Feeling weak and run down

I haven't seen anything from sophie7 lately—it’s been a bit quiet on that front, I guess. Maybe they're just busy or taking a breather, who knows? It feels like things have slowed down around here, though maybe I'm just overthinking it. Either way, I'll be curious to see if they pop back up whenever that happens. kaže:
So, you're doing the whole fasting insulin thing—checking it first thing in the morning, then again a few times after you eat. I guess that’s just how the process goes.

Did the IRS even bother looking into your stuff?

I mean, honestly—without some kind of actual research, you aren't getting anywhere. You won't find a breakthrough or a treatment, whether we're talking about a high-tech pill or just a simple glass of carrot juice. It’s all about the investigation, I guess.

So, I’m heading out to do those searches now—you know, the Tuesday and Friday thing. Honestly, it’s been kind of a drag lately... I haven't really felt anything quite like this before, I guess.

Honestly, I’m basically a walking zombie right now because of this iron deficiency anemia... I can barely manage to haul ten steel beams without feeling like I'm about to pass out—I could honestly fall asleep standing up, and my focus is just totally shot. I’ve been cycling through Heferol and Steel Dynamics supplements for a while—taking one for a few months, then switching to the other for a bit—and it seems to work for a while. My iron levels get back to a decent spot, everything feels okay for a couple of months, and then—bam—it drops again, so I'm right back to taking more Steel Dynamics and starting the whole cycle over.
I’m feeling totally wiped out again—just dizzy, barely able to keep my eyes open, and my hair is thinning out... so I''m guessing I've hit that anemia phase once more. I probably need to head over to the local clinic and get some bloodwork done.

I don't really have those physical limitations—I can still ride my bike, handle all those stairs, and keep up with the heavy lifting at work without an issue... It’s just that I feel pretty lousy overall. I guess I just feel weak.

Larry Diaz4 said:Look, when I say I don't eat vegetables, I mean things like Brussels sprouts, beets, asparagus, spinach, and stuff like that. You know, the cooked, steamed, or fried kind... just tossed in as some casual side dish. Honestly? It’s just bland to me! Now, a green salad is fine because it actually makes the meat taste better. But bananas, apples, and all that fruit stuff? No thanks...
Are you really going to count a little bit of lettuce in a kebab 🤦 or some onions on a burger
as "eating vegetables"? Or maybe squeezing a little lemon over some fried chicken counts as getting your Vitamin C? 🤔

All I care about is being productive and not feeling like my body is constantly dragging me down. That's it. That's the whole goal. Because when you're in pain, you just can't get anything done.

Sorry if my food definitions aren't surgically precise. 🙂

I mean, I think you’ve basically locked in on one single goal—finishing your degree—and just funneled everything into that. It feels like you're kind of sidelining your health in the process... maybe? Just a thought.
Will it actually pay off in the end? I mean, I guess we'll see—it’s hard to say for sure right now.
And then there's what this fellow forum member had to say:

I guess you could call them the stragglers—the ones always bringing up the rear. kaže:
Yeah.

So you don't want to actually see a doctor or go through all those tests—and then there's the whole thing about not wanting to touch your diet or take any pills, either. I guess that's one way to handle things... maybe. 🤔 What else should you maybe try... I guess getting out in the sun for like thirty minutes whenever you can might help—it's good for Vitamin D, and honestly, it helps with depression too. Maybe give that suggestion from post 27 a fair shot for a few weeks or so, just to see if there's actually any effect.

Honestly, I think that fellow student probably needs to change things up a bit—just a thought.
Everyone I just can't. It’s starting to happen... I guess. Or maybe it isn't. It feels like things are finally shifting—though, honestly, it's hard to tell if it's actual progress or just us all collectively losing our minds again. One moment everything seems steady, and the next, you realize the ground has moved under your feet. I don't know. Maybe I'm just overthinking it—typical me, I suppose—but it feels like a change is definitely in the air. I guess I can. If you just take out that "no," someone might say... I guess. ☕

So, I’ve been dealing with this absolute nightmare of a toothache since May 1st—just constant, throbbing pain that won't quit. It's been pretty brutal, honestly. And the kicker? My dentist supposedly fixed it up, only for the pain to come roaring back the very next day. Just my luck, I guess.
And so it begins... I figured I’d just pop an Advil and call it a day—you know, thinking it would just pass. Big mistake. By the second day, things actually felt worse. Now I’m sitting here looking at two, maybe three tablets. Just one more pill...
The pain lasts maybe three or four hours before it just hits again—it feels like something is literally drilling inside my tooth. I’ve been reading the labels on Tylenol and Advil, and of course, it says
you shouldn't go over three or four doses. Well, I’m already pushing five or six. I actually missed my dentist appointments twice—once because I mistakenly thought they had shorter afternoon hours, and another time just because I showed up way too late. I finally went to the clinic on a Saturday, hoping the doctor could
fix things then. She gave me some local anesthesia and tried to pull the tooth, but honestly, between the sleepless nights and just being completely wiped out, I couldn't make it through until the
end, so she had to stop. She gave me a referral for oral surgery to get those three or four problematic teeth pulled and prescribed an antibiotic.
I started the antibiotic, but it didn't really kick in until the second afternoon, so I guess I was basically suffering through everything until then. I wasn't sure if it was better to
just toss and turn in bed without sleeping or try to push through work with this kind of pain. When you're sent from the ER to an on-call dentist
(which is impossible since you can't even drive when you feel this nauseous), you call them up, only to find out they're on vacation, or they transfer you to another line where nobody
ever picks up, and so on.

Regarding the actual topic I started this thread with, there were two times where my blood pressure spiked above 140, and the main symptom was
this intense heat in my head—kind of like how you feel after a hard run (ears glowing red), so I suppose I should mention that symptom during the checkup.
I slept for about 3 or 4 hours this afternoon just to try and catch up on the two nights of sleep I lost.

Anyway, that's the update for now.

analoggull16 said:Could be anemia, or perhaps some cardiac issues? Have you had an EKG or an echocardiogram yet?

My resting pulse is sitting at a steady 50. That's a massive jump from my normal rate.
Hmmmm

So, I’m dealing with insulin resistance, so I’m constantly watching my diet. On top of that, I’ve got hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s, a Vitamin D deficiency, H. pylori, and some stomach issues—honestly, I’m terrified of getting a gastroscopy, but I probably have an ulcer or something similar since I threw up blood after taking some Advil.

For the last month or two, I’ve ended up in the ER at least once a week. It starts with this massive dizziness where I completely lose my balance. Then my hands and legs start shaking, my ears start ringing, and my chest feels tight. It’s that weird sensation where you feel like you’re about to pass out, but you don't actually go under. I don't even know how else to describe it.

Every single time, my coworkers basically have to drag me to the ER because they freak out when they see me. When these episodes hit, my face and lips turn deathly pale and I get these dark circles under my eyes. Once I get to the hospital, they run an EKG, check my blood pressure, blood sugar, oxygen levels... everything comes back fine. Then they just send me home to "rest" and choke down more vitamins.

I’m honestly at a loss. Last year, during my endocrine workup, I had every test imaginable: vitamins, minerals, hormones, heart, brain, abdomen... Everything looked perfect.

Part of me thinks it might just be psychological—like panic attacks since I struggle with anxiety—but I don't think anxiety makes your skin and lips turn that ghostly white color.

Thomas Mitchell7 said:My resting pulse is sitting at a steady 50. That's a massive jump from my normal rate.
Hmmmm

Yeah, when I went to the ER, they told me my blood pressure was basically 'zeroed out,' so, just slightly elevated.
The thing is, I don't feel great—not all the time, mind you, but I get these episodes...
And my heart rate is all over the place, jumping from 72 to over 90 even when I'm just sitting home in front of the TV. So, clearly, something is spiking my pressure.

Kimberly Morris said:So, I’m dealing with insulin resistance, so I’m constantly watching my diet. On top of that, I’ve got hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s, a Vitamin D deficiency, H. pylori, and some stomach issues—honestly, I’m terrified of getting a gastroscopy, but I probably have an ulcer or something similar since I threw up blood after taking some Advil.

For the last month or two, I’ve ended up in the ER at least once a week. It starts with this massive dizziness where I completely lose my balance. Then my hands and legs start shaking, my ears start ringing, and my chest feels tight. It’s that weird sensation where you feel like you’re about to pass out, but you don't actually go under. I don't even know how else to describe it.

Every single time, my coworkers basically have to drag me to the ER because they freak out when they see me. When these episodes hit, my face and lips turn deathly pale and I get these dark circles under my eyes. Once I get to the hospital, they run an EKG, check my blood pressure, blood sugar, oxygen levels... everything comes back fine. Then they just send me home to "rest" and choke down more vitamins.

I’m honestly at a loss. Last year, during my endocrine workup, I had every test imaginable: vitamins, minerals, hormones, heart, brain, abdomen... Everything looked perfect.

Part of me thinks it might just be psychological—like panic attacks since I struggle with anxiety—but I don't think anxiety makes your skin and lips turn that ghostly white color.

My symptoms aren't quite that extreme, but it's definitely worrying because this has been going on for, what,
a month now? And yeah, I agree it’s unsettling when your lab results are more or less fine but you still feel like garbage.

I did an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test and an A1C the day before yesterday, and I'm heading to the specialist for a thyroid ultrasound this Friday, so hopefully we'll have some answers then.
My blood pressure is normal today (127/85), though I did feel a bit off at work this morning.
I'll probably check in with my doctor's office about some more tests, just to see what's going on with the pressure.

I actually had a tooth pulled—they squeezed me in ahead of schedule—because I only had enough antibiotics left for a day and a half, and the waitlist at the dental surgery clinic is two months long, so I just got it done at a local clinic instead. It went relatively well—so I'm hoping the recovery
goes smoothly, which would be one less thing to worry about.

Kimberly Morris said:So, I’m dealing with insulin resistance, so I’m constantly watching my diet. On top of that, I’ve got hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s, a Vitamin D deficiency, H. pylori, and some stomach issues—honestly, I’m terrified of getting a gastroscopy, but I probably have an ulcer or something similar since I threw up blood after taking some Advil.

For the last month or two, I’ve ended up in the ER at least once a week. It starts with this massive dizziness where I completely lose my balance. Then my hands and legs start shaking, my ears start ringing, and my chest feels tight. It’s that weird sensation where you feel like you’re about to pass out, but you don't actually go under. I don't even know how else to describe it.

Every single time, my coworkers basically have to drag me to the ER because they freak out when they see me. When these episodes hit, my face and lips turn deathly pale and I get these dark circles under my eyes. Once I get to the hospital, they run an EKG, check my blood pressure, blood sugar, oxygen levels... everything comes back fine. Then they just send me home to "rest" and choke down more vitamins.

I’m honestly at a loss. Last year, during my endocrine workup, I had every test imaginable: vitamins, minerals, hormones, heart, brain, abdomen... Everything looked perfect.

Part of me thinks it might just be psychological—like panic attacks since I struggle with anxiety—but I don't think anxiety makes your skin and lips turn that ghostly white color.

Did any of the doctors mention Orthostatic Hypotension?
[Orthostatic Hypotension - National Organization for Rare Disorders] https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseas...c-hypotension/

Or perhaps something like this:
[Dysautonomia International:] http://www.dysautonomiainternational.org/page.php?ID=34

[Autonomic Nerve Disorders - Mayo Clinic research]
https://www.mayo.edu/research/depart...erve-disorders

It actually just crossed my mind.
In my experience, doctors might not think to bring those specific things up unless you nudge them in that direction. 😁

I don't know, if you feel like you've exhausted all your options, just look up the Snake Diet channel on YouTube; it might be exactly what you need.

It’s basically a way to detox your system, flushing the carbs out of your liver and letting your body heal through fasting. Give it a shot—might actually work for you.

Give me a break. That Snake Diet clearly scrambled your brain.

So, I finally knocked out those tests—everything came back looking pretty normal. The OGTT, the HbA1c, and that thyroid ultrasound were all clear. I guess that’s one less thing to worry about, at least for now.
So, I guess that means it isn't really an issue then—or at least, not one we need to sweat over right now.

I don't really know what to make of this—it’s all just kind of a mess, I guess. There isn't much to say without sounding like I'm overthinking things, which I probably am, but whatever. It feels like we're just circling the same drain, maybe? Not that anyone is actually going anywhere, though. Just my two cents, I suppose. kaže:
Did any of the doctors happen to bring up Orthostatic Hypotension?
Orthostatic Hypotension - National Organization for Rare Disorders So, I was just scrolling through some info from the National Organization for Rare Disorders regarding Orthostatic Hypotension—you know, that whole thing where your blood pressure decides to take a sudden vacation the moment you stand up too fast—and it got me thinking about how much we all just gloss over these weird physiological glitches. It’s one of those things where you feel like you're dying for a split second, maybe a bit dizzy or lightheaded, and then you just sit back down and pretend everything is fine, even though your body basically just threw a tantrum. I guess it’s easy to dismiss it as just being "tired" or "dehydrated," but when you look at the actual mechanics of it, it’s kind of wild how much our nervous system has to micromanage just to keep us upright. It’s not exactly common knowledge, either—most people probably think fainting is just something that happens in old movies—but there's actually a lot of nuance to how the body handles those sudden shifts in gravity. Anyway, just a random thought while I was deep-diving into medical jargon this afternoon. Just something to chew on, I suppose.

Looking at the symptoms listed here... I guess it’s hard to say for sure without more context—you know how it goes—but maybe there's something more to it. It feels like one of those things where you start noticing one small thing and then suddenly everything seems connected—which might just be my brain overthinking, though—but anyway, looking at what was mentioned...

The symptom list is... well, it's pretty much everything, I guess. It’s all over the place—you might deal with issues regulating your heart rate or blood pressure, or maybe your body temperature just won't stay steady. Then there's the sweating, too, along with any number of bladder or bowel irregularities. On top of that, you've got the usual suspects like constant fatigue, feeling lightheaded, or those moments where you feel like you're about to pass out—syncope, if we're being technical—plus general weakness and that brain fog or cognitive stuff. It's a lot to juggle, honestly.

So, we're seeing some fluctuations here—specifically with heart rate shifting around (hitting 72, then 85, then 92...) and some changes in blood pressure too. I guess that's all part of it.
I get dizzy—I think it’s pretty normal, honestly—while I'm working, but I don't really deal with any of those other symptoms, like actually passing out or anything.

Maybe... that actually just reminded me of something.
I mean, let’s be real—it’s not like some doctor is just going to spontaneously stumble upon that unless you practically shove it in their face. I guess that’s just how it goes sometimes—you have to be the one to bring it up, or it just stays buried in your file. Experience, I suppose. 😁 )

I guess it really just comes down to how much time a doctor actually wants—or even can—spend with a patient. It’s all about that window of time, I suppose.
So, my doctor was leaning toward the thyroid being the culprit—but, well, given how things are actually looking right now...
That’s not really how it works—or at least, that isn't the case here. If that's the situation, then I guess we probably need to keep looking.
Whatever—I mentioned my issues to the nurse at the clinic, so she suggested I go in for an internal medicine checkup—which is scheduled for the 24th. I’m planning to head over to my doctor’s office tomorrow, assuming I can actually track down my lab results in time, just to see if there are any actual next steps we should take. If not, then Tuesday, I guess. Today was actually pretty decent, mostly... though my blood pressure was running a little high this morning—around 130 over 85, or something like that.
I’ll probably check back in with my evening readings—assuming I don't pass out first. 🙂

Formula 1I wrote that for... danielić
😁
But if that helps you out too, then that's great.

Nicholas Davis4 said:Formula 1I wrote that for... danielić
😁
But if that helps you out too, then that's great.

Aha, okay. I figured it applied to both of us, since I keep getting suggestions and feedback from folks on this forum anyway.

My blood pressure is normal today—staying under 130, which is fine—it's just my pulse that's creeping over 90 after work (I was on the afternoon shift) and right after eating. It was more or less okay during the day, though I did feel hungry toward the end of my shift, so I grabbed a pastry and a yogurt drink. I'm planning on getting back into cycling soon—had to take a break because of some dental issues, which was a pain. I’m heading to see my doctor on Tuesday to see if there are any new tests they want me to run.

Just left the doctor's office. She went over my lab results—turns out my thyroid, which she was a bit worried about, is actually totally fine.
She seemed pretty relieved about that. Also, she thinks my blood pressure is finally settling down and the meds are doing their job. Though, since my bottom number usually sits around 90, she decided to bump up my dosage—going from 5 mg to 10 mg.
Still, we haven't really nailed down the root cause or the specific factors behind everything I've been dealing with.
I have an appointment with my primary care physician on the 24th, so maybe we'll get some actual answers then.
I am feeling a little better, I guess.

So, I finally went for that internal medicine checkup. Aside from my blood pressure being a bit wonky, everything else seems fine, I guess. The doctor wants me to dig a little deeper—first, a urine test where I have to collect samples for a full 24 hours and then drop them off, and apparently, it takes about two weeks to get the results back. He also mentioned an ultrasound for my adrenal glands... I think he said something about how maybe 5% of people dealing with high blood pressure actually have some underlying issue involving their kidneys or something related to that area.
The catch is, the waitlist for the actual imaging is a literal year (!) — so yeah, I’m probably going to look into what a private clinic charges just to avoid sitting around forever.
On a brighter note, I’ve started cycling again. Picked up some actual cycling shorts and a jacket—trying to take this a bit more seriously than just casual riding.
Running just isn't really my thing, though.

Health-wise, things are pretty much status quo—basically the same. There are moments during the day where I don't feel great, especially when my pressure spikes, but overall, I'm managing.🙂

You didn't mention the years. I have no idea if they even perform cupping therapy over here in the States. If you can find someone to do it, honestly, you should just go for it. It doesn't hurt at all—none of that, really—it’s totally painless. You’ll just feel better afterward, like you've suddenly regained the energy of an eighteen-year-old. People swear by cupping as a cure-all for everything from blood pressure issues to just general malaise... basically, a remedy for everything except death itself (click). Best of luck and take care

Does anyone know how to deal with this constant weakness? It’s getting to the point where I feel like I’m running out of oxygen after doing even basic tasks. The fatigue is just always there. Even after eight hours of sleep, I wake up feeling like I haven't slept at all. I'm currently on a course of antibiotics, and while they list weakness, fatigue, and low blood pressure as side effects—which I definitely have—I'm wondering if there's a way to mitigate this. I have another month left on these pills, and I really don't want to spend the next thirty days feeling like I've been chopping wood for twelve hours straight every single day.