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What could be causing longterm lethargy, malaise, weakness, and fainting?
Hi there!
18 year old female here, in generally good health, with existing conditions of celiac's disease, POTS, Ehlers Danlos (hypermobility), and a few mental health conditions (generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, pervasive depressive disorder, OCD, ADHD, and EDNOS)
I've been having quite a few worsening problems with fatigue, lightheadness, weakness, and malaise for quite a few years now. Particularly since graduating high school, I've found that my fatigue is so severe that I spend much of my days in bed for the vast majority of the day, and my sleep schedule flips from 0-3 hours of sleep per night, to 14 hours of sleep on other days. Because I have many mental health conditions, it has been very easy to just assume my depression and anxiety are the cause of these problems, as I usually have a low mood and trouble with motivation and concentration. However, it is particularly noticeable now when I'm spending time with my boyfriend. I have had these problems on and off, including around him, but usually I feel a lot lighter and more motivated to get up and go and do things when I'm with him. In the last couple months especially, though, I find myself unable to get out of bed or even just watch netflix in bed even with him. Some days the weakness is so severe that he has to help me get to the washroom or get food and such for me, because it takes so much energy and strain to hold myself up. My mind feels very foggy and clouded much of the time, and my thinking is slow. My concentration is shot. I had to quit my job back in the summer and haven't been able to get back to work, and my social life, other than the weeks I spend with my boyfriend, is almost entirely nonexistent. I frequently experience severe lightheadedness and my boyfriend will tell me of whole hours where I was in and out of full consciousness that I have barely any memory of. I experience tremors in my hands on and off, and my legs also shake nearly every time I go up or down stairs, or move from a standing to a seated position, or standing up. My vision spots out and goes black when I stand or sit up, or when I bend down (though this is likely due to the POTS). I also often experience nausea, intolerance to both cold and hot, and feel very very cold or very very warm when I shouldn't. I also experience tingling in my hands and tingling in my lips and tongue a couple times per week at least. My lymph nodes are also very often swollen in my neck and behind and below my ears, and I have been having a considerable amount of neck pain which in turn results in bad headaches that last hours and are either unilateral or bilateral depending on the day. I just feel so unwell and flulike most days, but I never have a fever, and the doctors haven't been able to find much. I've tested negative for anemia, my thyroid is healthy, nothing was found on an MRI or my head/neck/spine, and my blood sugar looked perfect last time I was checked. I have a normal blood pressure, and I was even checked for mono, the results of which also came back negative
I do have quite a few food intolerances and allergies in addition to the celiac's disease, so I was thinking it might be a few nutritional deficiencies that are causing all this, but I would really appreciate some insight. This is very seriously impacting my life, and I feel as though I'm never going to come through this.
Thank you kindly for your time.
18 year old female here, in generally good health, with existing conditions of celiac's disease, POTS, Ehlers Danlos (hypermobility), and a few mental health conditions (generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, pervasive depressive disorder, OCD, ADHD, and EDNOS)
I've been having quite a few worsening problems with fatigue, lightheadness, weakness, and malaise for quite a few years now. Particularly since graduating high school, I've found that my fatigue is so severe that I spend much of my days in bed for the vast majority of the day, and my sleep schedule flips from 0-3 hours of sleep per night, to 14 hours of sleep on other days. Because I have many mental health conditions, it has been very easy to just assume my depression and anxiety are the cause of these problems, as I usually have a low mood and trouble with motivation and concentration. However, it is particularly noticeable now when I'm spending time with my boyfriend. I have had these problems on and off, including around him, but usually I feel a lot lighter and more motivated to get up and go and do things when I'm with him. In the last couple months especially, though, I find myself unable to get out of bed or even just watch netflix in bed even with him. Some days the weakness is so severe that he has to help me get to the washroom or get food and such for me, because it takes so much energy and strain to hold myself up. My mind feels very foggy and clouded much of the time, and my thinking is slow. My concentration is shot. I had to quit my job back in the summer and haven't been able to get back to work, and my social life, other than the weeks I spend with my boyfriend, is almost entirely nonexistent. I frequently experience severe lightheadedness and my boyfriend will tell me of whole hours where I was in and out of full consciousness that I have barely any memory of. I experience tremors in my hands on and off, and my legs also shake nearly every time I go up or down stairs, or move from a standing to a seated position, or standing up. My vision spots out and goes black when I stand or sit up, or when I bend down (though this is likely due to the POTS). I also often experience nausea, intolerance to both cold and hot, and feel very very cold or very very warm when I shouldn't. I also experience tingling in my hands and tingling in my lips and tongue a couple times per week at least. My lymph nodes are also very often swollen in my neck and behind and below my ears, and I have been having a considerable amount of neck pain which in turn results in bad headaches that last hours and are either unilateral or bilateral depending on the day. I just feel so unwell and flulike most days, but I never have a fever, and the doctors haven't been able to find much. I've tested negative for anemia, my thyroid is healthy, nothing was found on an MRI or my head/neck/spine, and my blood sugar looked perfect last time I was checked. I have a normal blood pressure, and I was even checked for mono, the results of which also came back negative
I do have quite a few food intolerances and allergies in addition to the celiac's disease, so I was thinking it might be a few nutritional deficiencies that are causing all this, but I would really appreciate some insight. This is very seriously impacting my life, and I feel as though I'm never going to come through this.
Thank you kindly for your time.
Hello~The other poster has great suggestions. I will also add, have you been tested for Fibromyalgia? You have lots of symptoms associated with it. I would also see a chiropractor, sometimes, when nerves are pinched in the neck and spine, the patient will experience the symptoms you are describing.
1 Comments
Thank you for the response! Yes I agree, other poster made some very likely suggestions and I will get blood work done! I have just recently set up some physio appointments to deal with my neck and all the headaches stemming from it so we'll see where that gets me.
It worries me quite a lot that you thought of fibromyalgia... that is actually very possible. My mother has fibromyalgia and begun developing her symptoms around my age... so it wouldn't surprise me if I'm developing it now as well... I will also look into that.
Thank you again!
It worries me quite a lot that you thought of fibromyalgia... that is actually very possible. My mother has fibromyalgia and begun developing her symptoms around my age... so it wouldn't surprise me if I'm developing it now as well... I will also look into that.
Thank you again!
You need to get blood work done.
You're probably deficient in Vitamin D, Magnesium and possibly Vitamin B12.
You have gut absorption issues with Celiac's so you're not processing your vitamins/minerals.
Vitamin D should at least 50ng or 125nmoL
Vitamin B12 must be above 500, but closer to 1,000 is optimal.
Most people are also low in magnesium since our soils are depleted.
If your doctor prescribes D2, do NOT take it. It's harmful. Only take D3 and it's fat soluble so it needs fat to be transported in your body. It should be taken in the morning or with lunch because it can disrupt sleep. Think of it as the Sun Vitamin. Typically 5,000-10,000iu daily will raise levels. Then get a blood test in 3 months to see where you're at. If at an optimal level, you figure out what is the best maintenance dose to continue to take daily. D3 will better utilize your Calcium and increase absorption. This will use up more of your Calcium.
Magnesium should be taken at least two times daily. Not more than 100-200mg at a time because the body cannot absorb more than that.
You can take it orally and topically. Magnesium foot baths are helpful too. Maybe is needed to balance your Calcium.
If you're not on meds that conflict, Vitamin K2 (MK4) is needed to direct Calcium in your body.
It prevents it from being deposited into your arteries and soft tissue. About 35% cannot tolerate the Vitamin K2 MK7 form. They feel heart palpitations and anxiety.
It's important to drink enough water to stay hydrated and flush the excess calcium from your body.
Also important to eat/drink more high potassium foods. You want your electrolytes to be balanced.
If you need B12, it's possible you'll need injections. Folic acid (B9...methyl Folate) will help the b12 work. Avoid Vitamin C for an hour because it hinders B12 absorption. B12 will also use up your potassium, so again, eat/drink foods to in tease potassium intake.
You're probably deficient in Vitamin D, Magnesium and possibly Vitamin B12.
You have gut absorption issues with Celiac's so you're not processing your vitamins/minerals.
Vitamin D should at least 50ng or 125nmoL
Vitamin B12 must be above 500, but closer to 1,000 is optimal.
Most people are also low in magnesium since our soils are depleted.
If your doctor prescribes D2, do NOT take it. It's harmful. Only take D3 and it's fat soluble so it needs fat to be transported in your body. It should be taken in the morning or with lunch because it can disrupt sleep. Think of it as the Sun Vitamin. Typically 5,000-10,000iu daily will raise levels. Then get a blood test in 3 months to see where you're at. If at an optimal level, you figure out what is the best maintenance dose to continue to take daily. D3 will better utilize your Calcium and increase absorption. This will use up more of your Calcium.
Magnesium should be taken at least two times daily. Not more than 100-200mg at a time because the body cannot absorb more than that.
You can take it orally and topically. Magnesium foot baths are helpful too. Maybe is needed to balance your Calcium.
If you're not on meds that conflict, Vitamin K2 (MK4) is needed to direct Calcium in your body.
It prevents it from being deposited into your arteries and soft tissue. About 35% cannot tolerate the Vitamin K2 MK7 form. They feel heart palpitations and anxiety.
It's important to drink enough water to stay hydrated and flush the excess calcium from your body.
Also important to eat/drink more high potassium foods. You want your electrolytes to be balanced.
If you need B12, it's possible you'll need injections. Folic acid (B9...methyl Folate) will help the b12 work. Avoid Vitamin C for an hour because it hinders B12 absorption. B12 will also use up your potassium, so again, eat/drink foods to in tease potassium intake.
2 Comments
Thank you for the advice - I have a feeling that you're 100% right and it's all to do with vitamins. In the past, my blood work had shown that I was getting pretty low in magnesium, b12, and vitamin D, but unfortunately I'm absolutely terrible at actually remember to take the vitamins so I'm really going to have to find a way to do that, or get the injections.
Plus, I developed food intolerances a few years ago (for some as of yet unknown reason) to most vegetables (anything green or leafy pretty much), as well as to pineapples, bananas, tofu, avocado, and then of course gluten.. and then stupidly enough I stuck with Pescatarianism (fish, eggs, and dairy, no other meat), so I am missing QUITE a lot of sources of essential vitamins and minerals..
I will get more blood work done asap!
Plus, I developed food intolerances a few years ago (for some as of yet unknown reason) to most vegetables (anything green or leafy pretty much), as well as to pineapples, bananas, tofu, avocado, and then of course gluten.. and then stupidly enough I stuck with Pescatarianism (fish, eggs, and dairy, no other meat), so I am missing QUITE a lot of sources of essential vitamins and minerals..
I will get more blood work done asap!
I had to take supplements to raise my levels. The 'brain fog' made is very tough to remember things. I bought a pill caddy that had sections to put 1 week of pills with 4 different times of day. I just used each section for a different day instead. In the beginning I wrote myself a note or set an alarm on my phone to remind me to take the pills.
I wonder if you have H. Pylori as well?
I wonder if you have H. Pylori as well?
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