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Always tired... (My journey to cure my fatigue)

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Always tired... (My journey to cure my fatigue)  
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Posted 5/8/2006 6:08 AM (GMT -7)
**UPDATED**  1/9/2007        I have come to the realization that lab work is worthless.  What is a normal result?  You have a number from 1-10.  The doctor tells you, you're a number 3, so you're in a normal range.  But... what if YOUR normal results are suppose to be 7 or 8?  You would be on the low side.  I'm no doctor, but this doesn't make sense to me.  How can you accurately determine that someone is feeling one way from a test?  You can't.  Everyone is different.  One person level is different from another.  I believe I just need to find a doctor who is willing to treat symptoms, instead of lab work.  This is going to be hard to find, but it's just another steping stone to take on this journey to get my life back. 




Hello,

I've been tired for the past 4 months (Started getting bad in Jan of 2006). I use to workout 5-6 times a week, ate extremly healthy, didn't drink/smoke/do drugs, I was getting a good 7-8 hours of sleep a night

I've been to 2 different doctors. Have had blood tests done, Chest X-rays, 24 heart rate monitor, EKG... and they cannot find a thing.

My doctor thought it might be depression, because during the months of October through January, I was very stressed, but I've been like this before. He put me on Paxil, which did nothing for me but
make me more tired. I went off it after 10 days.

I'm always tired, every day...24/7. It starts after 20 minutes of waking. I usually have around 20 good minutes of energy (around 80%), then I crash. It never fails, every day.

I don't have headaches, or sorethroats (not one). I'm not feeling sick, just very fatigued. The back of my neck is sore atleast 5 days out of the week, and my lymp nodes under my jaw line seem to be a little swollen. the only
other thing that bothers me, is my lat muscles. They're sore to touch, but if I push them in, they don't hurts.... just grazing them seems to feel sore. Almost like they're bruised.

The only thing that makes not sense, is when I took a 4 days vacation to Florida, I felt better (on the last day). I left on a Thursday, and came back on a Sunday evening. I felt GREAT!!!! Monday-through Thursdays, but when Friday hit, I felt
horrible again, and was on the couch all weekend. During those 4 days of energy, I was able to workout again, I was eating great again, and felt awesome.

I thought it was something in my house, so I brought a Mold inspector through... he found nothing. I thought it might be something else in the home, so I left for 3 days, and didn't feel any better.

I'm sorry, I know this is a lot to read, but I have no idea why I feel so tired.









(TESTS I'VE BEEN THROUGH AS OF 1/2/2007)



-Blood tests : EBV/CMV, standard blood panel, Lyme disease (Twice through LabCorp)

-EKG and 24H Heart rate monitor

-Pulminary chamber test for lungs

-Accpuncture

-Therapy : 3 different types of SSRI's (Paxil, Effexor, and Prozac)

-Mold tests in home. Normal readings, house in great condition

-Allergy test (skin injections) common and foods 1 and 2

-Sleep study

-Dietary change (Multiple times)

-Quit using aspertame

-Candidia cleanse

-Humaworm (dewormer)

-Saliva Test : 4 x's Coritsol and DHEA-S  (BINGO!!!!  This showed the problem.  Low Cortisol all day).  Here are the results
 
-ACTH/Cortisol/TSH/t3/t4/Testosterone (Blood work).  All tests came back normal, however cortisol was borderline normal (5-25).. mine was an 8.
 
-24 hour urine test (Cortisol) -   Oh look.. another normal results.  My level was 27 (10-105)

Suffering from Adrenal Fatigue (confirmed by Saliva test)

Multivitamin
6000mg of Vitamin C daily
800mg of Vitamin E
1000mg of Vitamin B5
100mg of vitamin B6
Adrenal Extracts
DHEA (25mg) 

Post Edited (Orion82698) : 1/9/2007 4:04:15 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 5/8/2006 7:21 AM (GMT -7)
Hi Orion. I'm sorry about your health problems. It's miserable to feel so rotton all of the time. I used to be really into fitness and was a long distance runner and now there are days I can barely walk. It's really hard to go from being active and healthy to being so fatigued you can barely function.

Have you been seeing your family doc for these poblems or have you been referred to a specialist at any time? Unfortunately it can take a while to sort out symptoms because these symptoms are present in so many different diseases. A rheumatologist can help sort some of these issues out. Your symptoms are consistent with CFS, but these symptoms are also present in other illnesses. I wonder if you have thought about the possibility of Lymes disease also. You could post your symptoms on the lymes forum and see what they think - they have some really knowledgeable members there.

I don't know how much I've helped. Just don't give up trying to find out what is wrong. A lot of times docs want to pass these types of symptoms off as depression if they can't find anything. My response to docs was that the only reason I felt down was because I was too tired to do anything. You know your body better than anyone else.

Please ask any other questions you have. Take care and keep us updated.

Diagnosis:  Suspected Lupus 2004; Raynauds 2006; Sjogren's 2006; CFS 1991; Mono 1985

Meds:  Plaquenil 400mg; Tramadol 100mg 3-4x daily; Amitriptyline 10mg; Neurontin 200mg; Steriod Cream and Mouth Rinse for tongue and mouth ulcers; Hydrocodone 5/500 prn for severe pain

Please allow HealingWell to continue helping others by donating: https://www.healingwell.com/donate/

Posted 5/8/2006 8:20 AM (GMT -7)
Thanks!

Yeah, I thought about Lyme disease, but the only thing that doesn't make sense is why when I go away, I feel better.

I'm taking another vaction here in 5 weeks, we shall see if I get any better.

Suffering from Adrenal Fatigue (confirmed by Saliva test)

Multivitamin
6000mg of Vitamin C daily
800mg of Vitamin E
1000mg of Vitamin B5
100mg of vitamin B6
Adrenal Extracts
DHEA (25mg) 

Post Edited (Orion82698) : 12/18/2006 3:40:39 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 5/8/2006 3:30 PM (GMT -7)
Orion,
If you have fibro or it's related disorders then your fatigue would be relieved by rest, ie. prolonged rest on a vacation. But as soon as you get back to work you're tired again... For my fatigue I take 2400 mg. of Malic acid as well as about 300 mg of magnesium in a multi vitamin and magnesium supplement. If it's fibro you may be having trouble with energy production at the mitochodrial level of your cells and the Malic acid helps some sufferers, but not all. I'm looking into other energy boosters as well. Hope you're feeling better soon.
~ Jeannie

"People are like stained glass windows: They sparkle and shine when the sun's out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light within."

- Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Posted 5/9/2006 9:16 AM (GMT -7)
Well, I do sit all day long.

I work in the IT field, and my job is pretty much at my desk. I can do all my work from my chair.

The vacation was during the winter season, and felt great to get away. That's why for so long, I thought this was stress/anxiety issue...
Posted 5/9/2006 9:54 AM (GMT -7)
Have you thought about Seasonal Affective Disorder? (SAD). If this occurs more often in the winter, and your vacatons are to sunny locations, this might be something to consider. It would be diagnosed & treated by a physicatrist familar with SAD (and not so may are so qualified) Lynnwood SLE,  Sjogren's Syndrome, Raynaud's Syndrome, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Depression, Herpes Simplex 1 Piroxicam, Plaquenil, Imuran, Prednisone, Xanax, Trazodone, Fosamax, Wellbrutrin SR, Valtrex Clickable:   LUPUS INFORMATION & LUPUS RESOURCES .
Posted 5/9/2006 1:56 PM (GMT -7)
I've heard of this.

I am by no mean ruling out Stress/axiety/depression.

I just got married in September, bought a house last summer, and during the Christmas season, money was very tight, and I was really stressed. We had a problem with
our taxes, and that really stressed me out beyond belief. I remember some nights falling asleep thiking about how I was going to get by. When we took our vacation in Febuary to Florida, money
was still tight, but I told myself and my wife that we weren't going to concern ourselves with that, we were just going to relax and have a great time. We did!
Posted 5/9/2006 4:46 PM (GMT -7)
Sometimes severe stress (good or bad) can trigger the onset of CFS or fibromyalgia. Lynnwood had a good idea about looking up information about SAD. My brother was affected by SAD and suffered terrible fatigue with it. A lot of it has to do with the lack of sunlight throughout the winter months and a lot of times artificial sun light is prescribed as well as medication.

Diagnosis:  Suspected Lupus 2004; Raynauds 2006; Sjogren's 2006; CFS 1991; Mono 1985

Meds:  Plaquenil 400mg; Tramadol 100mg 3-4x daily; Amitriptyline 10mg; Neurontin 200mg; Steriod Cream and Mouth Rinse for tongue and mouth ulcers; Hydrocodone 5/500 prn for severe pain

Please allow HealingWell to continue helping others by donating: https://www.healingwell.com/donate/

Posted 5/16/2006 6:19 AM (GMT -7)

Hi:

Read your post, and I can remember feeling like you, tired, achy and just awful.  I was also into fitness as an instructor and had my own studio which I closed and sold because of cfs.

I have a young family and that comes first.  However, I went to a sleep disorder clinic because the medical doctors put me through a series of tests which came back negative.  I also have Ulcerative colitis, but it was in remission when cfs was finally diagnosed by the sleep dr.

I take xanax to help my mind calm down only before I go to bed.  My brain waves were so active at night I was'nt sleeping well.  After a period of time, it really can bring you down.

Another helpful thing was eliminated soda.  I think that was a big problem.  I also subscribe to "Eat right for your type"  which is eating right for your blood type.  Mine is A+ and I am primarily a vegan, but poultry and fish are acceptable in moderation.  You may want to look into it.

I found an MD who is really a wholistic doctor, and believes in the right foods and vitamin supplements and it has made all the difference to me.  I was in need of Vitamin B12 the most.

Anyway, I understand and I know you will feel better.  Please take care. 

Posted 5/16/2006 11:35 AM (GMT -7)
Thanks Buckeyes!


So far, no different. My doctor has put me on Effexor ER and wants to see if this will help me.

I'm really hoping this is just depressions and axiety. My life has been hell the past 3 months because of this fatigue, and I don't know how in the world I could do another
year of this.
Posted 5/16/2006 3:19 PM (GMT -7)
How long have you been on Effexor? It can take some of the antidepressants 4-6 weeks to feel the full effects. If the Effexor doesn't make a difference in your fatigue level, check in with your doctor again and keep going until you get some answers.

Diagnosis:  Suspected Lupus 2004; Raynauds 2006; Sjogren's 2006; CFS 1991; Mono 1985

Meds:  Plaquenil 400mg; Tramadol 100mg 3-4x daily; Amitriptyline 10mg; Neurontin 200mg; Steriod Cream and Mouth Rinse for tongue and mouth ulcers; Hydrocodone 5/500 prn for severe pain

Please allow HealingWell to continue helping others by donating: https://www.healingwell.com/donate/

Posted 5/17/2006 3:48 AM (GMT -7)
This will be my Third day.

I agree, if this doesn't do anything for me, I'm heading back again for more testing.
Posted 5/19/2006 10:38 AM (GMT -7)
Just PLEASE be careful with the Effexor. That stuff is worse than crack/heroin to get off of (from what I understand... the crack and heroin part). I was on it for 8 or 9 months, and all it did was make me into an emotionless zombie, and getting off of it.... the withdrawl effects from simply decreasing your dosage was bad enough I wanted to die... and this was for months. Go to petition online once, and look up Effexor, or even google it. There's THOUSANDS of people that had horrible experiences in which they shared about Effexor. Even my doctor (not the same one who put me on Effexor) said that stuff is evil and WAYYY overperscribed (the one who finally believed there was something wrong with me, and that it wasn't in my head and found out I have CFS/CFIDS). Heck, for my (mild) anxiety, he wouldn't even put me on Xanax because of the possible addiction problems, and put me on Lorazepam instead.

Now that's not saying Effexor hasn't helped anyone, but it's a dangerous drug and should be treated with caution. I'm on Provigil for my CFS, and I for the first time in my life feel like I'd imagine normal people feel after a good night of rest.

CFS can also be triggered by stress/anxiety... I had an anxiety attack 2 weeks ago and made it worse. I rarely have them anymore, but it's not fun.

Anyway, I do wish you the best, and if you don't feel comfortable with the possible risk factors associated with Effexor, I'd discuss it with your doctor asap.

Again, not meant to scare, but just a heads up on how dangerous that drug can be.
Hugs,

Nikki

I have chronic fatigue syndrome, anxiety (at this current moment), and some minor abdominal pain which still hasn't been figured out yet... need a break from all the testing ;)

Medications:

CFS: Provigil 200mg, once a day
Anxiety: Lorazepam .5 or 1mg 3xs a day or as needed

Posted 5/19/2006 12:41 PM (GMT -7)
Thanks for the post!!!

So far today, I've noticed something different. I'm more up in spirt, I have a little more energy, and the muscle pain in my LATS don't seem so bad. I'm not sure if
it's the effexor or just a great day, but I'm hoping this lasts. My dosage get's doubled next week (Monday to 75mg). I'll post then after the weekend and let you all know
how things are going.
Posted 5/19/2006 10:16 PM (GMT -7)
When I first started on Effexor, I was VERY energetic and was really happy... then it all went downhill from there.

I will pray though that this is actually helping you and you won't have to go through what I did. Good luck and keep us posted!
Hugs,

Nikki

I have chronic fatigue syndrome, anxiety (at this current moment), and some minor abdominal pain which still hasn't been figured out yet... need a break from all the testing ;)

Medications:

CFS: Provigil 200mg, once a day
Anxiety: Lorazepam .5 or 1mg 3xs a day or as needed

Posted 5/20/2006 12:01 PM (GMT -7)
Thanks for the prayers :)
Posted 5/20/2006 12:02 PM (GMT -7)
I'd also like to note that my lymp nodes under my jaw line haven't been swollen in over a week. I don't know if they were every really swollen from anything, but me constantly rubbing them.
Posted 5/24/2006 11:24 AM (GMT -7)
I noticed something really weird today, and it has me thinking.

When I woke up this morning, while getting ready, my right side of my Lat muscle that normally is a little sensative/sore had a sharp pain. Almost like a bee sting. It went away after about 10 seconds
it happened when I was putting my undershirt on. This also just happend while I was standing talking to a co-worker, not even moving, this stinging sensation happend, and my lat muscle feels swelled.

I remember this feeling a while back, when I was boxing. Thowing some jabs, I felt this, so I stopped. I didn't go back into it becuase shortly after, I started feeling like this, so I never got back into box (doing it at home on a punching bag)

Anyone ever heard of this? Is this just a pulled/torn muscle, and not muscle soreness? As I have said before it's only the right side that bothers me, and it's the only muscle on my body that has this (soreness)

I'll be out of town for the next few days until Saturday, so if I don't respond, it's because I'm on vacation. Maybe this will do me some good. :)

Lymph nodes are still no longer swollen. Perhaps I'm getting better :)

Post Edited (Orion82698) : 5/24/2006 12:27:30 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/25/2006 7:51 PM (GMT -7)

I just happened to stumble on this Forum and read your posting.  I have had very similar symptoms - muscle soreness & fatigue.  I am currently in "remission" from depression.  I was on a few different antidepressants - one of them being Effexor.  I had a really bad experience with Effexor which lead to suicidal thoughts and a complete mental breakdown.  I was only on the Effexor for about one month before I "crashed".  I was determined that my symptoms were not entirely related to my depression (especially the fatigue).  I would literally feel like I was going to drop from all the fatique.  I switched doctors and the new doctor started by having certain blood tests done (SED rate, ANA, rheumatoid factor, c-reactive protein).  All these tests were slightly positive and the doctor referred me to a Rheumotologist who ordered further blood work to start ruling out things (Lupus, MS, Etc).  After all these months of tests, I was finally diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome which is an auto-immune disease.  This is the reason that I easily get fatigued.  Now I am starting to listen to my body more and take "cat naps"  during the day as needed.

You should have all of these blood tests done to rule out any of the auto-immune diseases.  I am very lucky to have found some great doctors who know what tests to do.

I hope this helps.

 

 

Posted 5/27/2006 12:26 PM (GMT -7)
Yeah, I'm looking into that too now :)

Thanks for the post!!




Well, I'm back. I had a great time, and was able to relax!! I still have the next few days off, but they'll be spent at parties. I didn't really feel any different, and yesterday was horrible for me. Today, I'm also tired again. I've noticed, the more I sit down, and lay around, the more tired I become. I f I get up and move around to a certain extent, I'm ok. I'm trying not to read into things. I know this isn't depressions. I'm always wanting to be out doing things, seeing people, going places, and wanting to exercise.

Who knows....
Posted 5/28/2006 9:10 PM (GMT -7)
Wow... now tell me this isn't weird.

I'm getting ready to get into the shower this morning, and my wife says, "turn around for a second".

There is a black "X" on my lower back. It's about the size of a pencil head, but it's clearly and perfectly made X. It looks like it was tattoo'd on there, or burned in. I don't remember seeing it anytime in the past, nor my wife.

I don't know if this means anything, but I cannot find anything on this anywhere.

Anyone heard of this?
Posted 5/29/2006 6:12 AM (GMT -7)
THat is really strange - have your wife take a picture so you can show the doctor.

How have things been going for you with effoxor and how you are feeling? Have you been able to get some bloodwork done to rule out other autoimmune diseases?

I saw from you posts that you had felt some improvement - I hope that's still the case.

Take care

Diagnosis:  Suspected Lupus 2004; Raynauds 2006; Sjogren's 2006; CFS 1991; Mono 1985

Meds:  Plaquenil 400mg; Tramadol 100mg 3-4x daily; Amitriptyline 10mg; Neurontin 200mg; Steriod Cream and Mouth Rinse for tongue and mouth ulcers; Hydrocodone 5/500 prn for severe pain

Please allow HealingWell to continue helping others by donating: https://www.healingwell.com/donate/

Posted 5/29/2006 7:37 AM (GMT -7)
Not feeling any different really. I see my doctor again on Wednesday to go over how the effexor went. I don't really think it did anything for me.
Posted 5/29/2006 9:02 AM (GMT -7)
Hey Orion! I am brand new to this forum. I joined because your story reminds me so much of what I went through for 2 years.  Tired ALL the time, achy, depressed because of feeling so tired and sick, not tired because of depression! I had never drank, doped or anything like that, not overweight and had always been very healthy! I went to doctor after doctor and many tests and many doctor bills later, they could not find anything wrong with me.  I knew in my soul that something wasn't right, I just didn't know what.  about a year ago, my husband's 96 year old grandmother (who lives in a nudist colony in Texas!) told me I just needed to be "wormed".  She said she wormed herself twice a year every year!  Of course, I thought she was NUTS! about 6 months ago, I got so desperate, I did get a herbal wormer, took it for 30 days. And I know this sounds off the wall, but I am back to 100%.  My family (Mother and sisters) thought I had really lost it but they saw the outcome and one of my sisters is halfway through a herbal parasite remover now.  I'm not saying you should do this or anything, it's just what helped me.
Posted 5/29/2006 10:24 AM (GMT -7)
That's interesting! I've never heard of that. Can you get that anywhere? I too am desperate!!!!!

Thanks for the post :)
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