Wake up feeling completely wrecked - any ideas?

Posted , 3 users are following.

Here's a thing that has been making my life a misery for years. I'm not sure the best place to post it. I'm hoping someone here has had a similar experience or can help in some way. 

I frequently (can be several times a week) wake up feeling as if I haven't slept in days - dry, sore eyes, shaky, dizzy, occasional palpitations...almost like I have been drugged or drinking heavily. I feel like this for the whole day until I get a full night's sleep and then I am ok again. 

I felt initially that this was some kind of food reaction as it seemed to start on the previous day with a mild case of the symptoms, after eating. 

However, I have been unable to link it with any specific food and I have been through every test under the sun and seen all sorts of specialists - sleep specialists, gastroenterologists, nutritionists, psychologists...you name it. 

The only period of peace I have had from it was when I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes about 6 months ago (seems to be genetic - history of it in the family and I was not obese). I went on a strict low carb diet, exercised every day and lost about 20Kg...and I was free of these symptoms for about 2-3 months. 

It has started to come back recently though and I am losing the will to live. It may be that I have taken the foot off the gas slightly wrt my carb intake and religious daily exercise...don't know. 

Has anyone else had this? It would just be nice to feel I'm not the only person in the world with this problem and maybe hear if anyone has had any success in dealing with it. 

Thanks!

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi colin40905.

    All that I can say is that I am also diabetic and the symptoms that you are describing is common, but recently found that it is also common with non-diabetic's alike.

    I am also going through some tests myself, at the moment I am optimistic as I am having the following tests done for, pernicious anemia, celiac disease, reason being that I do have a lot of feedback saying that that the time zones changing can affect your sleep as well...??? I will leave it to you. But I have been going through the same as yourself, so your not alone and I know that I have not told you much that is of any help.

    But I will be watching this topic for any possible help/outcome myself.

  • Posted

    Please see your dr for blood tests - especially celiac, thyroid and B12. Although your low carb eating may mask Celiac Disease, you sound like my son when he awoke nearly every morning before his diagnosis.  He'd fight me daily and he's still a whiner but every morning still feels like a picnic compared to how he used to battle. Poor kid - and poor you!!

    Before my low B12/PA dx, I was miserable in the a.m., too! I'm not a morning person and I have trouble sleeping, so I never realized I had this deficiency, but the injections made me almost human again every morning.  As good as I think I can feel.

    I also suspect CD or thyroid for you since it can go together with diabetes

    I hope you feel better soon!

  • Posted

    Well, 8 months on and still the same...I had the various blood tests suggested above (thanks by the way - sorry for not responding at the time) but nothing came up.

    In the last few months I've lost the plot slightly as far as my diabetes diet/exercise regime goes and put on weight again - not all of it but enough to have a depressing struggle ahead of me to take it off again (5-6Kg). It's really hard to maintain the healthy lifestyle when you feel so dreadful so often - although I appreciate it may be a bit of a vicious cycle in that the lack of diet control may be making the other symptoms worse. But I was officially classified as "diabetes in remission" by my GP about 6 months ago and that took a lot of the fear out of eating again (a good thing but also a bad thing).

    Also, we moved house about 6 months ago and it has been extremely stressful ever since, for various reasons.

    I'm whinging...anyway, I'm thinking is Chronc Fatique Syndrome something I should consider? The symptoms don't fit that well...if anything, exercise makes me feel better, not worse...plus a 'diagnosis' of CFS isn't particularly helpful in that it just seems to be a synonym for "something we don't understand and have no treatment for". 

    • Posted

      I'm glad you came back with an update, although I'm sorry it's not a better one.

      I think you're dealing with some overwhelming circumstances and you may want to see about getting more help - maybe therapy? You sound intelligent and you know yourself well but you're not feeling like you should be. Diabetes is a lifestyle that gets forced on you no matter where you are in life. You were on top of things, but life happens and now it's a struggle. It's okay to find help.  (I think it's also okay to whinge!)  Please take care of yourself. 

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