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Not feeling well

Polaris

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I rarely sleep for less than ten hours, I live a lifestyle that is anything but demanding, and I get a perfectly adequate amount of nutrition. In spite of that, I spend every moment of every day feeling drained, often severely drained. It gets worse if I haven't slept a lot--twelve hours is ideal, and anything less than nine will leave me very sleepy for the rest of the day, on top of being physically exhausted.

It also gets worse after I eat. Regardless of what it is I've eaten, after it's been sitting in my stomach for about half an hour, I start to become so drained that simple things like getting up and walking across the room make me lightheaded and cause my pulse to race (which is a problem all throughout the day, but compared with after a meal, only on a minor scale). If I were to force myself to engage in any kind of vigorous activity at that point, such as going for a brisk walk, I feel that I would probably end up passing out or at least come very close to it. And having to refrain from vigorous activity after meals is far from the only thing that this does to me. It leaves me, in general, with a lack of energy to do anything; even simple thoughts and feelings are difficult to muster up and focus, because I'm so weighed down all the time.

Looking at my reaction to meals, I feel that all of this must have something to do with some kind of food intolerance, but so far I haven't had any real leads. I've tested my resting pulse, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels before and after meals, and come up with nothing abnormal. I've also had numerous blood tests, a heart test, and even a bodily X-ray, and none of them indicated that anything was wrong. I also tried tweaking my diet in terms of what I eat, when I eat it, and how much of it I eat, and the only thing I learned from that was that the larger a meal is, the more tired it tends to make me (not sure if this is related to caloric content or something like that, or if it's the actual size of the meal that matters). Another thing I tried to do was to get more exercise, but I was so tired all the time that it was very difficult to find the energy to do that, and after keeping at it for several weeks (there were two or three instances where I tried that), I still wasn't getting any positive results.

So basically, I'm wondering if anyone has any advice or helpful experiences that they could offer me. I would go to a doctor, but I feel like I've run into a dead end and might start to look like a hypochondriac.
 

Southern Kross

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Have you tested for Coeliac disease (gluten intolerance)? It is often associated with that level of fatigue (if you feel it to be food related).

If you genuinely believe something is wrong, you need to keep pushing for answers. I can't tell you how many people that have been screwed over by lazy diagnoses by doctors only to discover they have something serious. Keep at it :hug:
 

Amethyst

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I'm going to sound like a devil's advocate, but you should see a doctor. A good doctor, if you can.

I recommend getting your thyroid tested...it might have something to do with something wrong with your thyroid or metabolism, or it could be a food reaction. If you think it could be food, try experimenting with eating glutens one day and then next day go without them, as Celiac disease can be a good possibility. My friend did something similar to figure out what made her feel sick, it ended up she had lactase deficiency.
 

Polaris

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Celiac disease was something that I considered the possibility of, but seeing as I don't have any nutrition problems, I don't think it's very likely that I have that. I might have some other kind of sensitivity to wheat products, though, so if all else fails, I might have to resort to going without wheat for awhile and see what that does for me.

Thyroid and metabolism problems are something worth keeping in mind, too, although wouldn't they have shown up in blood tests?

I do eat a lot of dairy products, so if I have a lactase deficiency, that could certainly be contributing to my fatigue. I almost never drink milk though--I just eat cheese and yogurt, which is supposed to be fairly safe for people with that problem, since the bacteria in those things break down the lactase before you eat them.

As both of you have suggested, I may need to go back to the doctor and keep pressing him for answers. I haven't had much luck so far, and my last doctor basically said that there wasn't anything else he could look into, but I'm sure that isn't entirely true. I feel this way for some reason, and there's bound to be some kind of a test that will tell me why.

Southern Kross said:
Keep at it:hug:
Thank you for the encouragement. :hug:
 

Southern Kross

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Celiac disease was something that I considered the possibility of, but seeing as I don't have any nutrition problems, I don't think it's very likely that I have that. I might have some other kind of sensitivity to wheat products, though, so if all else fails, I might have to resort to going without wheat for awhile and see what that does for me.

Thyroid and metabolism problems are something worth keeping in mind, too, although wouldn't they have shown up in blood tests?

I do eat a lot of dairy products, so if I have a lactase deficiency, that could certainly be contributing to my fatigue. I almost never drink milk though--I just eat cheese and yogurt, which is supposed to be fairly safe for people with that problem, since the bacteria in those things break down the lactase before you eat them.

As both of you have suggested, I may need to go back to the doctor and keep pressing him for answers. I haven't had much luck so far, and my last doctor basically said that there wasn't anything else he could look into, but I'm sure that isn't entirely true. I feel this way for some reason, and there's bound to be some kind of a test that will tell me why.

Thank you for the encouragement. :hug:
I think there are clinics that specialize in dealing with allergies. You might be able to be tested by them for various things. If your doctor is resistant you won't make much headway with him/her.
 

Domino

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Go get a blood test done for Celiac. It was a big help for me. I've been fatigued since childhood, with auto-immune problems.
 

Fidelia

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Man, I'm sorry, Polaris. Thyroid is something that should come up in blood tests, but sometimes if you are borderline, it doesn't show up. There's also something else to do with thyroid that doesn't show up on the test, so it's worth looking into further even if it comes out normal. Halla's a good person to talk to about that, as well as Synapse.

Celiac's is more common than you'd think. I expect you're good on the lactose with cheese and yoghurt. Are you achy, or just really tired and without energy with racing pulse and light-headedness?

They will probably ask you about depression as well, although it doesn't sound to me like this is the problem. Emotional issues do tend to having a very physically draining effect on a lot of INFJs though. Are you dealing with a lot of stress or emotional stuff?
 

Polaris

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Southern Kross said:
I think there are clinics that specialize in dealing with allergies. You might be able to be tested by them for various things. If your doctor is resistant you won't make much headway with him/her.
This is something that I'm definitely going to look into doing. Some kind of food allergy, probably to something that I eat all the time like wheat products, is a very strong candidate for what's sapping my strength. Even if it doesn't turn out to be the answer I'm looking for, it doesn't hurt to find out what, if anything I might be allergic to.

Domino said:
Go get a blood test done for Celiac. It was a big help for me. I've been fatigued since childhood, with auto-immune problems.
This is some more advice that I'm going to follow. In the meantime, I'm going to try a gluten-free diet for about a week and see what effect that has on my energy levels. If they improve, it probably means that I have celiac disease, as you and some others have suggested.

fidelia said:
Are you achy, or just really tired and without energy with racing pulse and light-headedness?
Aside from what I already mentioned, the only unusual symptoms I have on any level, unless you count lack of mental energy as a result of feeling tired, are that I have to clear my throat after eating, which could be another sign of food intolerance or it could also point to the possibility of mild acid reflux. So no, I fortunately don't suffer from any aches or pains.

fidelia said:
They will probably ask you about depression as well, although it doesn't sound to me like this is the problem. Emotional issues do tend to having a very physically draining effect on a lot of INFJs though. Are you dealing with a lot of stress or emotional stuff?
This was something that had occurred to me--in the past, doctors have frequently decided that I was exhausted from depression, since it was the simplest answer and they couldn't find anything else wrong, and I won't be surprised if they try to do the same thing again. I don't think it has much if anything to do with depression, though, because this has been an ongoing problem for a long time, including through periods of my life when emotional problems weren't really an issue. As you sort of mentioned, it also seems unlikely that emotional problems would specifically cause bad reactions to food.

Anyway, thank you everyone for your advice so far. It's given me a clearer sense of where I need to head from here.
 

Fidelia

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Are you getting extra vitamin D? It's surprisingly helpful for a number of ailments, and especially if you live somewhere where you get less sun this time of year, it could make a bit difference. I do notice a huge change in my energy level when I take it, although I know it would not necessarily adjust your reaction to foods. I take 2-4000 IU a day and they say it is safe to do so.
 

fecaleagle

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I don't think it's hypothyroidism, mostly because your problems occur around meal time.

I think you may be suffering from rapid gastric emptying aka dumping syndrome. One caveat: this would be very, very rare in a patient that hasn't had a stomach surgery, but research is being done to find out how this happens in normal people. Nonetheless it fits. Basically your stomach is prematurely releasing undigested food into your small intestine, and your intestines become really angry which makes you feel shitty. There are 2 types: early and late. The 30 minute time frame that you mentioned would suggest early. But then again, there is a lot of overlap and people can suffer symptoms of both. The key symptoms include nausea, vomiting, pain/cramps/bloat/burping, diarrhea...and two very distinguishing additional symptoms: !!fatigue and a racing pulse!!. Sweating, shaking, and mental fog would really strengthen the diagnosis, but are probably a long shot since they tend to occur with the late variation. I would have your doctor look into performing a gastric emptying test and possibly a endoscopy if you identify with these symptoms.

If this is what you are suffering from, tweaking your diet may be all that you need, but it seems like you have already tried a bit. I would focus on protein and ESPECIALLY healthy fats because fat slows down the empying of your stomach contents in your small intestine..the same goes for fiber! As for carbs...brown rice, rolled oats, sweet potatoes....stick to very low GI sources and take in absolutely zero sugar. Honestly, I would completely cut out carbs for a while, except for veggies. Avoid fruit as well since it contains sugar. If that doesn't work partially or fully, medications can help and at worst, surgery.
 

Polaris

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fidelia said:
Are you getting extra vitamin D? It's surprisingly helpful for a number of ailments, and especially if you live somewhere where you get less sun this time of year, it could make a bit difference. I do notice a huge change in my energy level when I take it, although I know it would not necessarily adjust your reaction to foods. I take 2-4000 IU a day and they say it is safe to do so.
I don't know how much a lack of vitamin D has to do with my fatigue, but I'm certain I could use more of it in my system; I don't drink milk, which is one of the main sources of vitamin D, and I spend so little time in the sun that I wonder if some of the more imaginative people out there suspect I'm a vampire. So I will probably start taking vitamins again, and most likely right away, because I have a neglected bottle of them stowed away in the cupboard.

fecaleagle said:
I don't think it's hypothyroidism, mostly because your problems occur around meal time.

I think you may be suffering from rapid gastric emptying aka dumping syndrome. One caveat: this would be very, very rare in a patient that hasn't had a stomach surgery, but research is being done to find out how this happens in normal people. Nonetheless it fits. Basically your stomach is prematurely releasing undigested food into your small intestine, and your intestines become really angry which makes you feel shitty. There are 2 types: early and late. The 30 minute time frame that you mentioned would suggest early. But then again, there is a lot of overlap and people can suffer symptoms of both. The key symptoms include nausea, vomiting, pain/cramps/bloat/burping, diarrhea...and two very distinguishing additional symptoms: !!fatigue and a racing pulse!!. Sweating, shaking, and mental fog would really strengthen the diagnosis, but are probably a long shot since they tend to occur with the late variation. I would have your doctor look into performing a gastric emptying test and possibly a endoscopy if you identify with these symptoms.

If this is what you are suffering from, tweaking your diet may be all that you need, but it seems like you have already tried a bit. I would focus on protein and ESPECIALLY healthy fats because fat slows down the empying of your stomach contents in your small intestine..the same goes for fiber! As for carbs...brown rice, rolled oats, sweet potatoes....stick to very low GI sources and take in absolutely zero sugar. Honestly, I would completely cut out carbs for a while, except for veggies. Avoid fruit as well since it contains sugar. If that doesn't work partially or fully, medications can help and at worst, surgery.
You raise an intriguing possibility, one that I had never even heard of until now. In light of what you've told me, I've been taking measures to mitigate any rapid gastric emptying that I might have--I've been lying down right after meals and avoiding drinking anything within half an hour of eating--and my negative reaction to food has almost vanished. Aside from that piece of evidence that I have RGE, I also remember that one of the things that has always tired me out the most, and almost immediately upon drinking it, was tea after a meal, which, as a warm fluid, is particularly likely to trigger symptoms of rapid gastric emptying.

On the other hand, for some bizarre reason, in spite of not making any changes whatsoever to my lifestyle, I began to experience a rare spike in energy levels, about a day after I started this topic. With my overall strength being so much higher than usual, even if still far from perfect, it's difficult for me to say for sure whether my improved tolerance for food has anything to do with the actions I've taken to counteract RGE. I suspect that it does, at least a little, for reasons too vague for me to go into detail about, but only time can prove me right.

This coming weekend when I go grocery shopping, I'm also going to try going gluten-free and see how that affects me. The low-carb diet is a tempting suggestion, but I'm going to hold off at least until I go without gluten for awhile; thanks to my pickiness, I already eat a fairly restrictive diet as it is, and making it even more restrictive is not something I can easily do without some serious thought about how to keep from starving for lack of things to eat (a gluten-free diet requires some rethought, too, but considerably less, since many foods have gluten-free versions).
 

fecaleagle

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I'm glad that you're feeling better! Keep us posted on how going gluten-free works out. If you decide to do low carb, it's not that difficult if you get creative. Look into the "ketogenic diet". Your body honestly prefers using fat rather than carbs for energy. I've heard nothing but people being wired with energy from this type of diet. You can cook lean meats like fish, chicken, and turkey, with a lot of olive oil and similar oils, as well as adding some nuts as a snack. Steak and roasts, along with pork can also give you sufficient fat calories. Cheese too if you are not lactose intolerant. Veggies and fiber supplementation (I would look into psylium husk powder as it's magical stuff) will help too. This way, you would maximally slow down your stomach's release of food. And without a regular carb source and hence low insulin levels, these fats pose no health risks.

Good luck figuring it all out! If it really is RGE, that will be surprising and an interesting medical find that I'm sure would shock your physician.
 
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