Fatigue?

Is there any chance you might be suffering from depression? If not, and they did all those tests (thyroid, iron, etc.) then maybe it's just cause you're busy!! : ) Sorry that doesn't help much - but I honestly think sometimes us moms think that other moms can handle it better and they are not tired - but we ALL are!! One child or 6, it's a very exhausting job (yet rewarding). Not to mention if we are juggling a job outside the home and all the other responsibilities of being a homemaker.

It could be seasonal faitugue. Did this start recently? Daylight Savings Time has my sleep schedule off. I am a part time work from home mom and now instead of getting up at 7 or so I have been getting more around 8. I am hoping by next week my body will have adjusted and I can go back to getting up earlier. if I have to I will break out the alarm clock.

Hi L.,

You've gotten a lot of good advice. As you can tell from the range - your symptoms could be caused by a multitude of things. For this reason, I would push the issue with your Dr.

I would also see an endocrinologist. They will test your Vitamin D levels and all of the thyroid-related hormones (there are several). My endo says that no one in this latitude gets enough vitamin D in the winter because we're so bundled up, but it's a problem in the summer, too, because of the heavy sunscreen use these days. She said there is not enough in a multivitamin and put me on a prescription dose of 50,000 once a week.

Also, my thyroid was tested and although my GP had always said the tsh range was normal (between 5-10), the endo said that even this slightly elevated level could slow me down and also contribute to fertility problems (including miscarriage). I am now on a low dose of levothyroxin (.05 mcg) and it brought my tsh level to the much better range of 2 or less.

Good luck!

J. c.

I went through a similar spell a few years ago. My doctor could find no reasons for it, and was starting to hint at depression! I was sure it wasn't that- so I started to make some changes myself.
I cut out caffeine completely. After a few days of feeling extra tired- I noticed a big improvement. I didn't have the ups and downs and heaviness anymore.
I starting to drink tons of water. At least 8-12 glasses a day. I always had that water bottle with me. I think it helped clean out my system. Dehydration, even slight, can make you feel sluggish.
I did start a good multi-vitamin. I'm not sure if this helped- but it didn't hurt.
I also cut out as much processed sugars and carbohydrates as I could. Also preservatives and artificial flavors. I found out that my body works better without the fake food. I think it was slowing me down and making me feel sluggish.
My energy levels are now great- I get up feeling rested. Before I had to drag myself out of bed and never really felt "with-it". I sleep better and my body works better. I didn't realize how bad I had felt- until I felt better!
You can't hurt anything by making these changes- but if you are checking out health wise- it must be some environmental thing that is making you feel this way.
Good luck!
-S.

Not sure if anyone else suggested this but you may be gluten intolerant - this can have systemic effects. You can get a home test at www.enterolab.com - blood tests for this are not very accurate.

It is my feeling you need to be more persistent with your doctor to find the cause of this fatique. It is not normal with the amount of sleep you are getting to be so worn out.
It is my experience that doctors are much to quick to dismiss such complaints with " she is a new mum with a two year old"
I have been experiencing chronic fatique, quite severe , and recently was found to have a moderate to severe vitamin D deficiency.
Lest someone want to jump on a bandwagon here, I go outside, snow, sun and rain for at least an hour a day the entire year round,take omega, 200 units daily, a multi vitamin, eat tinned mackeral and herring, drink milk and eat cheese. Perhaps there is a problem with how I metabolize vitamin D. I am disabled, 64 yrs old, share care of a three year old, and my PCP did not credit my complaints of weariness. My diabetes doctor did pursue it.
That being said, there are many causes and reasons for weariness, the least of which is a two year old. When I was twenty I had four babies, four to newborn and I managed to get everything done in a timely manner.
Seems here it is the doctors issue for not pursuing this further.
I think you would be well advised to keep at him/her until you find some proper answers.
Best wishes and God bless
Grandmother Lowell

The multivitamin isn't going to help much - you're only absorbing about 25-30% of it anyway. If you want to know for sure, dissolve a pill in white vinegar which is similar to stomach acid. If there's stuff left after 20 minutes, that's what you're not absorbing. A lot of it is probably waxes and fillers anyway - but a lot of the vitamins are stuck in that stuff and you aren't taking them in. Even if you are absorbing 30% of the pill, that doesn't mean you are getting 30% of the nutrients - you could be getting 50% of one nutrient/vitamin and 5% of something else that's really important to make the 50% work! It can be a waste of money aside from the fact that you aren't feeling well.

There is a huge increase in fatigue and other chronic issues because our diets are so poor - no matter how hard you try, you are going to have a hard time absorbing the necessary nutrition through either processed foods or natural foods (produce, etc.) grown in depleted soils. You are no doubt missing some trace elements, things we used to get from our food that just isn't in the ground anymore.

You probably also don't have a really healthy colon - most of us don't - so you aren't absorbing as much as you should. This has nothing to do with weight - it has to do with nutrition.

Sleeping 9-10 hours a day and still being tired means that something is out of balance. It may or may not have anything to do with having had your son.

If you have had all your levels checked including hormones and thyroid, you might consider an outstanding LIQUID nutritional supplement instead of the pills. All of my levels have improved since I've done that, and my doctor has even helped me get off some medications as a result. She's thrilled and I'd be happy to share with you what I've done - it's so easy now that I know how!

You are too young to feel this old! And I'd say that even if you were 60! Don't give up, but don't think that your only option is to look for a solution in a pill that is only going to mask the problem and not address it.

Our neighbor has the winter depression that comes with lack of sunshine. He now has a special light that he sits in front of for several hours a day (at his computer I think). I am no doctor but it could be something like that. I am not sure how one gets diagnosed for that, or if you simply try the light and if you feel better you know you have it.
http://naturalmedicine.suite101.com/article.cfm/dealing_w...
Good luck,
Cato

Hi L.,

this post could have been written by me! I completely empathize with your position. First, you must understand that there is nothing "wrong" with you. This sounds more like a case of balancing the more subtle aspects of your being. It sounds like you are doing well with exercising, good food, etc.

I recommend trying some complementary healing modalities. Acupuncture, massage, osteopathic care (or chiropractic care)...these can help get at some of the underlying issues of fatigue and stimulate your "life energy" or "chi." I have benefited tremendously from regular treatments, and in the process understand that my fatigue has more than physical causes.

Are you still nursing? If so, you may want to consider cutting back a bit. If you're not nursing, you could benefit from doing a cleanse--a practitioner like a certified herbalist can help you determine what kind would benefit you most: lymphatic, colonic, etc. and help you do it safely and gently.

Is your indoor air quality okay? Things like dust, smoke from petroleum-based candles, and mold can work against you--even if you aren't that "allergic" these operate on a subtle level to wear your defenses down.

Others are right to have you ramp up your Vitamin D consumption. Also, even if you are eating healthfully, you may find that you can work to avoid or limit even more the sugar, caffeine, white flour and heavy red meats--these are depleting by nature.

Don't underestimate the power of interrupted sleep. I still think you should aim for 8-10 hours of sleep a night because if you are getting interrupted, you need to make up those lost sleep cycles. Or, you could try cutting back to 8 hours, then napping with your son during the day. These strategies are something you could discuss with your doctor.

Above all, I recommend carving out some time for yourself if you can afford it or do a trade with someone. Take the time to read, or take a bath, go to a matinee movie, have tea or glass of red wine with a friend, take an interesting workshop, or go for a hike in nature. These and similar activities will rejuvenate you on different levels--trying for physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual wellness.

These may sound like a lot of work and they're not intended to all be done right away. Pick one thing at a time to tackle and add more in as you start to feel better. These are all things that have helped me to feel more balanced, less stressed, and therefore a better mom.

Best of luck and many blessings to you and your little one!

L., it may be that although you are eating well, you may not be putting the right foods into your particular body. If you don't already know, find out what your blood type is and go read Eat Right 4 Your Type by Dr. Jeffrey D'Adamo (the sequel, Live Right 4 Your Type is great too). I got my copies at Barnes & Noble. It will tell you which foods are most beneficial for your blood type.

My Mom and several of my siblings follow his basic recommendations and it's amazing to see the difference it's made for them. I follow it loosely myself, and know his research findings ring true for me too. Take a look, it may be the answer you're looking for. It'll also make you a better wife and mother by supporting the individual needs of your husband and son too once you find out their blood types. Good luck!

(P.S. I got to go to a talk Dr. D'Adamo gave at Newton-Wellesley Hospital last year, and asked if we have to follow his recommendations to the letter -- because in our fast food world it's really hard to get back to basics! He said no, unless you're fighting a life-threatening disease, do what works for you and if you want to make some changes, add the beneficial foods you like, and do your best to cut out some of the ones that we know are harmful for your blood type.)

this could be from many factors. do you get enough vigorous exercise a day (besides chasing your little one!). Has your DR. checked your thyroid? an underactive thyroid is often the case with constant fatigue. Do you experience other things like foggy brain, any skin rashes, yeasty feeling? do you notice it after you eat certain foods? do you eat a lot of sugary, wheat foods? again, there could be many factors in this equation. could also be candida (yeast) overgrowth or a food sensitivity. I'm a health counselor and deal with all these issues. Let me know if I can be more help!

Hi L.-

I would suggest that you have an overnight sleep study to be checked for obstructive sleep apnea. I work in a sleep lab and have seen so many people from young(toddler rang) to old (and I'm talking in their 80's) heavy and not heavy, working f/t to p/t time to not working at all and the majority of them have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can range from the very mild to severe, many people live with it for years not realizing that they even have it. We have patients that we schedule that show absolutely no signs of it when we ask them the standard questions but they come in for the study and the sleep doctor reads their report and sure enough they have a case of sleep apnea. The most common signs/symptoms are excessive daytime sleepiness, snoring,unrefreshed sleep, difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings throughout the night, restless sleep, and a period where someone else might have noticed if it sounds like you stop breathing, gasp, or choke or you might even have woken yourself up. Those frequent awakenings need only happen for a second where you might not even really be aware of them. I think that sometimes after we have a child, and our sleeping patterns have a tendency to change anyways that we then can become more aware of our tiredness and lack of energy as well as our bodies changing as we do age. As a person with sleep apnea and seasonal affective disorder who works f/t and has a 5yr old who has always been a horrible sleeper, I can definitely sympathize with your situation. If you are interested in having any information sent to you, feel free to drop me an email and I can gather up some information at work to send to you.
Good luck with whatever route you choose to take!

Hey!
Feel like I'm in the same boat, 30, an almost 3 year old, part time academic, exhausted. Don't underestimate the emotional and psychological drain of dealing with it all! In my experience, it's exhausting being a mom, more than any other activity, an hour of parenting and juggling all our other responsibilities, wears me out more, and requires more rest and recuperation, than an hour of my previous life style. I need more rest, more self care, less stress and taxing activities, than I could handle before. I don't have the energy for all the things I could do before. I think it's normal. Cut back and nourish yourself to the point where you can sustain it and don't be surprised if you can do less than you think for a little while. It's temporary! I think it gets easier as they age. best of luck!
E.

If you do most of your eating at the end of the day, trying reversing that and eating more during the day.

If you think a "nutrition check-up" would be a good idea, please contact me.

N. Clark, MS RD
Healthworks Fitness Center, Chestnut Hill
www.nancyclarkrd.com

I'd make sure they tested your vitamin D we get from sun among other things and I think that's why so many get that winter depression.

Hi L., I can tell what's wrong, I think, when you said you sleep 9 to 10 hours. That's why!! Too much sleep. I used to do the exact same thing, sleep all those hours and was so beat during the day, that I still had to nap. I cut myself back to 7 or 8 and what a difference. Much more energy. Hope this helps.
B.

Hi L.
My friend Eileen had chronic fatigue 14 years ago and has had great results with reliv supplements. I can get u in touch with her.
J. H

Did you have your vitamin D levels tested? I am exhausted in the wintertime. It is like I need to hybernate. I think it is the lack of sun (vitamin D).