Re: Extreme fatigue for years - still no diagnosis
I am so sorry you have been dealing with this for so long! I am just now trying to figure out a solution to this bundle of frustrating unknowns called Chronic Fatigue. I have discovered that taking an adrenal supplement religiously does make at least a small but noticeable difference. Please continue posting if you figure anything out! Leslie
Last edited by Administrator; 12-10-2012 at 03:02 AM.
Re: Extreme fatigue for years - still no diagnosis
Thanks for the tip about the adrenal supplement - I'll have to try that soon.
For now I'm taking a short break from all the MDs and have read a few books about the digestive system. I am currently trying out a 'functional medicine elimination diet'. It's basically wheat, gluten, dairy, alcohol, caffeine and sugar (except for fruit sugars, etc) free. Surprisingly I've made some pretty good dishes within the limits of the diet. I'm taking a chance that I just have too much toxicity built up in my body from poor diet (though I didn't feel my diet was that bad in the first place) or possibly from food sensitivities. I'll advise if it makes a difference. After that I'll definitely pursue the adrenal supplement as well as all the other great advise you guys have given me.
Cheers,
Ryan
The Following User Says Thank You to kingsb For This Useful Post: CgrBuff (12-17-2012)
Re: Extreme fatigue for years - still no diagnosis
Hi kingsb, I know it's expensive and insurance does not cover this, but I have found some very good relief with deep tissue massage. The nervous system, at least mine, is uplifted afterwards, I feel better less fatigue and pain for several days; and am noticing since I am being more "regular" with getting body work - I go once a week, I am improving overall; less fatigue, more energy and less body aches. I think my nervous system is responding well to the therapy. Best wishes in your recovery from fatigue.
Re: Extreme fatigue for years - still no diagnosis
kingsb - my story is almost identical to yours. Have you found any answers yet? I'm still feeling terrible every day, with some variance from day to day, but all days are bad relative to the way I felt 4 or 5 years ago.
Re: Extreme fatigue for years - still no diagnosis
eattrig -
No luck yet. There are so many possibilities out there that it's easy to get overwhelmed. I'm just going to try tackling things one at a time.
I've read a lot about Candida Albicans lately and the symptoms of acetaldehyde (which the yeast gives off) are very similar to what I experience every day (it worsens with certain meals):
· Impaired memory
· Decreased ability to concentrate ("brain fog")
· Depression
· Slowed reflexes
· Lethargy and apathy
· Heightened irritability
· Decreased mental energy
· Increased anxiety and panic reactions
· Decreased sensory acuity
· Increased tendency to alcohol, sugar, and cigarette addiction
· Decreased sex drive
· Increased PMS and breast swelling/tenderness in women
The brain fog is the one that really drives me crazy. I can feel it in my head, my eyes get itchy and all I feel like doing is resting my head on something (usually it ends up being the dinner table in front of my wife - lol).
And the sugar tendency - I used to take a $10 bag of wine gums and not be able to stop until the bag was done. I did this all the time. This may sound like typical gluttony, but I only do this with sugary products and beer (I used to do it with cigarettes) and have always been pretty much underweight and physically fit otherwise.
I've just read "The Candida Cure" by Ann Boroch and am starting my 3-month journey with a very limited diet and a bunch of yeast-killing supplements. My problem may not be Candida, but it's worth a try. They say that up to 70% of us could have at least a minor overgrowth of yeast in our gut anyway, so it's still healthy to clear the overgrowth and avoid eventual autoimmune disorders in the future.
Eattrig, maybe take a deeper look at Candida (ignore the stuff about vaginal yeast infections - this affects both men and women and starts in the gut)? I'm just as lost as you are right now, but I feel better when I'm trying anything to get rid of this ball and chain.
Re: Extreme fatigue for years - still no diagnosis
One idea for you both if you haven't tried this yet- see a good functional medicine Dr. They focus on things like food intolerances, vitamin deficiencies, yeast overgrowth, etc., the things many traditional Drs tend to poo-poo. They use labs that measure candida antibody levels, and all sorts of antibodies to foods, etc. They tend to use supplements to correct imbalances, but at least they do it in a scientific way, based on lab evidence of abnormalities. I believe they have a chronic fatigue panel that tests for all sorts of things that can cause fatigue. There is a very good one in Ft. Collins CO. Worth a try to get some answers.
Re: Extreme fatigue for years - still no diagnosis
I didn't read the entire thread, so don't know if this has been suggested, but you may have parasites. Don't believe doctors who tell you they don't exist. I had IBS, CFS, and Fibro for many years before I finally was properly diagnosed. By then, so much damage was done that I could not be entirely cured, but I'm much better and live a near normal life now.
What makes me think you may have parasites is the itchy eyes, because that's what my first sign was that something was wrong. I could actually feel things crawling in my eyes and they watered all the time. I was reading that most people who are diagnosed with certain parasites first come in because of eye problems.
If you have or work around animals, eat rare meat or raw fish, or walk barefoot on the beach or in your yard, you can pick up parasites. You can even pick them up from not washing your hands before eating after petting your cat or dog, or not properly washing food that comes from a tropical country. I got mine (they think) from gardening barefoot and without gloves in land that used to house farm animals and poultry.
The sad part is that the stool test, the main means of diagnosis in the U.S., is useless and in error 70% of the time. There is a blood test called ELISA if you can talk your doctor into giving it to you that detects antibodies in your blood that are caused by the parasites. Sometimes they can even find the parasites themselves in your blood.
The one I have, strongyloides stercoralis, is endemic to the subtropical US (almost the entire south) and 4% of people in West Virginia have it, but doctors will still tell you it can't be gotten here. They fail to take into consideration all the imported foods and people and immigrants coming into this country every day carrying God knows what.
There is a good herbal parasite cleanse called Humaworm. I don't work for them, and don't make any money from recommending them. I used it and it didn't cure my parasite, because it can't be cured, but it let me know what I had. I had other things besides. When all was said and done, I had 5 different parasites in my body, including two different tapeworms, hookworms, strongyloides, pinworms, and systemic candida. I did not get better overnight, but the first round of Humaworm helped tremendously. Cured my IBS completely, and it was so bad I was doubled over in pain in the bathroom every night. I took two rounds before most of the symptoms started to go away. On the second round, the strongyloides started coming out of my skin. I went to the doctor and showed him, and that's when he ordered the ELISA test.
I know this isn't a popular topic, but parasites are becoming epidemic in this country, and doctors here aren't equipped to diagnose or treat them. If you can find a doctor who immigrated here from India or a tropical country, go to them. They are much more likely to believe you.
Re: Extreme fatigue for years - still no diagnosis
Thanks for the replies. I believe functional medicine is another way of describing Naturopathy. If that's the case then I've already seen two Naturopaths and wasn't able to get a solid diagnosis. I did recently find what seems to be an excellent one in my area, though, and after this three month candida protocol I'm going to go see him. I'll definitely mention the possibility of parasites to him - hopefully he can offer more insight that the standard blood tests I've had done in the past.
Cheers,
Ryan
Last edited by moderator2; 02-16-2013 at 05:14 PM.
Re: Extreme fatigue for years - still no diagnosis
Quote:
Originally Posted by kingsb
Thanks for the replies. I believe functional medicine is another way of describing Naturopathy. If that's the case then I've already seen two Naturopaths and wasn't able to get a solid diagnosis. I did recently use ratemds.com to find what seems to be an excellent one in my area, though, and after this three month candida protocol I'm going to go see him. I'll definitely mention the possibility of parasites to him - hopefully he can offer more insight that the standard blood tests I've had done in the past.
Cheers,
Ryan
Naturopaths are much more likely to believe you have parasites than conventional doctors. Let us know what happens. Please consider doing the parasites cleanse anyway, though. Everyone has some sort of parasites, and it may help you.
Re: Extreme fatigue for years - still no diagnosis
UPDATE:
I found a new Naturopath - the highest rated one in my city. He suspected something and sent me for blood tests. The blood tests came back and he now plans to diagnose me with hyperinsulinemia.
I haven't done any research on this yet, but from what I see I'm overproducing insulin or I am insulin resistant and it accumulates in my blood. Either way, this is the first time I've come close to a real diagnosis since the beginning so it's quite exciting.
Has anyone dealt with hyperinsulinemia before and has any advice?
After my doctor's visit I'll probably have further details to post.
Thanks again!
Ryan
Last edited by Administrator; 04-07-2013 at 10:53 PM.
Re: Extreme fatigue for years - still no diagnosis
Ryan,
What have you learned recently? Was hyperinsulinemia the culprit? What happened with your Candida diet? I'm still trying to solve my problem, and you're the only one I've ever found that has "itchy" eyes like I do.
Another thing - you implied you quit smoking at some point. Is that true? Did your issues begin around that time? I smoked for about 15 years, then quit in Oct 2008. My symptoms started around Jan 2009 - about 3 months later. I've always wondered if starting again would solve my problem.
Re: Extreme fatigue for years - still no diagnosis
Hi eattrig,
I've been waiting to update this post because I'm working on another theory with my Naturopath, but since you're looking for an update:
The Candida diet didn't end up resolving my issues. It did work wonders for my digestive health, though, so I wouldn't say it was a waste of time.
I was diagnosed with hyperinsulinemia by my Naturopath. He also found out that my liver enzymes were all way off base and that a deeper problem existed.
He believes I might have Lyme disease, so I've been put on long-term antibiotics. I've had some severe reactions to the antibiotics, which is a good sign that I actually do have the disease. I'm going to take a test with a lab in California called IgeniX soon (they're apparently the most reputable Lyme testing lab in the US) to make sure it is Lyme.
Since my doctor took me off of the Candida diet and put me onto a diabetic diet I've noticed that I rarely get itchy eyes anymore. My theory is that the abundance of insulin in my blood was causing the itchy eyes, and now that I'm on a diet very low in sugars and starches (I was allowed rice on the Candida diet, which is primarily starch), I have less insulin in my blood to cause the itchiness.
You may want to ask your doctor about getting a standard glucose tolerance test. It's how they test for type-2 diabetes. Basically you fast overnight, then they give you a huge dose of liquid sugar, and they test your insulin levels and blood sugar levels for the next few hours. Perhaps if you are pre-diabetic or have some type of metabolic syndrome it is causing the itchiness? Sorry but I'm not a doctor either - and it's been one educated guess after another since I started my journey.
I don't think the smoking would have anything to do with it. Starting smoking again would probably cause many other detrimental effects - even if your eyes stopped itching - lol.
