Is it normal to feel so tired all the time?

[lailasmum]

I'm wondering as I have no energy, none, just drained and exhausted all the time. Is it normal with 2 kids (6 & 2 yrs) or is there something wrong with me? I'm finding it a real struggle to do anything other than survive. I wouldn't change home educating but would love to have energy to get out and do more with my children rather than just the bare minimumI I find a trip around the super market exhausting to the point I can't remain standing and a day trip anywhere requires a day to recover.

 

Friends of mine always say yes its really tiring having kids but are out and about all the time. Most of them have more kids than I do too.

 

I have had really achy swollen joints in my arms and legs (mostly my feet and hands) the last week and am a really achey person generally I feel like an old woman. My 69 yr old mum is far more full of life and energy and vitality than me.

 

I'm torn between thinking there is something wrong with me and thinking i need to quit complaining and put up with it.

[JudoMom]

Being tired is normal, but not to the extent you're describing. Given the achiness you describe, I think you should see a doctor. It makes me wonder about thyroid issues, or some other auto-immune (such as rheumatoid arthritis) issue.

 

:grouphug:Being that tired is a miserable place to be.:grouphug:

[xxxxxxxx]

get your thyroid checked.......also sounds like autoimmune issues to me.

 

Hope you can find some help..........I went years just putting one foot in front of the other. It was my thyroid. Now with medication, I feel great.

[Impish]

Being tired is normal, but not to the extent you're describing. Given the achiness you describe, I think you should see a doctor. It makes me wonder about thyroid issues, or some other auto-immune (such as rheumatoid arthritis) issue.

 

:grouphug:Being that tired is a miserable place to be.:grouphug:

:iagree:

[Veritaserum]

get your thyroid checked.......also sounds like autoimmune issues to me.

 

Hope you can find some help..........I went years just putting one foot in front of the other. It was my thyroid. Now with medication, I feel great.

 

:iagree: A year and a half ago I needed a nap after simply taking a shower and getting dressed. My thyroid was not working. Within a few months of starting treatment I felt much better. Now I feel pretty much normal.

 

TSH levels are what are typically tested. Some docs say that anything under 5 is normal, but I don't feel good until I'm around 1.5. Over 2 and I'm feeling lousy. At 3, I stop functioning. Like shoe size, there is a normal range for thyroid function, but you can't say it is fine for a person with a size 9 foot to wear a size 6 shoe.

[Dawn in OH]

No, the amount of tiredness you are experiencing is not normal. I think the swollen joints and aches are a good sign that you need to see a doctor.

 

As the others have stated, it sounds like you could have a thyroid problem. There are also other possibilities, but that is a good place to start.

[lailasmum]

Thanks for the advice, I Will take a trip to the doctor and see what they say.

 

Life is not enjoyable and it should be.

 

Now to peel my bum off this seat.....

[Hedgehog]

I don't think that's normal. It sounds to me like you may have fibromyalgia or something similar. But definitely get it checked out, and if you don't get anywhere (or better) with one doctor, I would get a second opinion (and third if necessary).

[Pam L in Mid Tenn]

I had complained of tiredness for several years. About 13 years ago, in the summer, while my step daughters were with us, one of them said to me, "Pam, I have friends whose Moms have 4 little kids and those moms are not as tired as you are. I think you should see a doctor." (DstepD was about 14 yo)

 

Long story made short: I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

 

You could have an underlying sinus infection, or anemia, or sleep apena. OR you might just need an extended rest time.

 

Is your level of tiredness about the same as other homeschool moms?

 

I'm not trying to scare you, but a trip to the doctor might be in order.

:grouphug:

[SeekingSimplicity]

when my sil had 5ths disease, she described it at feeling like an old woman, being tired and achy.

[Guest]

I definitely agree with the others to see a doctor. I have no medical background. However, I have recently cut out refined sugar out of my diet and it has made a huge improvement in my fatigue. I used to *need* to sleep during the day (as in, I need to lay down right this second!) and since I cut out the sugar, I feel the normal "mom-tired" but not the fatigue that I used to. I actually don't remember the last time that I felt I needed to take a nap. I am also making a point to exercise 30 minutes a day. I was feeling a little achy (not sure if it is the extent that you are describing) but it was mostly after a period of non-movement. (i.e. sleeping/resting)

 

:grouphug: Hoping you get things figured out soon - it's hard to be SO fatigued all the time.

[lailasmum]

Well comparing myself to my friends who home school, they are all all really bright and vital, they seem to have endless energy for anything and loads of enthusiasm. Yeah they do complain of tiredness sometimes but its always justifiable, like after a long trip away.

 

I don't think its sugar but who knows, i will do research. I am very aware of eating healthily. My mum has diabetes and we all live together so eat the same diet as her which is very much home cooked and un processed. I am pretty slim too, but have a huge appetite - like a teenage boy. I loose weight really easily. Like several lbs just through a few days of erratic eating which happens sometimes for various reasons-say if we are travelling or something.

 

I've made an appointment to see a doctor next Tuesday, its a new doctor at our regular medical centre so hopefully they will be helpful but have generally found they aren't there.

 

Thanks though its all food for thought and I can do some research before I go.

[mom2jjka]

I would also recommend getting checked for Lymes disease. Do you remember any tick bites or rashes?

[lailasmum]

I don't remember seeing tick bites on me. I have removed them from my dd our cat and other peoples dogs occasionally. We live on the edge of a moor and a farm full of sheep and there are deer around so yeah its possible.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Check out this book - http://www.adrenalfatigue.org/ The nice thing about it is that it goes through all the reasons for fatigue (vitamin D deficiency, thyroid etc.) and tells you what to do about each one.

[hsmom3tn]

Of course it could be something more serious and you should definitely go to the doctor, but just a thought... do you drink diet drinks? Asking because that is exactly how I felt all the time until I stopped consuming aspartame. Coke Zero was my drug of choice, lol.

[Harriet Vane]

This does not sound normal. I think you should go see a doctor and insist on some testing.

 

The achy joints make me think possible arthritis??

 

Make sure they also check your iron. Insist on BOTH a hemoglobin AND a ferritin count. (Most drs just check hemoglobin, but BOTH need to be checked as your hemoglobin can be within normal limits while your ferritin is anemic.) Also check your vitamin D levels.

[lailasmum]

hsmom3tn - I rarely drink any fizzy drinks, like a few times a year. Is it in any thing else do you happen to know? I may do a search and see.

Edited September 8, 2010 by lailasmum