I'm sorry if this question has already been asked. Since we all have our own, unique health situations, I decided to make a separate post.

I'm 23 years old and for the past 4-5 years I'm always tired. I started my first diet 8 yrs. ago, which slowly led me to anorexia. After about a year, I developed binge eating, gained a lot of weight back and felt exhausted. At that time I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and have been on medication ever since, which seems to be working so far. After that, I have lost and gained weight many times (more gained than lost), but I have never quite regained my energy. Now, regardless of how much I eat, exercise, or sleep, I am constantly tired.

I recently added fish to my diet (quite a bit of it) and cut out white sugar. Even though I overeat most of the days (I am *always* hungry), I'm doing my best to keep it healthy. After spending an hour on my exercise bike every day and getting very sore back muscles, I began to use it less frequently but the tiredness remained. I've also been drinking 5-7 glasses of water per day. As for sleep, even when I manage to fall asleep fairly quickly, I have great difficulties waking up after only 8 hours. In fact, sometimes I think that, if I didn't have to get up to go to the washroom, I could just sleep right through the day. I also can't stop yawning. I yawn *all* the time.

(For example, the other night, I fell asleep around mid-night, got up at 10:30 a.m, fell asleep around 4 in the afternoon and woke up at 6:30! I'm lucky I don't have school this week. This is really beginning to interfere with my daily activities.)

I've also been tested for hypoglycemia since I often have a lot of symptoms associated with it, but the results came negative. Can anyone suggest what other tests I may have done? I started drinking Aloe Vera gel every morning a few days ago, hoping that it will help at least a little.:) Any other ideas? I would really appreciate your input. Thanks!

I know this must be the classic question on the CF board and people probably get tired of replying to it. I'm really desperate, though. As you know, a lot of physicians don't know themselves how to diagnose this condition or what types of tests to run, so I was hoping someone would have suggestions. Anyone?

Did you do some painting or cleaning with strong chemicals? Even use of 409 cleaner or Lysol tub 'n tile?

These would be sources of exposure to either diethylene glycol monobutyl ether or 2-butoxyethanol. These are pesticides per EPA - not just solvents. You can't find what the solvents are in gun cleaners, but it may be a source of exposure to one of these chemicals, too. Gulf war Syndrome may still be ongoing in the military. There have been soldiers with these effects being sent home today (more suicides than normal, as well)

Now hypothyroidism is an abnormal level for thyroid readings (low) and I hear you can be really tired from that alone (your medication is helping, so rule that out). The thyroid is part of the glandular system (endocrine system) and pesticides are known to cause endocrine disruption. You should watch for other effects. Do a study on the endocrine system.

Do you have headaches in the back of the head? Do you have a rapid heart beat some times? Do you have swollen organs ... like heart, spleen, gall bladder, testes or uterus? Do you have skin or central nervous system effects? These chemicals affect the CNS and you may have more than the 'not sleeping at night' problems. Difficulty concentrating? Depression? Change in personality to very, very agitation, even 'fly off the handle' People can have difficulty at school, at work, at home in getting along with others and sometime are ordered to Anger management classes (but that's not going to help)

For help? Since this chemical is said to cause hemolytic anemia, and since it doesn't show up right away in reduced red blood cell counts (because the bone marrow is making enough 'starts' of new red blood cells), ask your doctor to see if you have low functioning red blood cells. A 'retic' ratio (how many mature vs immature red blood cells are there) is an indication you have a type of anemia starting up

Do not ignore this fatigue. Maybe you need to see a hematologist; but if your doctor is interested, he/she could consult with one. I'd surf around to see what the gulf war syndrome vets are talking about if you have these assorted symptoms. There are some posts on discussion forums there that address this issue in recent months

I would expect acquired autoimmune hemolytic anemia, but few get the right diagnosis on the blood. The blood is a very complex organ; and if you are affected by these chemicals there will be other things 'screaming louder' like the effects to the central nervous system, and the blood is not being focused on. It should be, though. It will be the first thing damaged, and it will continue to underlie all other ailments.

Stigma,
First you should set to getting some healthier eating habits so that you can rule that out and I don't think that I would reccomend that you drink the aloe vera gel. Now onto the other. SInce you have already been disgnosed with thyroid issues I would go back to the Endo doc and have them check you for autoimmune disease that is attacking your endocrine system. Make sure that they check your adrenal gland function and pituitary gland as that could be the source of the fatigue. Good Luck. HEatherW

No, I haven't been doing any more cleaning using chemicals than I usually do. In fact, now that I'm a student, I rarely have time for more than your general tiding up. I do get headaches - sometimes unbearable headaches that usually feel like they are somewhere on the sides of my head. My neck, shoulder, and back muscles seem fatigued all the time. I will make an appointment with my doctor soon and insist they do some more thorough exams. Thank you both very much for your replies.

What is wrong with me? Press under your right lower front rib as deeply as you can to se if your liver is sore.