Extreme Fatique

[BeccaBing]

I have had Type 1 diabetes for 38 years.  Does anyone have extreme fatique from an average workday?  I am unable to do anything when I get home except rest.

[JDRF-Team-wak]

I am not a physician, but the mom of a type one diabetic.  I can tell you that when my daughter's blood sugars are not stable and are a running high or low she feels tired.  The more constant your blood sugar levels the more energy you will have.  The insulin is what helps your body get energy.

I would suggest you call your endocrinologist and let him/her know how fatigued you are.  There are several factors that can cause the fatigue.  From not enough insulin and carbohydrates in your diet, to thyroid and other endocrine problems.

When I had my thyroid problem, I could sleep for eight houses and wake up exhausted.  Now when I have constant fatigue I know that I need an adjustment in my medication. With my daughter I know it means she needs to adjust her insulin in take.


I hope this information helps. Please come back and let us know how it is going

[Bethie79sd]

Only some days, it depends on how my blood sugars have been running.  However, I've only been diabetic for 6 yrs, I also sometimes blame the fatigue on my thyroid.  It is probably a combination of both.  But yes I do come home sometimes and can barley make it to the sofa.... Good LUck

[JDRF Team SGG]

Type 1 "autoimmune" diabetics whose immune systems have caused the diabetes sometimes have other endocrine glands affected by the same immune system. Thyroid problems are fairly common, when the immune system attacks the thyroid gland just like it did the pancreas. Most doctors check our thyroid activity every few checkups to make sure that all is well.

Anyway, in addition to the fairly common thyroid malfunction, the adrenal glands can be attacked. This happened to my identical twin sister, who is also a type 1 diabetic, but not to me, oddly enough. If the adrenal glands are damaged so that they don't produce enough cortisol, fatigue is extreme and it just gets worse until the problem is diagnosed and treated with prednisone or cortisol.

My suggestion would be to not assume that this is normal for a diabetic, for it is NOT normal to feel exhausted. In my case, the only thing that causes extreme feelings of exhaustion are low or high glucose levels, but these feelings go away as soon as the sugar levels are normalized. If the feelings of fatigue are not related to abnormal glucose levels, you may want to ask your doctor to check your thyroid and adrenal levels. If either is not functioning properly, fatigue will be one symptom, and both conditions are fairly easily treated. Good luck to you!

[who_dis]

I agree; go to the doctor.  My mother was a type 2 diabetic, and in her later years developed extreme fatigue so bad she could hardly get out of bed.
She was finally convinced to go to the doctor, where she found out her kidneys had failed and she was critically anemic (which caused the extreme fatigue).
Not saying this is what's happening to you, but that it is just a good idea to see your doctor as there are a lot of conditions that can complicate diabetes and cause fatigue.

[Larry68]

I have been a T1 diabetic for 42 years. At about 38 years, I also felt exausted every day, and especially after exercise. Through mostly luck, I discovered atherosclerosis to be the cause, with 90% blockage in arteries to my heart. This is a commonly underdiagnosed problem for diabetics, as high glucose levels accelerate the condition and autonomic neuropathy  masks the discomfort we would normally feel (angina pain). If you have not recently been evaluated for this condition, you should seriously consider it, even if it is not the root cause of your tiredness.

Larry

[JDRF-Team-wak]

As you can see there are several things that can be causeing your fatigue. I would strongly suggewsat that you call your doctor and explain to him/he waht is going on.


Good luck