I don’t feel non-drugged until well after 6 PM. I’m sleeping very well. I even tried caffeine pills and even caffeine doesn’t budge the “just come to under general anesthesia” feeling. I’ve been under before, and that retch-y feeling is the same. People have also noticed that I’m moving slowly. I don’t drink alcohol, so this isn’t a hangover. It started rather gradually but is getting worse.
Someone suggested it could be low b12, but I’ve been having the sublingual spray for months and there’s no improvement.
Am I just getting old and this is something I’m gonna have to put up with for the rest of my life?
I saw replies saying you got a TSH test done. While this is the “gold standard” used for testing thyroid function, it’s easily misleading. TSH levels are somewhat relative and do not tell the whole story. Doctors often label subclinically low TSH as “normal” but you may not feel normal.
The way hypothyroidism is diagnosed is dogshit these days and it’s quite common (1/4 women, more common as you age). If you have only seen an MD and one who is not specialized in endocrinology, I would get a second opinion. My experience is that nurse practioners and DOs are more likely to take this seriously than MDs.
While it’s possible it’s something else, I wouldn’t rule out hypothyroidism strictly from TSH. You can also request a wider thyroid panel that tests free/total T4 and T3, plus thyroid antibodies such as TPO. TSH only tests for the hormone telling your thyroid that your body needs hormones, it does not test for the hormones themselves. Additionally, it does not test for whether you have a thyroid autoimmune disease. This could lead to all your symptoms.
I’ve been through this struggle and known plenty of others who have as well (Hashimoto’s, began in my mid/late twenties). Modern doctors underdiagnose the disease because of they leave it at a TSH test and will often shrug you off with a vitamin D prescription. Go to someone who specializes in this, check your symptoms against those of others and pay particular attention to how they describe how they feel. Trust your intuition about your own body and what feels normal.
Brain fog, body aches, feeling cold all the time, lethargy, waking up feeling like you can never get enough sleep or like your brain is awake but your body isn’t, depression, hair loss, weight gain, poor appetite…these are all signs to look for, but unfortunately are shared with many diseases. You thyroid hormones control so much of your energy and everything surrounding it.
If this ends up being the problem, you can take a simple and cheap thyroid hormone replacement daily and everything will improve. There are natural and synthetic replacements, if you are put on one type and don’t like it, try the other one. Synthetic T4 and T3 or armor thyroid/natural pig thyroid (contains T1-T4).
Good luck and I truly hope you can find how to feel better!