Sick of being sick!

ARGH - I am so frustrated! I have been sick for 3 months now and I really need some ideas for what I can do to get healthy again. Here is a basic rundown of what the three months has been like:

- Swine Flu. This is what kicked off everything! I was diagnosed with H1N1 in the peak of the epidemic and prescribed Tamiflu. Whilst making me incredibly nauseous and unable to move for a few days, it did work and within a week I was feeling human again but also exhausted.

- Cold/Chest Infection. I had about 2 weeks after I recovered from Swine Flu where I didn't have so much as a sniffle. I was less energetic but generally felt well. Then I was knocked down with this cold and cough and required more time off work. I was prescribed antibiotics which worked and after a week I was feeling well again.

- Fatigue. It had been a month since I was diagnosed with Swine Flu and I was getting more and more exhausted. By 2pm at work I was ready to fall asleep. I had no energy to go for walks in the morning or in the evening. Even cooking dinner was a chore.

- Second Cold/Chest Infection. This came about 2 weeks after the previous cold. Back to the doctors and prescribed a second round of stronger antibiotics. Again, it worked to clear up the mucous but I still felt exhausted.

- Third Cold/Chest Infection. Again, this came about a fortnight after the previous one. I had been sick for a total of 3 months. I went back to the doctors and demanded some answers because I wasn?t willing to go on yet another course of antibiotics. My GP suspected that it could be glandular fever because of the length of time I had been sick, the fatigue etc. So he sent me off for a blood test.

The blood test came back negative for glandular fever but a study on my iron levels revealed that they were sitting on 3 (normal iron levels are around 30). So he put me on iron tablets and suggested an iron rich diet to restore my levels.

It?s been 2 weeks since that appointment and I take iron tablets (FGF) every day and have made an effort to have iron rich foods at every meal.

BUT I AM STILL SICK! I AM STILL EXHAUSTED!

Any ideas as to what else it could be, or what I can do to get well again?

:hug: Not sure Amy but that really sucks. Has your doctor mentioned Chronic Fatigue?? I know CFS can be triggered after you've had viruses and your immune system is a bit shotty. It really does sound like glandula fever though, although you've tested neg :think:

I dunno...little things like uping your protein intake, drinking more water and exercising a bit can help if you're run down. But if it is CFS, exercising will only make you more exhausted!

Maybe get a second opinion from another gp? Or go back and say you're not feeling any better.

:hug: How horrible for you.

Oh hun, it sucks :hug:. I hope I'm not speaking out of turn here ;), but I once had a fun year like you've been having ;) and I just kept getting sick all the time. By the end of the year I was so sick and exhausted, I couldn't shake anything. It was around then (mostly coincidentally) that I decided I'd had enough of the party lifestyle (for the most part!), and that it was time to settle down a bit. Amazingly enough it didn't take me long to get well again, and stay that way!

Not saying that you should stop having a good time, and I really have no idea what you've been up to recently, but sometimes having a little healthy break is good for our body. Early nights, minimal grog, no ciggies, healthy food at proper times. Pamper yourself hun! I hope you're feeling better soon, and that 2010 is a healthier year for you :).

ask about ME (Chronic fatigue syndrome) dp's dads partner suffers badly from it and hers started from a virus. im not saying it is that huni but you sound not yourself at all and its best to get checked.
take care huni xx

You haven't happened to have a flu shot in the last year have you? Reason I ask is that you sound exactly how I was after a flu shot. I'll never have one again, I think all up I was off colour and with flu symptoms for nearly 10 months..

Double post....

My lowest Iron level has been 2 so I know what you're feeling.
To gain your proper iron stores back will take you a couple months. So don't expect to start feeling better straight away, your iron is still probably very low.
It took me about 2-3 months before I started to feel "normal" again.

grr double post

There you go, it could just be a matter of time! Good luck :)

the only question i have is with an iron level so low, why did they not get you in and do an iron infusion over 8 hours?
its more effective and quicker acting than taking tablets.
id be asking about an infusion to kick start your iron replacement and then continue with the tablets daily.

also ask to have your haemoglobin and b12 levels checked as to much or to little haemoglobin can make you tired and more susceptable to illness its a condition called haemochromotosis. and b12 can cause tiredness aswell.

I suggest you see a good naturopath. They will likely put you on some high-powered vitamins to boost your general vitality, as well as some herbs targeted specifically at boosting immune function. You should get results within a fortnight.

My aunty was telling me she had a rotten health run and started taking a product called either ArmaForce or Armaguard - purchased at her pharmacy - and three weeks later she feels back to her normal self. It too contains all those immune-boosting herbal things. HTH

I second the idea of seeing a naturopath. I had CFS after a virus and its horrible, so I hope it isn't that. I dont know how true it is but I was told that liquid iron is far better then tablets so might be worth checking out.
I hope you feel better soon, you have had a horrible run.

:hug: It sucks when you keep getting sick all the time. When it happened to me, I tested negative to glandular fever too, but a week later DH tested positive so our GP was convinced I had it too and it just wasn't showing up yet.

Vitamin C really helps with iron absorption too. So it's a good idea to eat something high in Vitamin C or take a Vitamin C tablet with meals and when you take your iron supplement. I have high iron and the Vitamin C makes such a difference to my iron absorption I can't have much of it.

I hope you get to the bottom of it soon and are back to your old self in no time.

Bummer hun get better :hug: xx

LOL Janie - I suspect that the hard partying may have a little to do with it! I guess the lack of sleep combined with substances that really aren't helping my body are playing a part. But since my last doctors appointment I haven't been going out, drinking, smoking and generally I have been eating well, catching up on sleep, taking my iron tablets and just trying to get well.

But nothing has changed and this week my cold has turned into yet another sinus infection. ARGH!

I am interested in hearing about the Iron Infusion. How does it work/what is involved? What would the cost be? Is it done in a hospital? Does it help?

My GP didn't suggest this to me and I'm wondering why he wouldn't with levels so low. Should I be getting a second opinion?

I third a Naturopath! After all the AB's you have been on they have probably killed off all the good bacteria in your body as well, which is probably why you're feeling so run down. Naturopath will be able to give you something to restore them and hopefully build your bodies immune system back up again! She/he may also be able to suggest something that will help your body to absorb your iron a bit better...

I love my Naturopath, I'll go to her with a general problem before my GP.

GL!xx