Tired, Dizzy and Moody

stezie

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Sending the OP down a single route with the probability of finding a solution down that route is less helpful.

Getting the OP to go to a more thorough doctor is the better course of action. If a doctor is unwilling to look for a solution and dismisses the OP without having found one, I wouldn't have any confidence in what they have said this far.

Constructive is helpful. Constructive isn't picking an issue out of the many it could be and suggesting the OP spend a boatload of money on it first off.

It's also potentially a mental issue. If the OP is conscious of their tiredness during the day that they're anxious about getting a good sleep, then that's feeding into the not getting to sleep. Vicious cycle.

Yeah, so what about trying to identify the root cause of a poor nights sleep? When you been around 7 Gp' s and not one has figured out your condition and not one suggest the idea of investigating how you sleep, you start doubting yourself and think this is all in your head..

Hence why I feel telling the op to go to another gp to repeat all the basic tests will not result I'm a new diagnosis.


A poor nights sleep caused by sleep apnea , can result in several mental issues and possible heart issues...

Take it from me , when you wake up several times during the night suffocated and gasping for air, you end up getting very anxious about going to sleep in the first place. No talk with anyone will elimate that.

All I said to the op was to research sleep apnea. The op will see if the conditions relate to them.

Zeena21

gctest50 wrote: »

Hear hooves, think zebras something something


When did this start ? :



can be all sorts of reasons for it,

- easiest one is blood glucose all over the place

Do Oral Glucose Tolerance Test and
Check yer glycated haemoglobin ( hba1c )


Then that will be that out of the way one way or the other

Hey thanks for the reply! I've always been pretty bad for the toilet I don't know whether I just have a weak bladder or not. But over the last month is has been a lot worse, the feeling of needing to urinate is worse and it is impacting on going to places as I always need to assurance of a nearby toilet !

Zeena21

kaymin wrote: »

I suffered regular tiredness for a few years - physical symptoms were always the same - yellowish skin around my eyes. Left me grumpy and lethargic 2 - 3 days every week. Immune system was weak - couldn't seem to fight off colds. I was convinced I had an iron problem but tests proved otherwise. I started taking iron tablets but they didn't seem to have any effect.

All the health checks / GP visits showed up nothing - blood tests, iron levels, thyroid function were all in the normal range, no food intolerances etc.

In the end I increased my food intake (good breakfast + 2 dinners a day and ate redmeat regularly) and weight (to a BMI of 22.5) and that seems to have resolved it. Perhaps your food in-take is too low?

Hey thanks for your reply, the more I read about my symptoms the more I'm going to take more consideration into my diet. Although I eat healthy I may not be eating enough or getting enough protein as I don't eat meat, it is hard to get enough intake while in college and working a part time job! I will definitely sit down and evaluate what food I need to eat more of.

However I do really want to take a food intolerance test to see if there is something I need to change! And I am not sure if I doctor will provide me with this.

Stheno

Zeena21 wrote: »

Hey thanks for the reply! I've always been pretty bad for the toilet I don't know whether I just have a weak bladder or not. But over the last month is has been a lot worse, the feeling of needing to urinate is worse and it is impacting on going to places as I always need to assurance of a nearby toilet !

You may have a low grade UTI which can cause this.

Zeena21 wrote: »

Hey thanks for your reply, the more I read about my symptoms the more I'm going to take more consideration into my diet. Although I eat healthy I may not be eating enough or getting enough protein as I don't eat meat, it is hard to get enough intake while in college and working a part time job! I will definitely sit down and evaluate what food I need to eat more of.

However I do really want to take a food intolerance test to see if there is something I need to change! And I am not sure if I doctor will provide me with this.

Track your food intake via myfitnesspal which will break down what you are eating and give you an idea of the amount of protein you are taking in.

Alf Veedersane

stezie wrote: »

Yeah, so what about trying to identify the root cause of a poor nights sleep? When you been around 7 Gp' s and not one has figured out your condition and not one suggest the idea of investigating how you sleep, you start doubting yourself and think this is all in your head..

Hence why I feel telling the op to go to another gp to repeat all the basic tests will not result I'm a new diagnosis.


A poor nights sleep caused by sleep apnea , can result in several mental issues and possible heart issues...

Take it from me , when you wake up several times during the night suffocated and gasping for air, you end up getting very anxious about going to sleep in the first place. No talk with anyone will elimate that.

All I said to the op was to research sleep apnea. The op will see if the conditions relate to them.

Your advice is being clouded by your own bad experience with GPs. The OP can go to another one. If they get a decent GP who comes to a dead end after genuinely trying, then they can investigate sleep apnea. It's not really something to go down the road of straight off.

You're dismissing that it might be anything else. All I'm suggesting is that they go to a different doctor who will be thorough and look at all possibilities. And who will refer the OP to any specialist that may help.

kaymin

Zeena21 wrote: »

However I do really want to take a food intolerance test to see if there is something I need to change! And I am not sure if I doctor will provide me with this.

I enquired about food intolerance tests in McCabe's pharmacy - they advised that unless I'm getting bloated when eating certain types of food or have other physical symptoms then I most likely don't have food intolerances. So I didn't bother getting them done.

Would you be underweight currently and / or doing a lot of sport?

pampootie

How long ago were your bloods done OP? The frequent urination would concern me, it's very common in diabetes. Also I'd stop with the iron supplement unless you've been diagnosed with low iron-haemochromatosis (iron overload) is really common in Ireland and can cause the fatigue you describe. I'd try a different GP and get bloods redone

Zeena21

kaymin wrote: »

I enquired about food intolerance tests in McCabe's pharmacy - they advised that unless I'm getting bloated when eating certain types of food or have other physical symptoms then I most likely don't have food intolerances. So I didn't bother getting them done.

Would you be underweight currently and / or doing a lot of sport?

Do you know how much they were in McCabe's? I do get bloating after some meals and pains sometimes. I don't do a lot of sport me and my boyfriend do bouldering once or twice a week. I am slightly underweight yes I always have been and have always struggled to put on weight but I am at a healthy weight now

stezie

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Your advice is being clouded by your own bad experience with GPs. The OP can go to another one. If they get a decent GP who comes to a dead end after genuinely trying, then they can investigate sleep apnea. It's not really something to go down the road of straight off.

You're dismissing that it might be anything else. All I'm suggesting is that they go to a different doctor who will be thorough and look at all possibilities. And who will refer the OP to any specialist that may help.

I think your qualified recommendations isn't going to guarantee a much better experience is it?


And no I'm far from suggesting it's the one sole cause of it all.

Zeena21

pampootie wrote: »

How long ago were your bloods done OP? The frequent urination would concern me, it's very common in diabetes. Also I'd stop with the iron supplement unless you've been diagnosed with low iron-haemochromatosis (iron overload) is really common in Ireland and can cause the fatigue you describe. I'd try a different GP and get bloods redone

Over a year ago. I was concerned about diabetes but the bloods showed nothing close and I have cut out a lot of sugar from my diet since. I stopped taking iron for that reason actually a while ago and then soon starting feeling faint a lot so went back on them so that has decreased now but I still get the faint and dizzy symptoms, just not as often

Alf Veedersane

stezie wrote: »

And no I'm far from suggesting it's the one sole cause of it all.

Indeed.

stezie wrote:

Sounds like Sleep Apnea symptoms to me.

kaymin

Zeena21 wrote: »

Do you know how much they were in McCabe's? I do get bloating after some meals and pains sometimes. I don't do a lot of sport me and my boyfriend do bouldering once or twice a week. I am slightly underweight yes I always have been and have always struggled to put on weight but I am at a healthy weight now

I don't think it was very much - maybe €30. Not sure how good the tests are - I think I read the only sure way to know what food item is causing you problems is trial and error. So if you get bloated after a particular meal, cut one food-type from the meal one-by-one to see how your body reacts. Time consuming but worth it in the end.

I increased my BMI from 21 (which I thought was fine) to ~23 - made all the difference to my well-being.

njs030

Zeena21 wrote: »

Over a year ago. I was concerned about diabetes but the bloods showed nothing close and I have cut out a lot of sugar from my diet since. I stopped taking iron for that reason actually a while ago and then soon starting feeling faint a lot so went back on them so that has decreased now but I still get the faint and dizzy symptoms, just not as often

A lot can change in a year, please do go to a different doctor and ask for a full set of tests and a copy of all the results. Try and get a copy of last year's to compare.

It's not normal to feel like that you definitely need to get it sorted out and self medicating isn't really the best idea.
Cutting out food groups, getting intolerance tests etc is all great ideas but they are for after a doctor rules out everything else.

Having the results means you can check yourself what normal is and you can ask to be treated on symptoms if anything is borderline.

Mr. CooL ICE

Mod:

stezie, stop suggesting sleep apnea. Your confirmation bias does not trump the expertise of a qualified GP.

Everyone else, remember the rule: no medical advice allowed.

San_Sebastian

My advice would be stop being a vegetarian. Eat meat, eat organs, eat fish, eat shellfish and eat eggs.

Zeena21

San_Sebastian wrote: »

My advice would be stop being a vegetarian. Eat meat, eat organs, eat fish, eat shellfish and eat eggs.

Obviously not an option for me or what I was looking for from my question, so unhelpful sorry!

eamon_l

Get your vitamin B12 levels checked. You may not be able to ingest vitamin B, which might account for the tiredness

Zillah

San_Sebastian wrote: »

My advice would be stop being a vegetarian. Eat meat, eat organs, eat fish, eat shellfish and eat eggs.

Regrettably Sebastian is no longer with us, but: I'm vegetarian and fit as a fiddle. No reason whatsoever that meat is necessary for health.

Alf Veedersane

San_Sebastian wrote: »

My advice would be stop being a vegetarian. Eat meat, eat organs, eat fish, eat shellfish and eat eggs.

This must be why Clarence is getting weaker.

tea and coffee

-low iron
- diabetes
- not enough calories
- low b12
-coeliac disease

could be anything. go to another Dr and get a full set of bloods

duvetdayss

Zeena21 wrote:

For the past year I have been experiencing problems with being tired and weak, and lately it has gotten a lot worse. In the morning I struggle to wake up, I find it very hard to get to college on time and a lot of the time I have to skip lectures because I just can't get up. I have headaches in the morning and lasts throughout the day. I eat a very good breakfast (Smoothies with fruit and porridge). As the day goes on my concentration is awful in lectures. I also find it hard to hold conversations. I need to urinate all the time, almost every half an hour. Sometimes when I stand up I get a rush to my head, my vision goes blurry and think I'm going to faint. By about 4pm I start to fall asleep and just want to be in bed. I struggle to stay awake on the bus home, I have to stop myself from falling asleep. I never feel like meeting up with my friends because my mood is bad and i have no energy. I snap at people like my mom when I'm home because of the bad moods. I have anxiety, but the exhaustion is bringing it on a lot worse. By evening time i start to have small anxiety attacks. It takes me hours to fall asleep, and when I do eventually get to sleep I wake up 4-5 times a night. In the morning, the process starts all over again. At the moment I don't feel like I'm living, and more just getting by. This is unlike me and not my personality.

Zeena21 wrote:

I'm also feeling very weak and have aches in my body. I am extremely sensitive to the cold as well.

Zeena21 wrote:

In the morning I make a smoothie (strawberries, banana, orange juice, yoghurt, goji berries and chia seeds) with a bowl porridge. I usually bring a flask of black coffee to college. At lunch I usually have crackers with hummus as a snack and then soup or a sandwich, sometimes we get burritos. For dinner I usually make pasta with vegetables or curries. I usually have chocolate at some stage or a packet of crisps. My appetite isn't that big so I don't really eat large meals

I used to follow a carbohydrate heavy vegan diet. I had these exact symptoms you're describing: dizziness, lack of concentration, poor circulation. I'm just going to look at the food aspect of things, I would recommend looking into meeting a counselor for your stress.

Your food plan seems very lacking in protein. There is not much protein in Hummus.
Some nut butters, eggs, more Greek yogurt could boost your protein intake as well as some healthy fats

While avocados are healthy, they don't contain protein, they're a source of healthy fats.

I understand that you've chosen to be a vegetarian, but if you're struggling to nourish yourself with this diet then maybe you should look at broadening your diet. Ultimately I felt the need to reintroduce animal products into my diet and I feel so much better. I was restricting myself unnecessarily and the fact that I personally struggled to meet all my nutritional needs was damaging my health

frozenfrozen

OP do an update if you ever sort this out, I have nearly the same experience at the moment.

21, used to be fit and able to hop out of bed at 6 in the morning now I've dropped down in weight to 63kg, freezing cold all the time (used to be able to do the whole year round in t shirts) can't wake up in the mornings and often skipping the first lecture because I just physically can't bring myself to get out of bed. Same with the standing up and feeling dizzy

difference is not waking up during the night and I eat meat.

I've had bloods done 4 times looking for various things and nothing looks out of the ordinary.

marialouise

frozenfrozen wrote: »

OP do an update if you ever sort this out, I have nearly the same experience at the moment.

21, used to be fit and able to hop out of bed at 6 in the morning now I've dropped down in weight to 63kg, freezing cold all the time (used to be able to do the whole year round in t shirts) can't wake up in the mornings and often skipping the first lecture because I just physically can't bring myself to get out of bed. Same with the standing up and feeling dizzy

difference is not waking up during the night and I eat meat.

I've had bloods done 4 times looking for various things and nothing looks out of the ordinary.

Have you taken the advice that was given to the OP? What do you eat in a typical day? 
63kg from what weight, in what time frame? How tall are you? 
It's said often on these boards but bears repeating - use MyFitnessPal or a similar app to log your food. Weigh your food and log everything you eat for about 2 weeks, and at the end of the day you will see calories (you are eating fewer calories than your body needs if you've lost some weight), but you can also see how much iron, calcium, vitamin A, potassium etc you have taken in. 
In general  both of you need to make sure you are getting enough calories for your body's energy requirements, and then within that you need to make sure you're getting adequate protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Aim for every meal to have a protein source (meat, fish (not for OP), beans/legumes, greek yoghurt, eggs), a healthy fat source (eggs, avocado, nuts, nut butter, olive oil, coconut oil, oily fish), and some unrefined carbohydrates (sweet potato, brown rice, quinoa, oats etc). Get your veg in and aim for variety. Drink loads of water!
If there's any chance that either of you think this could be down to an iron deficiency or another deficiency, maybe avoid caffeine around mealtimes. I used to have coffee with my breakfast but after reading that it can interfere with nutrient absorption, I've opted to wait 30 mins after eating before I have tea or coffee, and have reduced my caffeine intake in general... This bit of my post might not be for everyone but anyway I found lots of food, water, sleep and exercise usually gets me through the week!

greensheep777

pampootie wrote: »

How long ago were your bloods done OP? The frequent urination would concern me, it's very common in diabetes. Also I'd stop with the iron supplement unless you've been diagnosed with low iron-haemochromatosis (iron overload) is really common in Ireland and can cause the fatigue you describe. I'd try a different GP and get bloods redone

This. I felt like crap for months, was constantly tired - turned out I have hereditary haemochromatosis. As it happens, haemochromatosis can cause diabetes, as well as several other serious illnesses such as cardiomyopathy, cirrhosis, and more.

Don't assume that a lack of iron is the problem if you are of Irish heritage, we have the highest rate of haemochromatosis in the world and you could be doing yourself serious damage by loading up on even more iron. Get another blood test done.

I was also found to be unable to absorb B12 from food, and my B12 levels were extremely low. Get it injected every month now and take the sublingual drops as well.

livedadream

so readying it theres a few things that havnt been pointed out.
weight loss (you dont mention it) pooping (you dont mention it) but you do mention:
sleep disordered
peeing alot
loss of appetite: theses are all symptoms of millions of illnesses and are also symptoms of nothing but modern life as well,
but they are all symptoms of diabetes.
sleep is one of those things that once it gets messed up can impact everything in your life and can make you so stressed and anxious! its horrible.
go and get a blood test, go to a different doctor if you want but push back on your own GP, sometimes GP's see people come in and say im feeling unwell and run the tests but dont find anything and forget about it, sometimes you need to keep pushing...
get a full work up, STI/D tests, blood tests of vit/mins, thyroid, ceoliac disease- fecal markers (just checking your poop) protein tests in your urine. tell him its effecting your mental health and your schooling.
it will get better, like Alf said (i think it was Alf) try and increase your protein and maybe some healthy fats too?
you are taking in alot of sugar, not processed sugar but still sugar so your levels could be spiking and that could be why you are dipping.
fingers crossed and let us know how you are getting on.

tringle

Everyone has given an opinion on what it might be, those of us not medical professionals really shouldn't be offering a diagnosis and anyone who is a healthcare professional shouldn't do so without seeing you and discussing it and doing tests.

So, without "diagnosing" a condition here is what I did.
I also had a number of worrysome symptoms, each on their own not really an issue but all together got so that daily life became difficult. I (touch wood) had never been ill but our family history of serious conditions is enough to worry anyone so I set off for the doctor with my symptoms and a long list of potential causes. He listened to me, agreed that yes I had a genuine problem, did some tests and ruled out a number of conditions straight away. He did a number of blood tests that came back inconclusive and prescribed some medication and lifestyle advice that should help if it was "condition A". I felt better for a while but was back about 4 months later just as bad. So then we treated it as "condition B", again I seemed to improve for a few months but not permanently. Back to the doctor this time with the list of all symptoms written down. This time the approach he took was not to look for a single cause for all but to assume each was a stand alone issue and try to ease that. For example, I was having severe debilitating headaches so he suggested they may be migraine and gave me migraine tablets. Well the tablets made it so much worse, I could not function for 36 hours after taking one, but it meant we could rule out migraine. Another round of more blood tests this time looking for much more info and it came back with two very minor issues both easily treatable...I feel these had been causing some of the initial symptoms but weren't enough out of the normal range to be a concern for the doctor...but were for me.
The worry and anxiety about possibly having something "wrong" with me made it all so much worse. He kept telling me stress was exacerbating the conditions and I tried to explain the only stress I had was my health....it became a vicious circle.
So I tried other more holistic options. Firstly I tried a kinesiologist and said I wanted to know if I was nutritionally deficient in anything. He determined i had a virus in my stomach and was extremely low in certain vitamins/minerals, so I tackled that. Then I went to an acupuncturist to deal with the more anxiety related conditions and I found that to be the best option for me. I get acupuncture about 4 times a year and it had been better than any medication I have taken. It tackles related and unrelated conditions at the same time (including a chest infection and back pain) and it works for me.

So write down EVERY symptom and go back to your doctor.
Or go to another doctor.
Look at lifetstyle issues.
Try not to stress about it.
And if it suits you look at other alternatives and a practitioner that suits you.

Best wishes