Puffy eyes, unusual tiredness, fatigue... Please Help!?

P

Princess Pritchy

New member
For the past few months i've been feeling incredibly tired even though i get around 9-11 hours sleep every night. I find it hard to get out of bed and when i finally do i still feel incredibly tired throughout the day. Its really affecting my life and i find it really difficult to sit exams in college. I know im not lacking iron as ive been taking iron and vitamin tablets daily for the past month.
As well as this, i've lost my glow and developed dark undereye circles which i cant seem to get rid of. Most of the time after ive woken up, my undereyes and sometimes the rest of my face is swollen. Sometimes the swelling dissapears after a few hours but most of the time it stays throughout the rest of the day.
Please help, i dont know what to do ive tried everything!
 
Not really sure what type of blood test it was but he sent me for an ultrasound for my ovaries and stomach area. Did both tests yesterday and im just waiting for the results now.
 
Two words.

Sleep.
Apnea.

Go get a sleep study done...ASAP.

If it turns out that you DO have sleep apnea, as I suspect...your symptoms are dead on what mine were...you can get incredible relief from them with CPAP.

I felt like hell all the time, like I was getting NO sleep at all, no matter how much I slept. Turns out I was right.

Sleep Apnea prevents you from getting the deep, restful, restorative sleep you need. So you feel like hell...no matter how long you sleep, because you aren't getting the GOOD sleep.
 
Unfortunately I don't have a copy of my results as well. I remember reading another post on here saying that often times you need specific testing for thyroid issues, not just a regular blood test. They said that often times a regular blood test will give pretty normal sounding results, but you need additional thyroid checks. Herekittykitty, do you happen to know what specifically I can request during a doctor's visit to ensure I get the proper things checked? I'd definitely be willing to give a thyroid check another shot. I do have many symptoms of hypothyroidism, although none too severe.

My main issues are with the fatigue/tiredness. I have been having a lot of trouble with my concentration and memory from feeling so tired. I'm also dizzy. It's hard to know if the dizziness came first or the tiredness. Can hypothyroidism cause one to feel forgetful and off balance?

I definitely have some sleep disorder symptoms too, but I don't believe I snore or gasp or anything in my sleep, making me not think it's sleep apnea. I also don't randomly fall asleep, making me think it wouldn't be narcolepsy. But, I struggle at times to stay awake and have to sometimes pinch myself hard to wake myself up or get some caffeine. I don't know if narcoleptics can typically use tricks to keep themselves awake or if that wouldn't work.

I am definitely more of an optimist when it comes to my health and tend to think things aren't as bad and blow them off. I'll admit that lately I've been paying more attention my dogs' health than my own. It's time that I need to start working on my own health now!
 
Hello All, just chimeing in here - stressed adrenals - also show off the symptoms you mention having peachezz. All other suggestions are also worth considering - A check up, ruleing out all of these possibilities will at least give you a starting point to narrow down what is going on with you. Here's hoping you get a good diagnosis soon.
I am 4 months post op from an acute illness and I still need at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night. I'm 55, not young like you. As one gets older, it seems you sleep less, but at this time, I really covet the sleep time I do get. I am meaner and crabbier than ususal without it. My kids think I'm wonderful - it is nice to have a cheering section, when you feel like pooh.
I'd be interested in what happens with you - keep us updated please.
Rose
 
You know, it seems like these symptoms are a common problem that others are dealing with on here, yet a lot of people are still left wondering after various tests!

Calee, did you have any other common symptoms associated with sleep apnea? I know typically one snores with sleep apnea, but is it possible to not snore and still have it? I really am thinking I get poor sleep, because I hardly feel well rested. I notice that I do better if a room is very bright when I wake up, but I have to be up at a decent hour for work and it's still dark outside.

I know I've had blood work done and ruled out anemia, thyroid issues, diabetes, etc. I also tend to be dizzy a lot, so sometimes I wonder if it can be related to inner ear issue. While a lot of the times I'm just dizzy/out of it, I can fall asleep with NO problem. I can take a 3 hour nap in the evening, get up for about an hour or two to work out and shower, and I go right back to bed. Most people I know would not be able to sleep after a long nap, or after working out. I have no problem with this. It's definitely frustrating and I know how you feel!

I've noticed that my skin has been looking more dull and I just LOOK tired. I feel like this is all just because of not sleeping well. I have been using sunless tanning sprays just to make myself LOOK more rested and glowing. Without it, I feel like I look so tired. I hate to rely on makeup and sunless tanner to have good looking skin. I also drink plenty of water!

I'd definitely be more interested in learning about others' experiences with sleep apnea. I remember hearing about a friend who took sleep tests and I'm pretty sure that's what was making her so tired. I won't look forward to sleeping in a facility, but it'll have to do if it can help me in the long run!! Oh and also, I dream all the time. I know I get into a deep enough sleep to dream, even when I'm napping. My dreams SEEM to last a long time, but I know dreams can be misleading and typically are shorter than they seem!
 
Thanks for the advise everyone. Just went for a check up and my doctor sent me for a blood test and also an ultrasound?!? Im really confused as to why he has sent me for an unltrasound but i guess ill just have to wait and see what happens.
 
As far as testing for thyroid issues, most doctors only test the TSH. In addition to the TSH you need a Free T3 and a Free T4. It would also be a good idea to get your thyroid antibodies checked to see if you have an autoimmune type of thyroid issue called Hashimoto's. A lot of people with thyroid issues have low Vit. D, low ferritin, and low B12, so it wouldn't hurt to get those checked as well. Being hypothyroid can definately cause forgetfulness and feeling off balance, or just a general "brain fog". The tiredness is also a major symptom.

You should definately give yourself as much care as you give your dog! I understand, I am an animal lover, too!!!!
 
Thank you for your help! I hope I can visit a doctor soon to get some additional testwork done. I was going to consider sleep tests, but now I think I'll get my thyroid looked at again FIRST since I didn't get it looked at enough before.

Is it possible that I would have more symptoms than someone who DOES have their TSH way off balance? Mine was in balance at the time of my blood testing, but I know many others who are hypothyroid and seem to not have all the symptoms I have. I guess it depends on the person, right?

I'd just love to be able to get rid of the brain fog feeling and the dizziness. I hate feeling awful every morning. I have a lot of pressure on my face and around my head, like my head is being squeezed. I do know that I grind my teeth at night... I'm sure that gives some of the symptoms as well! I talked to my dentist about it and they said a nightguard wouldn't really help since that's typically to protect my teeth... and I have no teeth wear luckily! It would also be nice to not have to worry about falling alseep at work or somewhere inappropriate :)
 
No way you can make that assessment. I really think this issue is quite serious and should be left up to the professionals. There are a myriad of things that could be wrong and we just can't even begin to figure this out on a message board at our computers.
 
Good call. That's another possibility, I also have hypothyroidism. A good telltale of hypothyroidism is the inability to lose weight, no matter what the hell you do. So, if in addition to your other symptoms...you are gaining weight or having trouble losing it...the thyroid check is a great idea.
 
No, we can't diagnose on here, nor recommend medications etc., but I'm leaning toward what herekittykitty said, about the thyroid/iodine thing. Obviously it's just an educated guess, because with your symptons there could be a myriad of causes. I mean, look at all the suggestions you got!! Yeah you're going to have to work with your doctor and eliminate each possibility one by one: nutritional problem, sleep problem, illness, etc...Good luck and I'm sorry to hear of your recent suffering.
 
One of the reasons people are often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed as far as thyroid conditions are concerned is that doctors do not understand how to interpret the lab results and they quite often do not order the correct lab tests for a proper diagnosis. If you look on the thyroid board here on health boards you will see how many people are so very frustrated trying to get the help they need. A lot of people are told their test results are "normal", but when you are dealing with a lab range, normal for one may not be normal for another. A lot of people are made to feel like a hypochondriac by their doctors and are needlessly put on antidepressants, when in fact, they have a thyroid condition that could be corrected with thyroid medication.

Do you have a copy of your thyroid lab results by any chance?
 
turrrra, symptoms from thyroid issues do not stem from your TSH levels. Symptoms more correlate to low Free T3 and Free T4. That's why you should get those checked. Those are the thyroid hormones. TSH is a pituatary hormone that stimulates your thyroid to put out more hormones. You can't go by TSH levels to monitor symptoms.
 
Thanks for the reply!

Hopefully I'll be able to see the doctor in June (May has a lot of traveling and work stuff for me, so likely can't escape to the doctor).

I also plan on talking to my gyno about skipping the placebo pills on my birth control. I know that my tiredness is NOT from the pill, because I've been tired before taking it, and didn't notice a difference after a while. Years later, I became even more tired, without changing my birth control. I do notice that during the week of taking the placebo pills, I feel absolutely terrible. I get a lot of migraines or bad headaches and feel extremely exhausted and struggle to get through the day. This has been getting worse recently for some reason. I'd be curious to see if avoiding this especially bad week will help overall as well. I try to get some extra sleep during this time, but I really feel that I get so tired and never really catch up afterwards!

It's been so disappointing because it's been affecting my workouts. I'm a fitness lover and enjoy going to the gym to stay in shape, but I've just been so tired!
 
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