Fatigue spells

[Dee8686]

Hi..

I am awaiting blood tests and I know my tsh is too high but:

Can anyone relate to 'energy crashes?'

I really am having to rest all the time at the moment. Even doing light pottering today, I suddenly felt very unwell and heavily fatigued and have had to lie down the rest of the day. This doesn't happen every day but my general day to day activity has completely gone downhill since November and now I have to just rest. Is this normal? I literally can't look after my 3 year old for a whole day at the moment because of how unwell I seem to be which is heartbreaking.

I'm awaiting a blood test (the wait is killing me!) and I have a specialist appointment next week which I'm looking forward to (!)

I guess I'm just after some reassurance that this is normal for

Someone who is slightly under medicated? Tsh (4.1)

Thank you in advance...

[BadHare]

I use the need to go to bed at 4pm, because I'm cold & can barely stand as a sign of undermedication. I used to crash at this time every afternoon, & fell asleep in meetings which was embarrassing! I was also always wide awake 12 hours later. Now I'm on THs (THANK YOU TUK!!!) it happens infrequently. if I'm underdosed I'll have a bit of a crash at 6pm, as a sign I need to increase a bit.

Energy crashes also happen when my B12 is low. When I've bought the wrong dose or tyoe, I'm floored all the time. Also with vitamin D.

[Dee8686 in reply to BadHare]

What's ths? X thanks or your reply

[BadHare in reply to Dee8686]

Thyroid hormones. 🌞

[seeking-answers]

Hi Dee8686.

You are not alone. 3 years later after a diagnosis of Graves disease and being a patient at the Functional Medicine Clinic in Cleveland US, I am finally starting to have a bit of a clue at to why my body would CRASH and fatigue so easily. It was awful.

I used to be super active, hot yoga, could lift 100 pounds (my son with Cerebral Palsy) and conquer the world... and then the long 5 year struggle to get a diagnosis. Looking back now, I realize now that the fatigue was not "normal for a woman my age" but the first signs that I needed to really pay attention to what was going on. I firmly believe that if I had the information I have now (functional medicine) I might never have become autoimmune.

You are smart to be paying attention to your body, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. This support group is the best out there I think. We all have to fight to get answers, hard to do when you are exhausted, but you will get support here.

Do you notice if the fatigue happens at certain times of the day? You might want to take notes and notice when it is happening, how long it lasts, etc. Everyone is different, but I found that when you pay attention to your body, it starts to give you clues and then you can prioritize what you might do to help. With a three year old, it can be hard to put yourself first sometimes, but in the end, getting yourself well is going to help your family. Hard for us Moms to do, but we have to be well before we can take care of everyone else.

Everyone is different, but I had/have inflammation of the rib cage area and my really bad fatigue always happens after eating, about an hour and a half later. Something about the digestion process causes major fatigue issues for me, as if my body literally SHUTS DOWN. Sounds crazy, and it is. After eating it was like I was drunk! Could not drive the car, swollen rib cage seemed to cut off all the power to my brain. BUT... identifying when it happens started to give me clues that confirmed I needed to be really strict on my gluten free, dairy free and sugar free diet. That was when I finally started to stop the progression of the fatigue. Supplements also helped, but need to be targeted to your own very specific test results.

Don't ever give up! You are asking the right questions. Keep educating yourself and being here is an excellent place to start. If you are just starting your journey, I would suggest Dr. Amy Meyer's Thyroid Connection book (her autoimmune book is good too, but the TC book is thyroid specific if you know you have thyroid issues). With my addled brain I had trouble processing information that was medical and complicated. Her book (I think) is a great place to start because she acknowledges that many people are "on the spectrum" loooooonnnnnnggggg before they get a test result !

Hang in there! It does get better but takes time and effort to be your own medical detective, but people here really do care and help. I don't know what I would have done without them...

Seeking Answers (aka American Robin)

[Hidden]

Yes, i feel my energy drifting down several times during the day. I also believe I'm undermedicated and am working on that. I try to eat well but the habit I still can't break is cups of (strong) black coffee throughout the day. I feel badly for you. At least I'm retired, my daughter is 50, and my time is pretty much my own. I hope you get the right thyroid help soon. Take care. irina1975

[Clarrisa]

I relate to each & every post here. I think I've just sort of retreated these past few weeks into my home hoping my fatigue would just somehow all go away magically. Needless to say it hasn't. I dog sit so I must get out somewhat. I struggle with the dairy free part, mostly over kefir. I think the poor air quality from the Napa California fires was the icing on the cake for a progressive inflammatory process I more than likely had already cooking. Then the flu was the real kicker. It does feel better to know you are not alone with this thyroid plight.