to go. I am 20 years old, female, and over the last few months my condition has got progressively worse. I have always been sluggish and slept a lot but in the 6 months or so it's gotten to the point where I've had to call in sick to work.
My main symptom is extreme fatigue, that never goes away despite how much/little i sleep. I am tired constantly, and even if I sleep 8 hours at night i find myself falling asleep during the day. it takes me a few days to get over this fatigue but it never *really* disappears.
Next is muscle ache, popping/cracking joints. My body aches constantly, i wake up stiff and often have to stretch during the day (which doesn't actually help but it relieves the aches for a few seconds). I also suffer from brain fog, i can't remember what i'm doing or what i was going to say - my memory has become awful recently and i'm struggling to remember quite simple things, in the past but my memory has been really good. I also have issues with focus with my eyes and concentrating on things.
I have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety for about 4-5 years now. I know this is not to do with depression as I've been in a worse mental state than I currently am and i haven't been this affected by fatigue. I am on citalopram 30mg which helps a lot with my low moods etc. but i'm convinced this is not depression/anxiety related.
I went to the doctors for an investigation into my chronic fatigue. They started out by doing a range of blood tests, for iron, vitamins and thyroid function. My iron levels and my vitamins levels came back fine.
However my thyroid tests have been mixed, the first one said i was high in both but the second came back normal? This has then pushed the doctors to think of sleep disorders, CFS/ME, fibromyalgia, autoimmune. Well.. to be honest they don't have a clue!
My uncle has CFS/ME so i was wondering if CFS was hereditary? My doctors really don't have a clue, I have always suspected I had CFS but have never been sure.. whenever i bring it up they kind of shun me off and explain it's to do with my depression but i'm really not convinced by this anymore.
Has anyone had anything similar? I've had a bunch of conditions thrown at me for options but they're not willing to really look into it or try and pin point in any other way than blood tests which have came back clear...
Any advice is really helpful! Thanks
1 like, 3 replies
jackie00198 mimi54839
Posted
First of all, your symptoms sound very much like ME/CFS. Ignorant doctors often fob the symptoms off on depression or anxiety. A key difference is that a depressed person does not want to go out and do things. A person with ME/CFS typically wants to do things but can't. There are currently no tests for ME/CFS, so if you have it, your bloodwork would come back normal. Also, it is thought that there is a genetic component to this illness. So the fact that your uncle has it may well indicate that you have a genetic predisposition to getting the disease. A genetic predisposition does not mean that a person will definitely get it. People with ME/CFS often have low thyroid, by the way. You need to find a specialist knowledgeable in ME/CFS--preferably an infectious disease doctor or a rheumatologist. It's very frustrating for so many with this illness to struggle for a diagnosis, and to constantly be insulted by doctors who are not taught about ME/CFS in medical school, and who, frankly, don't have a clue.
elaine62759 mimi54839
Posted
A lot of your symptoms point towards you having CFS. They usually diagnose this when nothing shows up on blood tests and they can't find any other explanation for the tiredness. With CFS the tiredness is overwhelming and you just don't have the physical energy to do things. With depression you get extreme tiredness but don't have the inclination to do things (even though you body is physically capable if you forced yourself). Although the two can often be interlinked. You might find it helpful to keep a diary of how you are feeling and see if there is anything you feel makes you worse (energy drainers!) such as stress, doing too much, etc or makes you feel better (energy gainers!) such as resting, certain foods you eat, etc and try to do more of the energy gainers and less of the energy drainers. You could also try and write down something positive about your day (however small) to try and lift your mood. Sadly there is no cure yet for CFS but you can help yourself by managing your symptoms with pacing and healthy diet. I also find yoga helpful. Good luck with getting a proper diagnosis.
dawn94288 mimi54839
Posted
Hi, when your results on the thyroid test came back a "high", meaning that you were somewhat low on thyroid hormone, did they try putting you on thyroid? They did for me and it helped some.