Hey guys,
Just another question for everyone. For the past week I have been experiencing extreme fatigue and lethargy. It comes in waves but sometimes lasts much longer than I would like. Able to to run 3
miles but when the fatigue hits simple household chores seem impossible. My CC symptoms are doing pretty good. No watery D except for the rare days when something was a miss. I'm on:
All vitamins are by metagenics and are being monitored by a naturopath
Vitamin C 1500 mg
magnesium...lotion and oral (200 mg)
B vitamins
10,000 Vitamin D
Vitamin K
Omega 3's
Licorice Root
Klonopin 0.5 mg
I know this could be stress but this isn't my usual M.O. I can hardly move. My mother just moved out of our home after 5 years and the hubby is gone a lot for work so that is a major life change. I'm sleeping fairly well. Had cortisol levels checked and they were o.k. Going to the Dr. tomorrow. Any suggestions?
New fatigue and lethargy
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
New fatigue and lethargy
Vanessa
Hi Vanessa,
I'm sorry that you're having fatigue problems. Since you describe your CC as doing "pretty good", 4 possibilities come to mind (though I could obviously be overlooking something).
1. Thyroid issues are very common with MC. We are approximately 7 times as likely as someone in the general population to develop thyroid issues. Hypothyroidism is a very common cause of chronic fatigue (among many other symptoms). Has your doctor checked your TSH, Free T3, and Free T4 lately? Also, checking for thyroid antibodies is a good idea for anyone who already has 1 or more autoimmune diseases (such as CC).
2. Low iron can definitely cause serious fatigue issues. Has your doctor checked your iron levels — especially your ferritin level?
3. Are you depressed by the recent changes in your life? A common depression symptom is extreme fatigue.
4. One of the side effects of Klonopin is fatigue. Some authorities claim that if exactly the right dose can be found, it can reverse the effect.
And yes, as you mentioned, stress can also cause fatigue.
I hope that some of this is helpful.
Tex
I'm sorry that you're having fatigue problems. Since you describe your CC as doing "pretty good", 4 possibilities come to mind (though I could obviously be overlooking something).
1. Thyroid issues are very common with MC. We are approximately 7 times as likely as someone in the general population to develop thyroid issues. Hypothyroidism is a very common cause of chronic fatigue (among many other symptoms). Has your doctor checked your TSH, Free T3, and Free T4 lately? Also, checking for thyroid antibodies is a good idea for anyone who already has 1 or more autoimmune diseases (such as CC).
2. Low iron can definitely cause serious fatigue issues. Has your doctor checked your iron levels — especially your ferritin level?
3. Are you depressed by the recent changes in your life? A common depression symptom is extreme fatigue.
4. One of the side effects of Klonopin is fatigue. Some authorities claim that if exactly the right dose can be found, it can reverse the effect.
And yes, as you mentioned, stress can also cause fatigue.
I hope that some of this is helpful.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
By untreatable I assume you are referring to pernicious anemia. Is it associated with MC? Well, it's known to be associated with certain intestinal conditions that interfere with the absorption of vitamin B12, including celiac disease, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis (all of which are IBDs), so I see no reason why it would not also be associated with MC.
Is your B-12 level low? It would need to be low for a diagnosis of pernicious anemia. But if you actually have pernicious anemia, then yes, it's almost surely a life-long issue.
Tex
Is your B-12 level low? It would need to be low for a diagnosis of pernicious anemia. But if you actually have pernicious anemia, then yes, it's almost surely a life-long issue.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Hello Vanessa,
In January i was doing (apparently) good with my LC, no D., no nausea, regular stools most of the time. At the time I was only dairy free, and also wasn't eating dark leafy greens or other food that I knew could immediately offend my gut (like oranges for example).
Despite all that i was feeling extremely fatigued and was always very sleepy, but i didn't associate it with LC.
My blood tests showed not only anemia but very low iron. Since the values were worrying I had to take some medication for it and of course my gut didn't like it very much. Fortunately, my GI was careful and i was taking medication with the lowest dosage on the market, so i was experiencing only some pain.
All this to say that I do believe now that low iron was indeed due to my LC and even though I'm not sure, my suspicion is that, in my case, some food intolerance can be behind that. I'm on an elimination diet so I'm still figuring out...
Reading your symptoms above reminded me of mine at the time.
Hope it can be useful.
In January i was doing (apparently) good with my LC, no D., no nausea, regular stools most of the time. At the time I was only dairy free, and also wasn't eating dark leafy greens or other food that I knew could immediately offend my gut (like oranges for example).
Despite all that i was feeling extremely fatigued and was always very sleepy, but i didn't associate it with LC.
My blood tests showed not only anemia but very low iron. Since the values were worrying I had to take some medication for it and of course my gut didn't like it very much. Fortunately, my GI was careful and i was taking medication with the lowest dosage on the market, so i was experiencing only some pain.
All this to say that I do believe now that low iron was indeed due to my LC and even though I'm not sure, my suspicion is that, in my case, some food intolerance can be behind that. I'm on an elimination diet so I'm still figuring out...
Reading your symptoms above reminded me of mine at the time.
Hope it can be useful.
What medication were you prescribed? I'm taking a supplement called blood builder by mega foods. Easily absorbed form of iron that is food based not the krap you get from the pharmacy that has muffler shavings in it. It's doing ok on the gut and my energy is slowly coming back. I'm a runner so I think my iron stores are low from that as we'll.
Vanessa
The laboratory picture for iron deficiency anemia versus pernicious anemia are very different. Iron deficiency is more common with MC but that is not to say a patient cannot have both. Restricted diets can produce a number of deficiencies as can malabsorption. Vanessa, since you say you are eating beef, it is possible that there could be some microscopic bleeding in the intestine. Do have your doctor keep an eye on this.
Dr. Ann
Dr. Ann