4 ms·

I had some bullshit virus that the kid bought home about six months ago, and it royally fucked me up - since, I have been persistently lightheaded, get tired wa

I had some bullshit virus that the kid bought home about six months ago, and it royally fucked me up - since, I have been persistently lightheaded, get tired walking up a flight of stairs, and constantly feel like I need to sleep - but the cruellest thing is that I can’t. Since I had whatever, I haven’t been able to sleep more than 2-3 hours per day - I fall asleep, snooze groggily for ten minutes, wake up, repeat. It’s getting to the point that I’m not even bothering to try, any more, as it’s just a waste of time and energy. I find myself not having the energy to eat - it’s like trying to ram cardboard down my throat. I’ll cook for the family and by the time I’m done, sticking food in my mouth seems impossible. I’ve lost about 20% of my body mass since. I push too hard and I faint, or at least have to drop to the floor as the tunnel vision sets in lest I batter myself when I drop like a broken marionete - I’ve demolished a coffee table and a wardrobe, somewhat painfully. Add to that that I have a toddler and live off grid and absolutely cannot get a break, and that my wife believes I am being a ridiculous hypochondriac, and… it’s hard. I just have to believe it will get better at some point. Doctors reliably tell me there’s nothing wrong, and offer me anxiety medication. I’m not anxious - I’m just tired.

Madmallard 2y ago
Time to try a graded exercise routine on days you feel better and mitochondrial supplements and cutting out gluten and eating more dark leafy greens and vegetables in general and organ meats and praying it works lol also do whatever you can to sleep more that's probably part of a problem that makes itself worse
- marliechiller 2y ago
  can you explain the dietary advice like cutting out gluten? is that to reduce inflammatory responses?
sabbaticaldev 2y ago
about the appetite, have you tried weed? the munchies might bring you back some joy eating
errnoteqnil 2y ago
This sounds like POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). All these are common symptoms of POTS/dysautonomia, but the one that stands out for a potential POTS diagnosis is the persistent syncope. You can confirm this diagnosis in 25 minutes with a simple home blood pressure cuff: https://www.amazon.com/Clinically-Validated-Unlimited-Pre-Formed-Technology/dp/B0DDZP9R7T https://www.amazon.com/Clinically-Validated-Unlimited-Pre-Fo... Test instructions here: https://batemanhornecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/NASA-Lean-Test-Instructions-1.pdf https://batemanhornecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/NA... There's no surefire cure, but POTS is very treatable. I made an account just to leave this comment.
- jhogendorn 2y ago
  Keep in mind that POTS is specifically heart rate and not blood pressure. Blood pressure drop is orthostatic hypotension. They can both exists or one or the other, but are not the same thing and POTS is a specific term not an umbrella one.
  - errnoteqnil 2y ago
    Fair enough! My original comment was more brief than precise... If it helps the original commenter, and anyone else reading who's suffering from similar issues: The umbrella term for syncope and fatigue when sitting up or standing is orthostatic intolerance (OI), and it's commonly seen in Long Covid and other post-viral illnesses. Both POTS and orthostatic hypotension can cause OI. To the original commenter, there's a good chance you've already been tested for irregularities on a CBC and CMP, but a thorough doctor would generally also order tests for your thyroid, testosterone, iron, B12, and Vitamin D levels. You should probably also get screened for diabetes, autoimmune, and adrenal issues. These labs could help identify simpler, treatable causes of your OI and other issues. But if all that is normal, testing for orthostatic issues like POTS and orthostatic hypotension would be extremely warranted for you as well. And it really can be as simple as an at-home test! A lot of doctors will only diagnose POTS or orthostatic hypotension with an official tilt-table test, but with the rise of Long Covid many specialists are willing to diagnose and treat patients based on simpler and cheaper at-home testing. And the initial treatments are often as simple as drinking additional fluids and electrolytes and wearing compression garments. It took me several debilitating years and at least a dozen doctors to get diagnosed with POTS and orthostatic hypotension, and if any of them had suggested I buy a BP cuff and spend 30 minutes doing a lean test it would have saved me an awful lot of trouble...
totallywrong 2y ago
Something relatively easy you can try is to get your body into ketosis, where mental clarity and energy levels are greatly improved. While I don't think it's good for most people (it's a pretty antisocial diet) I'd jump right in in your situation.
jakeogh 2y ago
If you havent tried melatonin, give it a shot; but critically, use a low dose, like 3mg sublingually. In my experience, people often take too much and have counterintuative results.
Gibbon1 2y ago
I apparently have sarcoidosis. The last flareup was bad enough to get a diagnosis. But docs think based on my history that I've had it for 20 years. What I think is viral infections can cause low grade immune system dysregulation. Nominally there isn't anything obviously wrong. But it shows up in feeling crappy and having stress intolerance. It's a problem because medicine doesn't have any tests or treatments for that. It's totally ass. However some people do get better after a year or two.

Madmallard 2y ago

Time to try a graded exercise routine on days you feel better and mitochondrial supplements and cutting out gluten and eating more dark leafy greens and vegetables in general and organ meats and praying it works lol also do whatever you can to sleep more that's probably part of a problem that makes itself worse

marliechiller 2y ago
can you explain the dietary advice like cutting out gluten? is that to reduce inflammatory responses?

sabbaticaldev 2y ago

about the appetite, have you tried weed? the munchies might bring you back some joy eating

errnoteqnil 2y ago

This sounds like POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). All these are common symptoms of POTS/dysautonomia, but the one that stands out for a potential POTS diagnosis is the persistent syncope. You can confirm this diagnosis in 25 minutes with a simple home blood pressure cuff: https://www.amazon.com/Clinically-Validated-Unlimited-Pre-Formed-Technology/dp/B0DDZP9R7T https://www.amazon.com/Clinically-Validated-Unlimited-Pre-Fo... Test instructions here: https://batemanhornecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/NASA-Lean-Test-Instructions-1.pdf https://batemanhornecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/NA... There's no surefire cure, but POTS is very treatable. I made an account just to leave this comment.

jhogendorn 2y ago
Keep in mind that POTS is specifically heart rate and not blood pressure. Blood pressure drop is orthostatic hypotension. They can both exists or one or the other, but are not the same thing and POTS is a specific term not an umbrella one.
- errnoteqnil 2y ago
  Fair enough! My original comment was more brief than precise... If it helps the original commenter, and anyone else reading who's suffering from similar issues: The umbrella term for syncope and fatigue when sitting up or standing is orthostatic intolerance (OI), and it's commonly seen in Long Covid and other post-viral illnesses. Both POTS and orthostatic hypotension can cause OI. To the original commenter, there's a good chance you've already been tested for irregularities on a CBC and CMP, but a thorough doctor would generally also order tests for your thyroid, testosterone, iron, B12, and Vitamin D levels. You should probably also get screened for diabetes, autoimmune, and adrenal issues. These labs could help identify simpler, treatable causes of your OI and other issues. But if all that is normal, testing for orthostatic issues like POTS and orthostatic hypotension would be extremely warranted for you as well. And it really can be as simple as an at-home test! A lot of doctors will only diagnose POTS or orthostatic hypotension with an official tilt-table test, but with the rise of Long Covid many specialists are willing to diagnose and treat patients based on simpler and cheaper at-home testing. And the initial treatments are often as simple as drinking additional fluids and electrolytes and wearing compression garments. It took me several debilitating years and at least a dozen doctors to get diagnosed with POTS and orthostatic hypotension, and if any of them had suggested I buy a BP cuff and spend 30 minutes doing a lean test it would have saved me an awful lot of trouble...

totallywrong 2y ago

Something relatively easy you can try is to get your body into ketosis, where mental clarity and energy levels are greatly improved. While I don't think it's good for most people (it's a pretty antisocial diet) I'd jump right in in your situation.

jakeogh 2y ago

If you havent tried melatonin, give it a shot; but critically, use a low dose, like 3mg sublingually. In my experience, people often take too much and have counterintuative results.

Gibbon1 2y ago

I apparently have sarcoidosis. The last flareup was bad enough to get a diagnosis. But docs think based on my history that I've had it for 20 years. What I think is viral infections can cause low grade immune system dysregulation. Nominally there isn't anything obviously wrong. But it shows up in feeling crappy and having stress intolerance. It's a problem because medicine doesn't have any tests or treatments for that. It's totally ass. However some people do get better after a year or two.