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Fatigue, weakness, brain fog, and general spaciness and more for around 1.5 months

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Guest
Guest

I am 13 years old, male, and live in North America. I actually made another post in the sleep disorders section, which isn't relevant anymore.

In the last one and a half months or so, I've experienced fatigue and weakness, as well as constant brain fog and unrefreshing sleep, on a daily basis. Over the last two weeks, I've been experimenting with my diet to see if this is a dietary problem.

I've found that I experience (and have been experiencing for around two years now) symptoms of iron deficiency: the general weakness, a craving for ice cubes (which passed around half a year ago), two weeks of angular cheilitis about two and a half months ago, and vertical nail lines, which I've had for over a few years now. Fatigue and weakness are also apparently symptoms of other mineral deficiencies, like magnesium and zinc deficiencies, so that's a thing. I could also be suffering from an omega-3 inadequacy, because I eat fish and seafood only around twice a month.

Looking at my diet up to now, I don't have too many sources of these nutrients. I usually only have a cup of milk and occaisionally an egg for breakfast, my meats are usually chicken and pork (which don't have much iron), and I have to take supplements to feel normal (those don't have iron either).

Last week, I began eating iron-rich oatmeal, then switched to iron-rich and magnesium-rich cereal three days ago. When I began having the oatmeal, I think I noticed an improvement in my energy (I was less sleepy at school is something I noticed), but that might have been me finally returning to good sleep. About the cereal, I'm not too sure as to how that will turn out. Yesterday, I only slept 6.5 hours because I had to wake up early for an event, so I was pretty tired. Today, however, even though I slept 9 hours (7.5 good hours of sleep, the rest being 30-60 minute chunks), I felt drowsy and spaced out the entire day (including now, as I write this post). The cereal I eat twice a day, which supposedly gives me 100% of my RDA for iron (honestly I probably should be eating less of it, but it actually tastes really good (this is what happens when you eat cereal for the first time in 6 years)) and 50% of my RDA for magnesium. Also, I'm quite sure I'm not getting too much. Today, my mom came home with some omega-3 supplements (I didn't ask for them), which provide 1 gram of DHA/RHA per day, provided I take 2 capsules/day as listed. It might be unrelated, but I felt slightly more energetic about 20 minutes after taking the first capsule.

In the last two weeks, I've also been staring at a computer screen for unhealthy amounts of time a day, which is probably why my vision feels weird and strained. I'm also getting chromatic aberration at slight angle shifts on my glasses, and I wonder if my brain gets confused by those or something. Either way, I haven't seen any major improvements in anything but my mood and my sleep in the last month and a half. This might also just be part of growing up, but 1.5 months seems pretty long.

Finally, if you've read up to here, thanks. Because you probably know way better than me (I am only 13), please help me figure out what's happening because it actually affects my day to day life quite a lot (being tired is not great). Thanks!

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • Sister_Doris
    Sister_Doris Guest

    Posted

    When I was in my teens;I had this crack like on the corner of my mouth. I had no doctor tell me what it was but to think back on my life. I feel I did not eat a healthy diet of raw fruits and veggies. I had anemia due to bloody noses issues and doctors told mom to get me to eat more lettuce and I was put on a vitamin K pill in childhood.

    My cousin also had severe nose bleeds and his doctor told him to eat oranges.  K is usually for clotting and c is antioxidant of C for wounds.infections and injuries. As a child growing up :I always thought I had chronic fatigue symptom. I The B2 deficiency  symptoms involve the lips,tongue,eyes and nervous system.cheilosis (mouth or cracks at the corner of mouth  ar symptoms of not eating enough of the right foods. I feel also that  due to fast food,cooking high heat  and transporting our food  has a lot to do with our food losing nutrients.

    Look up on wiki pedia and web doc and med pub.

    I started a diet of  at least one  raw food with my meals. I drink 60 oz of water and that doesn't include coffee or soda or juice. I start my breakfast with 6oz all bran or oatbran  for the start of fiber. I started taking omega fish oil 2 x a day b-complex with vitamin C

    I truly think my problems in child hood was I was deficient.  If you can talk to a nutritionist .They will have you write down everything you eat in 4 days but If you can 7 days is better

    I recommend nutritionist  Because they studied Micro- nutrients and macro-nutrients Look up these wordsandit will give you clearer vision on your eating.

    I truly can say I was dehydrated for my body. I was starving my body from good nutrients

    If we could take the sugar out of diets of the babies and toddlers before they grow up  :they would never know what sweet beverage is...They would not grow up obese.

    • Guest
      Guest Sister_Doris

      Posted

      If I don't feel much better in a week or so, I will definitely visit a nutritionist, or a doctor at least. I think I might just need to eat more in general, as I've basically been eating the same stuff for a good 5 or so years, and with me growing a lot, I probably need more nutrients.

      Thanks!

    • Sister_Doris
      Sister_Doris Guest

      Posted

      I have also been taking the fisf oil and I feel better.

       I am thinking :fats are good  but you hear so much talk about low fat.

      I feel we need fats for brain, digestion and skin.I am bringing these things out  so you can maybe be the one to follow up on higher education and be the next younger president!  

       

  • Sister_Doris
    Sister_Doris Guest

    Posted

    Also Nationality  like European- are prone to anemia

    also read about candida  (-yeast  or to much sugar)

     

  • Malaki_Reed
    Malaki_Reed Guest

    Posted

    Hi Lunar,

    I am 15 years old and I've actually experienced somewhat similar symptoms about a year or so ago. My mom decided I needed to see a specialist because I was having a lot of weird symptoms and one of them was becoming an introvert which according to her is very much unlike me. They just said that its due to stress probably because of school...etc and prescribed a psychiatric medication which my mom refused to start me on. She got my test results and looked at them (she's a biochemist) said everything looked normal except for one vitamin she helped me fix my vitamin level and now I don't have any of the symptoms. Vitamin is B12 mom said it was severely low and this caused issues in my nervous system or something like that. I'll have to ask her for more details if you're interested. I hope you feel well soon

    • Guest
      Guest Malaki_Reed

      Posted

      Thanks for the reply! I personally don't think it's a B12 issue for me, as the supplements I take contain over 20x the recommended daily allowance per pill, which should be enough, even with the very low absorption rates. I will check it out, though, as maybe some other kind vitamin deficiency/overdose is making B12 absorption more difficult.

    • Malaki_Reed
      Malaki_Reed Guest

      Posted

      Apparently, one of the reasons why I was deficient in b12 is because of some condition I had called pernicious anemia which according to some sites, is the loss of stomach cells that make an acid called intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor helps the body absorb vitamin B12 in the intestine, and without it, this process is impaired if you take B12 orally no matter how high the dose is. This is why I got under the tongue tablets; it's because they bypass the GI tract and go straight to the bloodstream. The only way to fix that is through injections and/or under the tongue lozenges. You should get tested just in case. Hope this helps. I'm here to help if you ever needed anything. Check private messages.

    • Sister_Doris
      Sister_Doris Malaki_Reed

      Posted

      Im sorry I did not read this sooner.

      B12 i think is a a major factor in our health

      Eating healthy,less sugar,

      I hope by now you are doing well

  • alexandra00717
    alexandra00717 Guest

    Posted

    Have you had your vitamin d checked. I had similar symptoms when mine was very low. I think an indoor lifestyle is making it increasingly common to be deficient.
    • Guest
      Guest alexandra00717

      Posted

      Good idea, I think it might be that, as I get weird itchy bumpy rashes when I'm out in the sun for too long (might be PMLE).

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