So, in the last few weeks, I’ve been to a couple of doctors about my fatigue. I first went to my regular family practitioner, my GP. She recommended a physical, which included blood work and urine tests and an EKG and all that. During my appointment she intimated that she suspected the problem was with my thyroid. Well, it turns out that with the exception of my iron (which was crazy low), everything was normal! I was actually excited about the iron level, thinking that it could be the source of my fatigue, but when she called to give me the results, she said that since I’m not anemic, that shouldn’t be a problem. Ugh. (FWIW, my iron levels have been low since I started seeing my naturopath 2 years or so ago. He put me onto an iron supplement at that time and I have been taking it ever since. Personally, I think it’s weird that my iron levels are actually lower than they were 2 years ago in spite of supplementing all this time, but whatever. That is, apparently, neither here nor there.)
Ultimately, the conversation ended on a low note because she ended up giving me the equivalent of the “it’s all in your head” speech by suggesting that possibly this fatigue is actually depression. Now, I’ve been depressed before, y’all, and this is nothing like that. I do understand that fatigue is a symptom of depression, but unlike the times when I have been depressed, I actually WANT to do stuff. I WANT to write, to exercise, to knit, to be awake and to live. My mood is fine. But my body is another story. Most days I feel as though I am encased in cement. My eyes are gritty in the middle of the day. And, no matter how much or how little sleep I get at night and what time I wake up in the morning, I usually need a nap by 2 pm. I seriously do not believe in my heart of hearts that this is depression. I don’t feel depressed. Could I be wrong? Sure. But I really want to explore the idea that it could be something else.
Which is why, in fact, I went to see the sleep doctor and have the sleep study done. Today was the follow-up appointment with him. The good news: I do not have OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea)! Which means that I am not going to die suddenly in my sleep which is a VGT (Very Good Thing). The bad news: I still do not have a reason for constantly being fatigued! One thing my sleep doctor did say, which I found quite irritating, was that during the 3 hours of actual sleep I got, I had 27 instances (9/hour) of partial airway collapse, and, according to him, 10/hour would have meant a diagnosis of mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea (although they still don’t give a CPAP for that). Argh. Perhaps if I had been able to get a better night’s sleep they’d have a better picture of what’s going on with me? I dunno, but it still pissed me off.
So, that’s where we stand. I guess it’s back to the naturopath for me. In the mean time, I started taking vitamin C with my iron. Funny story: when the naturopath first started treating me for the fatigue, he had me taking vitamin C with my iron and for a while I was actually feeling a bit better. Since I was feeling better (and off the gluten) he said I didn’t have to take the vitamin C any more. Anyhoo, I decided to add it back in after my conversation with the GP and GUESS WHAT! HOLY SHIT, I was able to get out of bed at 8:15 this morning, I got through my entire day without a nap, and I am still awake enough at this ungodly hour to write this blog post. I am going to be seriously pissed if 2 years of fatigue boils down to no one telling me “Hey dumbass, you gotta take some vitamin C with that iron.”
Seriously. Pissed.
Knitting Interrupted 
Doctors! Eh. When my eczema was so bad I couldn’t function at all, what the doctors gave me made it worse. I finally fixed myself after tons of alternative and such explorations and $ spent.
As irritating as what you’ve gone through is, I hope you’ve found something that works! ((((Hugs))))
Gah…I swear all doctors are useless for anything except medicating common problems. If theres something weird going on, they want nothing to do with any of it and would prefer to pretend as if it doesnt exist. WHY cant those lazy bums try treating symptoms instead of insisting on knowing things and letting symptoms persist, SIGH.
I’ve struggled with anemia my whole life. My doctor tried supplementing with iron, but what we found was that when the iron hit my system, my iron levels spiked causing my body to DUMP IRON. I ended up MORE anemic after supplementing than I was before. My doctor took me off iron supplements and instead suggested that I start cooking everything in cast iron pots. And that was the ticket – haven’t been anemic a day since. Might be worth trying?
Recently I have been surprised with several instances of doctors not mentioning to people that iron supplements work/absorb better with vitamin C. “Hey doctors! There is a reason it is manufactured in a pill form together!” There are people who get an upset stomach when they take iron by itself, but have fewer problems when taken together.
Maybe I need to try some Vitamin C then. I stay tired. Granted, the headache I seem to have acquired today isn’t helping things. Meh.