Tired of being tired and feeling sick...

[TexasFan914]

Hello all! I am new here and seeking whatever advice, direction, and help I can get. I recently went into my GP and unfortunately did not get a very good response. I explain all of my symptoms and past history which led to a blood test (metabolic, lipid, yah). I got a letter telling me my cholesterol was high so I needed to exercise and change to a low fat diet. That’s where I am at right now. I did have some numbers that were off and I am willing to share. For example my glucose was low and this was a fasting blood test.

My background - I had stomach ulcers in late 2015, mono in 2016, and mono again in 2017. I am a 34 year old female - former half marathon runner that suffers from sever fatigue now. I cannot exercise much without getting too tired. In the last six months I have developed a lot of bloating, stomach fullness, some pain in my back at times and in my stomach, indigestion, burping, and nausea at times. I’m trying hard to figure out what could be causing these symptoms. Those that have celiac and/or intolerance do these symptoms line up at all?

Thoughts anyone? I appreciate your time.

[knitty kitty]

6 hours ago, TexasFan914 said:

Hello all! I am new here and seeking whatever advice, direction, and help I can get. I recently went into my GP and unfortunately did not get a very good response. I explain all of my symptoms and past history which led to a blood test (metabolic, lipid, yah). I got a letter telling me my cholesterol was high so I needed to exercise and change to a low fat diet. That’s where I am at right now. I did have some numbers that were off and I am willing to share. For example my glucose was low and this was a fasting blood test.

My background - I had stomach ulcers in late 2015, mono in 2016, and mono again in 2017. I am a 34 year old female - former half marathon runner that suffers from sever fatigue now. I cannot exercise much without getting too tired. In the last six months I have developed a lot of bloating, stomach fullness, some pain in my back at times and in my stomach, indigestion, burping, and nausea at times. I’m trying hard to figure out what could be causing these symptoms. Those that have celiac and/or intolerance do these symptoms line up at all?

Thoughts anyone? I appreciate your time.

Get your B12 level tested.  B12 deficiency will cause your body to make more cholesterol. Here's an article from National Institute of Health

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4356060/

B12 deficiency is common in Celiac Disease, and B12 deficiency can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, but there are other reasons for a B12 deficiency besides Celiac Disease.

If you suspect Celiac Disease, you should get the full panel of blood tests for Celiac Disease.  

http://www.cureceliacdisease.org/screening/

Hope this helps.

[jill b 2]

My biggest symptom was incredible fatigue, sometimes sleeping entire weekends. I had complained for years and undergone all kinds of tests, even had nasal septum surgery.  Looking back I remember a little bloating and indigestion but that's it.  While being tested for other things it was determined that I had severe osteoporosis, early onset (55 yrs).  My PCP at this point suspected malabsorbtion (I also had anemia) and the blood work for celiac disease came back positive followed by a positive endoscopy.  After several weeks of gluten-free diet (it's  been 11 yrs) I now have so much energy I don't know what to do with it!   A point:  do not put yourself on a gluten-free diet before testing or you could show false negative.

[pikakegirl]

I have been militant gluten free for 11 years  so far no positive tests since diagnosis however that is not my biggest challenge. In had an iron stomach before diagnosis with silent celiac. Since gluten-free the food intollerences went wild. I went down to 10 foods and balanced my gi. Slowly i tried one food at a time. Found over the years the FODMAP diet eliminated gas and bloating and that I am MTHFR positive meaning i was not absorbing folic acid and foods high in it made me sick. I now take 3000mg L-methylfolate and felt less nerve pain and fatigue right away. Liquid B12 methylcobalamin is the only one I absorb...is like cafine I have so much more energy. Also B6 in form P5P for easy absorption. Other B vitamins make me feel depressed and sluggish. Finding your specific chemistry is the key.

[EllenW]

Hi TexasFan914, 

You don't mention if you have been diagnosed with Celiac disease. Have you?

First of all, our society has a real problem surrounding our diagnosis of high cholesterol and health, specifically heart health. (See "The Cholesterol Myth" by Jonny Bowden and Stephen Sinatra). High cholesterol has NOT been proven to be caused by diet, and myocardial infarctions have NOT been proven to be caused by high cholesterol. This is a red herring that western medicine doctors default to, following poor "science" 50 years ago.... In fact, as an athlete, cutting back on fat is a very bad idea. Trans fats and sugar are the largest culprit of heart health issues and everyone should try to avoid these for their health. They are primarily found together in processed and baked goods.

Like all nutrients, it's not a good idea to supplement B12 if you do not have a deficiency. B12 is not included in a CBC and must specifically be requested, so I would suggest asking your doc to do an OH25 (vitamin D), B12, and full thyroid panel to get some information on the potential cause of the fatigue. If you are seeing the doctor for the symptom of fatigue, these should all be covered by insurance. 

As far as the digestive issues are concerned, (gas, bloating, pain, nausea, etc.) there are MANY potential causes. In addition to auto-immune diseases, root cause could be food allergies, sensitivities, and/or intolerances (allergies and sensitivities are immune-system conditions and intolerances are a lack of the necessary enzyme to digest the food) These can all be serum tested for, but the testing is still being developed/perfected. Elimination diets can be of huge success to identify food issues but many people hate the idea of them and have difficulty sticking to them because it usually means they can't consume their favorite foods for some time. (And hint, OFTEN it is those foods that you are most "addicted to" or say you "couldn't live without" that are contributing to the chronic problem.) I would put money on the fact that with these symptoms and your history of ulcers and mono, you most likely have a leaky gut which, regardless of root cause would need to be repaired (See "Eat Dirt" by Dr. Josh Axe). Stress, OTC and prescription drugs, gut flora, parasites, and other autoimmune diseases are all potential root causes to leaky gut and digestive issues. So if anyone tells you to "just do this or that" to address your symptoms, they are not considering your unique situation and are throwing darts that may or may not work for you. 

Unfortunately our western medical system doesn't usually work with the details of identifying contributing factors within diet and lifestyle, and will usually try to address symptoms with pharmaceuticals. I highly recommend that you find a functional medical doctor or naturopath with good references to work with to help you identify and resolve your unique situation from a holistic perspective.