Really struggling with fatigue

For about a month now, my body has been quite fatigued. It's not a "sleepy" feeling, like I need to take a nap, but my body just feels very worn out.  When it first started, it was really bad and I was tired throughout my whole day.  It's slowly gotten better, and now it fluctuates.  Some days will be better than others, and at certain parts of the day I'll have more energy, but it's still a big problem. 

I've been to the doctor twice- the first time I had blood taken and everything they tested for came back negative: mono, anemia, thyroid problems, etc. 

I'm 20 years old, female, 5'6", about 118 lbs.  I eat healthy foods (plenty of dark greens, veggies, fruits, protein) and sometimes I run but I haven't been able to exercise much because of how exhausted I've been.  I get plenty of sleep.  I take a multi-vitamin every day, but I also get good nutrition from the foods I eat. I also get in a good amount of caffeine- I drink coffee in the morning and diet coke and sometimes other diet sodas as well.

I'm just very frustrated with my body being so worn out.  I want to get back into running and exercising altogether but I just can't right now.  I'm not sure what it is.  Since going to the doctor for the second time a few days ago, I've decided to just take it easy for about a week, without exercise, so that my body can rest.  But I'm still not sure that will do anything. 

Has anyone experienced this before, or have any thoughts as to what is causing it?  The only thing else I can think of is that it's viral and just hasn't worked its way through my body yet, but I really don't know.  I have no other symptoms.  It's just fatigue; often it's a struggle to even walk up the stairs.

 

 

You could be anemic, meaning you have a deficiency of red blood cells, often caused by not eating enough iron (best source is red meat).   Here's some more info: http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/heart/an emia.html#

You could also be lacking fat or another vital nutrient.  Or, you simply might not be getting enough sleep (esp. enough deep sleep).  Some people need 10 hours, others are fine with 6-7.  One more idea:  do you workout a lot?  Or rarely take a day off from exercise or vigorous activity? Our bodies need a bread, to repair and rebuild muscle, tissue, etc.  

Original Post by adidas19:

I'm 20 years old, female, 5'6", about 118 lbs.  I eat healthy foods (plenty of dark greens, veggies, fruits, protein) and sometimes I run but I haven't been able to exercise much because of how exhausted I've been.   

 

 

You're actually borderline underweight (BMI 18.6) at the moment and I would suspect that, to stay there, the amount of healthy foods you're eating isn't enough to maintain good health and give you enough energy.  Once your BMI drops below 20 you're in a medically grey area... some people have been very thin their whole lives, eat like horses and are physically well at such a low weight.  If you've had to diet to get to that weight, it's probably too low and your body will start to complain.

You need about 2000-2300 cals a day to maintain your weight.... are you getting that each day?   You'd need 2500 - 2800 a day to start gaining.  Caffeine limits iron absorption and you don't have to be anaemic to experience the problems associated with low iron stores.  Vitamin pills shouldn't be necessary if your diet is adequate... they're no substitute for real food.

 

Original Post by gi-jane:

 

You're actually borderline underweight (BMI 18.6) at the moment and I would suspect that, to stay there, the amount of healthy foods you're eating isn't enough to maintain good health and give you enough energy.  Once your BMI drops below 20 you're in a medically grey area... some people have been very thin their whole lives, eat like horses and are physically well at such a low weight.  If you've had to diet to get to that weight, it's probably too low and your body will start to complain.

 Yep.  What she said.  I know some people complain because here in the forums we sometimes tell underweight people that they should gain, but what gi-jane said is a really good rule to follow.

Do you diet to get to the weight you are at?  If so, it might be your body telling you that it's just not happy at that low of a weight. Not all of us are meant to be at an 18 bmi.  I'm not saying this is your case.  I'm not a doctor.  but it is something that we run across quite often here.

Edit:  By the way, it is totally possible to have bloodwork come back normal and still be a tad lighter in weight than your body cares for.

I have been feeling the EXACT same way! I also just went to the doctor and everything came back normal as well. However, I have not had my period since the end of January, so I was put on Provera to get it back. I took it 2 weeks ago and still have not seen a period, except for some spotting. The Provera made me irritable and EXTREMELY fatigued. Having been off Provera for a week or so, I am feeling EXACTLY as you described your symptoms, even though they have not been affected, like mine, by medication. I am 5'3.5 116 lbs with a BF% of 17... If someone answers your question and you feel a considerable difference, I will most likely try WHATEVER approach works for you... I am desperate : /. So, PLEASE post any changes!!

How's your blood pressure?

Do you ever measure it at home, not just at the doctor?

 

There are so many different possiblities for why you're always feeling fatigued.  When I was 12, I was just feeling chronically tired for a few weeks.  I was misdiagnosed by the first doctor as just having a virus and it would go away.  It didn't.  Weirdly enough (and it took until the third doctor to figure this out), it was seasonal allergies.  I went on daily allergy medication and I was fine.

I'm not saying that's your problem.  In fact, I doubt it.  But I would recommend trying another doctor.  Sometimes a second doctor will consider possibilities that the first one doesn't.

Also, I know this is counterintuitive, but perhaps try cutting out caffiene for a few days.  It makes you more alert, but it can sometimes leave you feeling even more tired when it wears off.  If you feel like your body is craving caffeine to function, that's not a good thing.

Original Post by hnierenb:

 I have not had my period since the end of January, so I was put on Provera to get it back. ...

This might be, as another poster commented, an indication that your body is not "happy." The annorexic standard of female beauty that is promulgated in the media might not be not the most healthy; what you describe as happening might be reflective of the fact that over long eons of evolution during times of famine the body went into 'starvation mode' and conserved energy by 'shutting down' functions that were not essential to the survival of the individual ... this meant shutting down the reproductive functions (meaning, menstruation). In short, your body doesn't understand you're on a diet ... it might just be that it 'reads' the current condition as 'famine' so its conserving on energy.