Severe fatigue and brain fog destroying my life!

[zheshi14]

Hello friends,

I have been dealing with these same issues for far too long! Little long, but here goes:

Starting when I was 16, I woke up one day and noticed I was a little tired for some odd reason. I have been tired ever since that day. I am currently a 23 year old otherwise healthy male. Not even a day or a minute of feeling well again. I've gradually gotten tireder and tireder over the course of the past 6-7 years, to the point where I'm at now where I can hardly function because the exhaustion and resulting symptoms have become so debilitating. All of the symptoms seem to match sleep deprivation but I have been using a CPAP machine for very mild mixed sleep apnea (AHI of about 6.5) for a few months with no change in energy. Although the CPAP has gotten rid of my bad night sweats that I previously experienced nearly every night. So basically, my life revolves around me being exhausted. Most of the symptoms below have gradually gotten worse and worse as time goes by.

Overall, it feels like I was hit by a truck. From the moment I wake up to the moment I pass out from sheer exhaustion at night. Everything feels like it's suppressed by this fog that has gradually gotten worse. For example, caffeine’s effect, sex drive, post-workout adrenaline and endorphins, getting plenty of sleep, etc. I can sort of FEEL all these things for the most part, but it feels suppressed and pushed down from this utter exhaustion. It’s like nothing can surpass the fatigue and fog. It's gotten to the point where I feel like I'm living my life from the backseat and am just going through the day mindlessly. And the thing that sucks is that I WANT to do things and live life, and am still pretty optimistic, but I'm just too fucking out of it, it's embarrassing.

SYMPTOMS:

•Chronic fatigue that has very gradually gotten worse and worse over 7-8 year time span. Never a moment of feeling better. Used to be more of a fatigue feeling, now it's escalated to bad fatigue plus intense sleepiness

• I now feel drugged/hungover 24/7.

•Absolutely zero energy now

•Cognitive decline (EX: concentration, alertness, memory, focus, BRAIN FOG, processing/recalling words, etc. Like it’s gotten to the point where I have to often plan what I’m going to say in advance and make sure I get each and every word right.

•Decision making is awful

•Coordination/balance feels out of wack like I'm drunk at times

•Motor skills, hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness have declined sharply.

•Feel like I move extremely slow now both mentally and physically

•Dizziness upon standing often

•Extremities/body parts feel so utterly exhausted and numb-like to the touch. Gradual decline as well.

•Head almost always feels very tired and heavy

•Consistent yawning throughout the day

•I feel more anxious/stressed easily, where everything feels like a chore

•Feel intoxicated MUCH more easily/quickly. It's been a gradual decline as well

•Have a perpetual drunk-like feeling like I'm not quite in real life. Never fully feel "there"

•Lower libido

•Night sweats often

•I fall asleep very easily most nights

•Sensitive to sunlight/bright light. Also get eye floaters

•I literally feel awkward and dumb now because I am SO fucking out of it and I'm sure others have noticed.

TESTS I'VE HAD DONE:

Blood panels tests, urinary tests, vitamin/mineral deficiency checks, hormones, heart scan, chest scans, head MRI, cortisol AM and PM levels, HIV, hepatitis, celiac, anemia, food allergy testing, full thyroid testing, antibodies, h. pylori, ENT doctor to rule out any structural issues. As mentioned on here many times, YES I have had my magnesium, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12 serum, testosterone, calcium, iron, glucose, folic acid levels thoroughly checked numerous times, and basically anything else that could pop up as a result of testing

THINGS I'VE DONE/TRIED:

Currently on my fourth anti-anxiety/depressant Prozac (really don't think this is the issue, but I'm low on options now), Modafinil, Adderall, kratom, CBD, a few months using a CPAP machine for very mild mixed sleep apnea, methylated B12, methylated folate, more sunlight/sports, not masturbating, more caffeine/no caffeine, glucose tablets, quality dark chocolate, antihistamines, diet changes, more exercise/less exercise, therapy, meditation and deep breathing exercises, spiritual healing, sleeping elevated, taping my mouth closed when I sleep, naturopathic docs, and SO MANY damn supplements including kava kava, chamomile, 5-HTP, ashwagandha, magnesium, melatonin, fish oil, vitamin D3, etc.

ADDITIONAL INFO:

I find it kind of weird that strong stuff like Adderall, Modafinil, kratom, CBD gummies, caffeine, or antidepressants make virtually no difference in me, no matter the dosage (not taken all at once). Some of this stuff sometimes makes me feel a little anxious/on edge, but that's about it. Exercise doesn't really seem to affect me one or another, I do not suffer from insomnia (in fact I fall asleep very easily most nights), I have not been exposed to toxic mold (lived in 5 different places since this started), my diet is extremely healthy, appetite is good, I do not have any joint pain, never had surgery, stay very well hydrated, my childhood and family life are extremely well, I have slightly elevated CO2 levels in my blood (but nothing dangerous), slightly elevated bilirubin levels, slightly elevated B12 serum levels, and slightly elevated ferritin levels. I might be missing a couple things but this is pretty much the jist of it.

Does this sound like possibly a B12 malabsorption issue? I know that this is a Pernicious Anaemia group, so I'm sure people are going to say YES!, but please share your thoughts. I hate feeling like this everyday and watching my life fly by me.

[Ashweb901]

Thyroid or testosterone?

[zheshi14 in reply to Ashweb901]

Both are perfect. Both have been checked in depth multiple times.

[Ashweb901 in reply to zheshi14]

I’m so sorry. Wish I had answers for you.

[wedgewood]

It’s so difficult to respond to your post , when your test results seem perfect . I can only say that it is possible to be deficient in vitamin B12 even if the readings seem OK. . I can only suggest you get some B12 injections ( which you don’t mention in remedies you have tried ), which may not solve the problem , but , at least, will do you no harm at all . If you have an absorption problem , it’s the only way to benefit from B12 . It’s impossible to overdose . They are cheap if you self-inject . Best wishes .

[zheshi14 in reply to wedgewood]

Where am I able to buy the necessary things to self inject?

[wedgewood in reply to zheshi14]

Are you in U.K.?

[wedgewood]

I’ve just though that it would be good for your to read Dr Sarah Myhill’s book ,” Chronic Fatigue Syndrome “ ( Amazon) She is a private doctor , who specialises in patients with Chronic Fatigue . You can consult her ( she lives on the Welsh/English borders )But its difficult to get an appointment as she is inundated with patients..

[Megan2011]

Prozac can do this to i had them made me feel absoulutyawful for months eventually got doc to change them bit better now on syertrline still very very tired and feeling faint like u say drink at times don't even drink blood test come bk fine I also have b12 deficiency horrible going through this each day is a massive struggle so no how u feel

[Vicky2822]

Just wanted to check, are you actually getting copies of your blood tests to check yourself? Doctors frequently say everything is fine when it is either at the very bottom or top of a range or even noted as low or high by the lab.

[Ashbe in reply to Vicky2822]

Many many years ago I studied clinical chemistry. Remember clearly that lecturer said ideally we should all have blood test taken when healthy as a benchmark for when we are ill. What is normal for you isn’t necessarily normal for me. Doctors look for values within a normal range but ..

[Cherylclaire Forum Support]

Vicky2822 is right, Zheshi. I felt quite lucky that my B12 was 196 ng/L as the "normal" range was 197 - 771 ng/L when I was tested. If it had been 1ng/L higher, the receptionist would have told me "normal: no action", I would not have asked for a printout, and would not have had a retest necessarily. This was in February 2016, when I did not know what B12 even was. I certainly did not know that I would be getting injections for life, or that the frequency offered would not be adequate to keep symptoms at bay.

If you can get a printout of blood tests, you can check if you are in any danger of dropping out of a normal range of anything that might be the cause of your problems. People here can help you interpret these should you need help of that nature. You seem like you have tried hard, done your homework and done as much as you are able in terms of self-help, but are now feeling desperate for answers.

You seem clued up and are correct in thinking that yes, this does sound familiar.

Have you had your methylmalonic acid (MMA) tested ? It could be worth checking that it is not raised- which can suggest a function problem with B12 (among other things). Might be worth asking for an active B12 test, find out how much of the B12 in your bloodstream is alive.

zheshi14 , keep on it, don't give up. Update us on your progress, okay ?

Wishing you all the best, and if I think of anything else, will let you know.

[Damseltree]

Have you had an MRI brain scan?