Question About Being Tired All of the Time

Hi there, You do have a lot on your plate. My mom gave me this book when I was pregnant with my first and I stuck in a drawer. I am exhausted all the time. I know its a combination of things but I started (ironically) reading the book last night. It is called "A natural guide to pregnancy and postpartum health" by Dean Raffelock Robert Rountree and Virginai Hopkins. It addresses fatigue, sleeping probs, digestive trouble, anxiety, loss of libido etc. I can't tell you all it says cos I just started it considering I was feeling overwhelmed and sinking in hormones. Also since before my pregnancy struggled with fatigue. It does talk of the types of vitamines, foods etc that help with conditions etc.
I look forward to reading it because I prefer a more naturalistic approach to finding solutions for my ailments. My mom is a true believer in this practice. A few years ago she was diagnosed with severe endometriosis and told she needed a full hysterectomy. She began a healthy lifestyle based on recommendations for her condition and a year later she was FINE!! Needed no hysterectomy! Gotta listen to my mama this time!! ;)
Let me know if you can't find the book, I think she got it at a particular type of bookstore but ebay may carry it.

A.

Wow! You sound like me! I am guess you have an underactive thyroid. After my thid child, 5/12/2004, I had those same symptoms. Then I started getting joint and muscle aches. It got so bad I thought I had lupus. My doctor ran extensive tests and sent me to rheumatologist to make sure it was not lupus. It turned out my TSH was through the roof! Your TSH level should not be more than 4, and mine was almost 20! This can get out of whack after having a baby. Anyway I was put on medication but I still run in the 5-6 range, where I still have some of the symptoms but not the severe joint pain, etc. Some major symptoms are weakness, tiredness, lack of sex drive, etc. The problem is that some women hover in the 4-5 range where doctors don't consider it a problem and don't prescribe medication. They can have some of the same symptoms along with inability to lose weight. I would see if your doctor checked your TSH. Don't let him just say it was normal, find out if it was in the high normal. This could attribute to your problems. If he won't listen to you try an endocrinologist. Sometimes there are dietary changes you can make without medication that can get your values normal.

Just a thought. I am not sure if this is your problem but it sure sounds familiar. Good luck.

Could you be depressed? Our emotional well being can and will affect us physically, and considering the lack of a sex drive maybe you're depressed. You could still have some postpartum depression going on also. It takes...I believe a year to get our bodies back to normal and fully adjusted after the little ones are born. If you have a mild depression you may not need meds and you could possibly really benefit from exercising. I work, go to school for nursing, and have 3 kids, but because my health is real important I've made it a priority to exercise. Having a workout partner has been a great plus for motivation in the morning. I feel like I can't let her down and she feels the same way for me, so that's been VERY motivating for us. We are in Lawrence and workout/study at the Fort Harrison YMCA. You're welcomed to join us if it'd work for you! Sorry no ideas about a doctor, but of course a Psychologist/Psychiatrist would actually LISTEN. Good Luck and I hope you feel better! OH...one other thing. Do you snore and if so do you gasp for air? If so, that could be sleep apnea and that will certainly make you tired throughout the day with a lack of energy(for sex). A sleep study would be necessary to determine if you have that disorder.

I'm not sure where you live, but if you're on the northside or Hamilton County, my doctor is Suzanne Bielski with Internal Medicine and Pediatrics (116t and I-69). She is a mother of three too, and she has a wonderful listening ear. And is highly recommended among her peers (I've told other doctors that she is my PCP, and they have rave reviews about her). Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon.

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