21 Male, Sever fatigue rapidly decreasing physical ability

[Dark Crimson]

Hi friends, my first post here
I've been back and forward to my GP about this excessive tiredness and exhaustion both mental and physical that has been going on for nearly a year and has most recently been accompanied by unusual dull and frequent headaches, blurry vision and dizziness. Its approaching the point where I'm unable to lift things about or do basic chores without the need for resting afterward. Also I'm waking up in the morning to find myself as exhausted and tired as i was when i went to bed. Any physical exertion is a difficult task and leaves me needing to rest, and i find i really have to push myself. I first started noticing it when i was working a year ago, i was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with what i had to do, until i was fired for being 'lazy' - yet i just was becoming too tired to complete my work.

My GP has had me in for blood tests, all checked out fine except for a deficiency in white cells. My GP rules my fatigue and other symptoms down to stress and depression and has given me antidepressants. Having suffered from depression before from a traumatic event, i know enough to know that I'm not depressed and right now have no stresses.

I really don't know what's wrong with me, i consider myself fairly healthy, but I'm at my wits end with being so exhausted that some days i have to lay in bed all day.

Can anyone offer me any advice apart from depression? Thank you!

[Dark Crimson]

Thank you for your reply. I'll look over the links. The thing is, i live out in the middle of nowhere and there's no antennas or pylons or anything like that around here, i have a mobile phone and thats off 90% of the time. Our internet is wired, and there's no wireless devices in our home or nearby. I'd really like it to be something as simple as RF radiation thats making me ill and be able to eradicate it, because this is really affecting my life, yet everyone else in my family is healthy except for my dad who has diabetes. I'm just exhausted constantly, have aches in my muscles, my neck and nasty headaches dull headache, continuing tiredness and a real effort to do anything. I can't describe how i feel any better than saying i feel 'heavy' if that makes any sense.

[Dark Crimson]

I don't know what else to do, i managed to see my GP this afternoon, he didn't seem at all interested. He just checked me over, listened to my breathing, checked my pulse, blood pressure, eyes, ears and inspected back of my throat which was sore at the time (and usually is). He also felt my muscles in my arms and checked my weight and hight. He said i was okay, asked me a few questions; like have i been too active during the day, is my sleep disturbed and am I eating well, and then sent me away saying i should be okay.

Please is there anyone who could give me any advice, or even something for me to suggest to a physician for them to look into? Please help me if you can. I just keep being sent away.

[rokie]

hi there...
when you say rapidly decreasing physical ability how do u mean?
is it just because u are so tired or is it also things like u seem wobbly on ur feet. kind of like a drunken walk?
do u fall over now and again randomly?
if u answer yes to any of these i would suggest MS which is an auto immune disease.
it would fit with your fatigue and ur symptoms seem to point towards it. it was my first thought, its worth suggesting to your GP tho.
Hope i am of some help.
let me know how you get on.

[rokie]

sorry, forgot to mention possibly chronic fatigue syndrome.
look on the internet for symptoms of both and see if they sound like u then suggest them to ur GP.
Bye!

[Dark Crimson]

Hi thank you for your reply!
I find it difficult to do active things, i can do them but i tire in no time at all. Its just like ive used up all my energy doing something simple. I find concentration sometimes hard, i also suffer what i can only describe as mental tiredness too.
I don't have any wobbliness as such, just random and frequent dizziness, usually accompanied by headaches that are unusual in the sense that they are different from other headaches ive had before and can last anywhere between 10 mins to an hour or more. I also get aches in my joints and muscles which tends to last a while also I sometimes get blurred or speckled vision, but that lasts seconds if i do too much. I also find i tend to sleep in the afternoon if i do any physical activity, this doesn't disturb my nighttime sleep either i dont get the sensation of sleeping too much. I do sometimes have trouble getting off to sleep, and wake during the night momentarily but thats it. I just have this overwhelming urge to sleep or rest the entire time, as if i had done a lot of hard labour. Exercise seems to make matters worse.

MS is quite scary, although wouldn't that be seen in all the blood tests that i have had?
Thanks so much for your suggestions, ill research around and see my GP again

[phoenix23002]

Hi.. Have you had a TSH test for thyroid? I would be shocked if someone your age had an underactive thyroid but ??? who knows? The test is a little expensive but most insurers cover the test, especially if you have a family history of thyroid problems. An untreated, underactive thyroid condition can leave you exhausted, cold sensitive, dry skin, thinning hair, short term memory problems, lowered immunity, etc.. the list goes on & on.. vague symptoms & not everybody has all the symptoms.

Also..just a suggestion and it may seem way, way out but, ask someone in your family if you snore a lot or seem to be restless when you sleep? You may be suffering from sleep apnea. This is a very ignored & under-diagnosed condition. It is finally getting a little attention & respect from the medical community. My sis had bad, bad sleep apnea & was totally unaware of it for over five yrs. But her symptoms were: constant fatigue, headaches, nodding off at work, church, even at the kitchen table. She would be more tired after sleeping than when she went to bed. She was getting frightened even to drive because she would nod off all the time. Doing anything took a monumental effort. Her doctor was telling her that her blood pressure was inching up, she was becoming pre-diabetic with the beginnings of blood sugar problems. She was a mess. Life was NOT good. A family member read an article about sleep apnea & mentioned that her symptoms were similar to ppl suffering from this condition. Well, she had the sleep study done and her apnea was so bad, they didn't let her finish the sleep study.. lol.... The cure is so simple. They fit you with a CPAP machine/mask which forces air into your lungs, you begin to sleep thru the night (w/o the CPAP, you can't get air & your body 'wakes' up dozens of times an hour thru the night .. you are not even aware of this constant waking). It was a miracle. Her energy levels came back, life was good again, no more colds/bronchitis/sore throats, blood pressure went back down to reg levels, no more blood sugar problems and she sleeps like a baby, even with the mask on. She loves it !! By the way, don't buy any 'over-the-counter' remedies for sleep apnea. They may cure the snoring & restlessness but may not cure the sleep apnea itself and sleep apnea is a very serious condition and can lead to heart problems.. etc. Most insurance companies do cover the sleep study test & the CPAP machine/mask.

Just another thot..... with your morning headaches?? You might want to invest in allergen type pillowcase/mattress/boxspring covers for your bed. You may be wildly allergic to dust/dust mites. I wish you luck, my friend. You are way too young to be having all these problems. And you might look around for another doctor. xoxo.. phoenix23002

[claytonsmom08]

I have had that problem for years. I found it something called hypersomnia. Instead of insomnia (can't sleep) You have excessive sleep. It fits the description well, but may not be your deal since it usually starts when you hit your teens. Check it out though.

[Dark Crimson]

Thank you phoenix23002, claytonsmom08 and scheets973 for all of your replies. Phoenix, no i've not had a TSH test as far as i'm aware, my girlfriend says she's never known me to snore in my sleep. Although i believe my cousin suffers from sleep apnea.

I'm not too bad today, I slept most of yesterday and oddly feel a little better for it, but i don't want to do anything much as i'm scared i'll exhaust myself and be sleeping most of the day again, as i find if i exercise ill end up feeling worse.

Okay, I'm trying to get an appointment to see another GP sometime this week as my own isn't really helping me. I plan to tell him or her everything i've described here. I'm also keeping a diary of everything that happens throughout the day, including when i wake up, if i sleep during the day and how long for and list in order the symptoms i experience, and also when i go to bed and if my sleep is disturbed at all so i can show this to the GP too.

I looked into my symptoms as was suggested and tried comparing them to everything that has been suggested. I found that almost all my symptoms are common with every condition suggested which was quite confusing as I'm not medically savvy. I intend to query these conditions to the GP i next see and print this thread off because i don't want to be ignored anymore, as this tiredness and exhaustion is really affecting my life.

I'm quite concerned that MS was suggested which has made me want to get more tests done just in case, but looking over the huge list of symptoms that are associated with it, i only see a few that could point to it, still a worry though. I mean in myself i feel fine, i don't feel 'ill' as in the sense that something is wrong, i just have tremendous and numerous headaches, tiredness/exhaustion dizziness and odd vision and aches. I've had the tiredness for nearly a year and the headaches and whatnot followed shortly after.

At the moment i'm looking into chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep apnea and hypersomnia as i find they seem to fit with more what i'm experiencing and because i feel that my condition is defiantly sleep/energy related as i've had no other symptoms just worsening tiredness...

Thank you so much everyone!

[phoenix23002]

Hi there.... You are a smart young man. If you find a good GP, one who is part Sherlock Holmes & loves to dig to find answers, he will love your diary. It will be very helpful (pay attention to what your eat and any correlation in time to a particular food). You are smart not to discount any suggestions offered here. Good to have that checklist of tests/etc you can have run & eliminate things, one by one.

My one big question is.. these symptoms started about a yr ago?? What were you doing different a yr ago that you weren't doing the year before that?? Have you moved from one residence to another? Did your job involve exposure to any chemicals or toxins?? You may have mold in your house. Ppl react differently to mold/fungus. Some ppl are wildly allergic and it can be toxic. Did your water supply change.. ie.. go from well water to 'city' water? Did you change heating source.. from electric to gas or heating oil? Do you have a pest service (like Terminex) that treats your residence on a regular basis? Something else you might add or ck out & see if symptoms 'click' are... mecury or heavy metal poisening (from tooth fillings.. remember that actor, Jeremy P.?? a few months back.. nothing to pooh-pooh off). By the way, cilantro is a great 'chelator' and a tsp or two a day of chopped up fresh cilantro can do a dandy job of helping rid your body of heavy metals.

Something is dragging your body down, down, down and, because you don't feel ill (I call it feeling green.. LOL) I am sure suspicious of some sort of toxin or allergy. Put your thinking cap on & see if you can think back to some altering event a yr or two ago. (The event may have occured 18 - 20 mons ago and only manifested the consequences a few months later when your body just gave up & gave in.)

They are calling chronic fatigue syndrome & conditions like Epstein Barr (sp) & fibromyalgia (sp), 'modern' diseases and it is suspected that they may be the body's reaction to the constant bombardment of food additives and chemicals we consume & use every day.

One thing you can do for yourself is try to build your body up... lots of pure water, Vit C, a good whole-food based multivitamin, a good quality, natural Vit E complex, hi-quality organic flax seed, organic veggies, fruits, few processed foods (NO TV DINNERS...LOL), organic meats if you can afford them and... last but not least... try to avoid commercial toothpastes (baking soda works just fine), mouthwash, margarines, cleaning products, hair products, air sprays, chemical lawn products (roundup), too much sugar (use stevia), bread (unless natural with no preservatives and unbromided flour), soft drinks and ALL forms of artificial sweetners. ..... read, read, read labels and choose accordingly.

I am not a nut or a 'tree-hugger' but I do think I can consume or use something & it won't bother me.. You can use or consume the same thing & have headaches.. upset tummy or such. Everyone is different with diff tolerances & sensitivities. You can help your body (liver, kidneys (milk thistle is a great liver aid) by taking some of the toxic load off of it. You keep us posted, ok? We want you to get better !!!!! Good luck, my friend. pheonix