Chronic Fatigue And Insulin Resistance?
Aug 26, 2013
I have had chronic fatigue for over 2.5 years and as I'm sure is the same with the rest of you, have had no luck in finding adequate treatment. My symptoms are daily fatigue, unrefreshing sleep, pain (especially in sinuses), and general malaise. My worst symptom is post-exertional malaise - I feel awful after any type of exertion. All the lab tests come back normal and the only treatments provided are antidepressants, limited exercise, etc.
Here is the question: does anyone else who has CFS also have insulin resistance? Does anyone know of any link? Can insulin resistance cause chronic fatigue? Can insulin resistance cause post-exertional malaise and fatigue?
I was diagnosed in 2002 with insulin resistance and am curious if it is linked to CFS. Both are linked to mitochondrial dysfunction. Please share your thoughts!
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I was diagnosed with PCOS at 13. In late teen/early 20'a, dx with insulin resistance (IR) and put on Glucophage. It was great at first. I was able to lose weight for the first time, and so on. Took me off it after I lost weight. Years later went back on it, as again the weight issue, and that time I could not tolerate it. Major side effects. Doc said my choices were to endure the side effects or learn to live with the IR symptoms. My symptoms then were weight gain with inability to lose, facial hair, excess testosterone levels, excess androgen, cysts on ovaries, etc., so I told myself to just learn to live with it.
Fast forward to present day and now I am 48. My husband and I were never able to conceive, and now I am having major problems, all of which I can trace back to IR. I have a gene mutation called APOE. When you have this, you usually are Choline deficient and this in turn can attribute to developing IR. Right now I am having major digestive issues with gas, bloating and reflux, racing heart (heart was checked out by a cardiologist and it was fine), vagus nerve overreaction, (all due to the bloated stomach pressing up against the vagus nerve), fatty liver (non-alcohol related, but IR and choline related), low stomach acid, muscle spasms (despite plenty of daily magnesium, potassium levels are normal), anxiety attacks, feel like I am going to pass out, etc. I am now treating with naturopath, as I have Lyme disease and Epstein-Barr as well and no traditional doctor has been able to help me. she has been a Godsend. She has run a battery of stomach tests on me, of which I am getting the results today. Since I cannot take Glucophage, she has a natural alternative to it, without the side effects, which I am probably going to end up taking. I am just wondering if anyone else has had any of the symptoms from the IR that I am having. The worst is the upper stomach bloating and gas. I look and feel like I am 10 months pregnant, and I'm not eating carbs or other things to make me gassy.
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AM I INSULIN RESISTANT OR NOT?
I have symptoms of Type 2 and insulin resistance, including reactive hypoglycemia (RHG) as shown by the lab results below. I also have poor lipid values (bad LDL/HDL), low SHBG and a resulting testosterone deficiency that started in my teens. Both my mom and sister have PCOS.
2 hour OGTT results:
Fasting glucose, insulin: 79 mg/dL, 2.5 uIU/mL
75 g glucose, then (glucose, insulin):
+0:30: 116 mg/dL, 35.0 uIU/mL
+1:00: 83 mg/dL, 17.5 uIU/mL
+2:00: 56 mg/dL, 6.4 uIU/mL
A1c: 5.2% (weird, if my blood sugar is so "normal")
* highlighted = out of lab range
My insulin looks very low. Are these low numbers for insulin? If so, why would I get RHG from insulin so low?
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It's amazing how the medical profession seems to just apply a band aid solution without trying to understand what's causing the problem. They say Prevention is Better than a Cure but most doctors these days seem to go for meds as opposed to trying to prevent or even find a cure.
You know they called some of the greatest scientific minds nutty and over-obsessive before they came out on top.....Edison, Einstein, Westinghouse, Darwin, etc. For example, I'm sure you're heard of H.pylori bacteria and how they could call stomach ulcers....but do you know how new the science is?
In the 1980's when Dr. Barry Marshall started saying stomach ulcers were caused by H.pylori bacteria his Dr. colleagues laughed him out of the room. With confidence in his theory Dr. Marshall went on to infect himself with the bacter and then went onto cure himself of stomach ulcers. In 2005 he won the Nobel Prize for his discovery and today it has become a common accepted fact among Doctors. Dr. Marshall is 63 and lives in Australia.
I guess it just goes to show that sometimes even men of science such as Doctors can be wrong and don't often work towards prevention of disease by keeping an open mind when that is what Hippocrates pioneered a millennial ago.
Question on how you measure your BP?
Do you sit down for 5-10 minutes quietly before taking it?
Do you take 3 readings per seating and average it out?
Or do you throw the first reading out and take only
the last two readings?
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I am 36-years of age and pregnant with my 3rd child. I required insulin during my second pregnancy due to high blood sugar and tolerated it, knowing I will be able to stop once the pregnancy is over and my baby delivered. I was hoping that my sugar would be better during my current pregnancy, since I adopted a healthy diet, decreased my working hours,..... But no, I had diabetes straight from the 12th week on and now in the 21st week, my sugars are up and up!!!! needing required doses of insulin!! I am so desperate. Has any other had similar problems. Was the baby healthy?
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This adventure started about 9 months ago. Instead of my normal routine of get up, eat, hygiene, off to work (I was a remodeling contractor), I started falling back to sleep after breakfast. I must pretext this by saying that I take 40 mg of Adderall in the am and the afternoon. First it was 1/2 hour and eventually 3 hours. Then it was an afternoon nap also, Then an evening nap. This was not every day but most days. About eight or so weeks ago, I developed a blood clot behind my left knee and several in my lungs (as a result of being on my knees for long periods of time installing floor trim we figure). After I got out of the hospital, I started a slow but sure incline in my energy level. Then on October 23 (my 40th birthday) I got short of breath, disoriented, incapable of making clear decisions. eventually I called 911 and when the EMTs got here I had a blood O2 level of 89%. They took me to the ER in a bus and I have never been the same since. I have experienced no increase in my energy level, I have a sore throat most of the time, flu like symptoms, muscle weakness, Most days my mind is still strong but not all, I am functioning at about 25% of what I used to be capable of, I have problems pulling the proper word out of my brain (sometimes 8 or more times per day), I feel run down especially the day after I over do it, at least 4 people have recently tried to talk to me about conversations that I have no memory of, my allergies are not only out of control they are the opposite of what I usually experience (instead of a dry nose I now have a constantly runny nose and I sneeze 50 times per day. I did test positive for Epstein-Barr exposure at some point in my life. I have 6 of the eight symptoms for diagnosis and like 25 of the 35 or so that people with CFS report. We have not yet ruled out MS, Lupus, and all of the kinds of cancer that are required for a CFS diagnosis, but I am almost positive it is CFS. Thoughts?
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I am just wondering whether anyone has had genetic testing to rule out causes of fatigue? Myself and my brother both suffer with extreme tiredness and I'm wondering if it's worth asking for it to be investigated down the genetic route.
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None of the medications that I have taken are helping with fatigue and energy, and are causing a lot of side effects. So I'm thinking about going on Dr. Teitelbaum's protocol for fibro and CFS: D-Ribose, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, Co Q10 and 5-HTP. Has anyone tried these supplements and did you have any results (good or bad)?
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I definitely have anxiety and am now wondering if I also have CFS. Or maybe something else?
Brief list of symptoms...
Fatigue (groggy & heavy type tiredness)
Brain Fog
Feeling detached and 'spaced out'
Muscle weakness (especially in extremities and legs)
Sensitive to light and sound
Sometimes feels like I have flu or a bad virus (although I know I haven't)
Feels like I sometimes have a lump in my throat
Light headed
Light dizziness
Easily tired out
There are a few more general symptoms, but the more I read my lengthy list of symptoms, the worse I feel! Ha ha :-D
Brief History...
I have had anxiety issues on and off for many years and also hormone induced migraines. This year the migraines are definitely worse and so too is the anxiety. I had an 8 day brutal migraine early/mid September, followed by 8 days of severe brain fog/fuzzy head. I haven't been the same since. I'm also wondering if my symptoms are migraine related? I've had 2 full blood tests done and 2 urine samples taken. All came back normal/clear and healthy. I've also been to see an ENT consultant and he has ruled out an inner ear virus. He also checked my throat and balance. I had a full eye examination last week and my eyes are in great shape. I have an MRI booked next week and am also waiting an app have an ECG recorder fitted for 48 hours. I have not yet seen a neurologist or anyone else. My Doctor is saying it is all down to anxiety.
Is anybody experiencing anything similar? I feel more anxious not knowing what is happening to my own body!
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I'm a thirteen year old girl with an unhelpful doctor who literally doesn't want anything to do with me because I'm 'hard work' to diagnose. My family believes it's chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia or both. So that's the home treatment path I'm taking. My symptoms have been going for 6 months now and they are diarrhea, nausea, joint aches, headaches, fatigue, confusion, dizziness brain fog, tenderness, weakness and muscle pain. I've been tested for crohn's, ulcerative colitis, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, parasites, dysbiosis, virus, infections and celiac disease. I also have eczema, restless legs, irritable bowel, anxiety and gastroesophageal reflux disease. I'm not under any stress at the moment.
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Just wondered how other people cope with the family holiday. Being out of your normal routines and in a new place perhaps. What do you put in place to help you cope?
Being at home knackered is one thing but being in a caravan, apartment or hotel etc. is much different. Having to be mobile and do holiday stuff with the kids, can and is an overload for my system. Do you avoid going away because of things like this or is it just me?
The last 10-day holiday we took has taken me 4 months to get over! (Moreover, I was still feeling rough after 4 months…) I know I am lucky to be able to grab a family holiday, but I do wonder at times, if it’s more harm than good taking a holiday with ME/CFS.
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I am currently applying for jobs, but I am unsure answer yes or no to the do you have a disability? question. I do have CFS, which does impact my life, although I am able to work. What do you think?
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Went to see my gp yesterday and told her about my heart beat readings I've been having recently of 115 just to walk downstairs, 124 to walk upstairs, 135 to walk downstairs on a bad day. My heart rate goes up from 74 to 105 when laying down to standing. She took my heart rate as a sat there and it was 98. She's now sending me for an ECG. She thinks it might be to do with the sack or lining around the heart? She told me the official names but I was silly and didn't get her to write it down. Now I can't remember what she called. She said she has seen cases before.
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I was wondering if anyone else diagnosed with ME is constantly thirsty? I've had all the blood tests (and have been diagnosed with ME), so diabetes is omitted. It seems to be worse on an evening and I'm always topping up my fluids with water and herbal teas-so plenty hydrated! It's not my worse symptom, but just wondering if it was common?
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Just wondering whether people get any unexplained bruising or get easily bruised? I get them quite often and it's worrying me. My rheumatologist said that it can happen as our body is over sensitive.
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I am a 32 year old female. My question relates to Exercise Intolerance. I am very unfit and am wanting to get fit for the first time in my life but whenever I start even an easy exercise program, I get really wiped out. I usually feel okay after my "workout" (barely a plausible term) session, but feel extremely fatigued the next day. Which interrupts my program. This can be very irregular tho, sometimes I can do quite a bit and feel fine the next day. I had bulimia, starting at age 17 for 10 years and am wondering if this is still the effects on my body. I have no other side effects from the bulimia. Apart from that I have suffered Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but these symptoms disappear if I don't exercise. I have had my heart and lungs checked out, blood tests etc, all come back fine. Can someone please, please shed some light as to why I get so exhausted following even a small amount of exercise. It doesnt seem to matter be it cardio or weights.
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Anyone smoke with CFS? I dislike drinking a ton so I was wondering if anyone smokes marijuana? I've seen online it's good for it and it doesn't make it worse... Anyone ?
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Hi everyone, I was diagnosed with CFS/ME a year ago and since having surgery last November it has got so bad that I am unable to return to my job I am only 22 and it's really making me upset.
I have had all the blood tests available and all came back negative apart from today my doctor called and said I have a vitamin D deficiency and has given me 3 months worth of medication. Has anyone else with CFS/ME got a vitamin D deficiency? Also did supplements help your CFS? Or even cure it? How long did it take for you to feel better?
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I had stuff to do today that I could not leave. I have since had several dizzy spells. I get these when I do the school run. Has anyone fully passed out?
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As we were chatting about teeth earlier on the spectacles thread I thought I would start one specifically about ME and teeth.
I think I have mentioned this before, but when I saw my dentist a while ago and told him that I had been diagnosed with ME he informed me that if ever I needed to have a local anaesthetic injection he would give me one which doesn't contain adrenaline ....... because anything with adrenaline is a complete no no for ME sufferers.
One of the theories about the cause of ME as some of us know, is that for some reason we are unable to 'switch' off adrenaline as a 'normal' person would and as a result we just drain all our energy, and the only way to regain it is by resting. I am convinced that there has to be an awful lot of truth in this theory.
Several months before I was diagnosed with ME I had extensive reconstructive work done on my upper teeth (my generation didn't have fluoride toothpaste and many of us subsequently have soft teeth), and I often wonder if the dozen or so adrenaline injections triggered something. Also, I had a lot of amalgam fillings removed, and I wonder if the lead from these was released into my system during the drilling.
Who knows - but hopefully one day we will find out what causes this wretched illness :?
So folks ..... no injections which contain adrenaline.
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I am currently waiting to see CFS specialist hopefully in the next two weeks. I am b12 deficiency and also have underactive thyroid. Since the end of February I have gained around 1 stone. I have an extremely fussy diet as I don't eat Red Meat, Fish or Pasta. My diet is mainly Vegetables, Chicken and Potatoes but have gained weight like nothing on earth. Before all this CFS i was doing exercise classes twice a week but now can't get out of bed most of the time. Anybody else have similar experiences? I still go for a country walk at the weekends when I feel up to it but apart from that I'm at a loss at how to shift the weight. My GP has been monitoring it but he said there is nothing we can do at the moment.
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