Keep feeling worn out/fatigued

[johnnyaitch]

Hi

New on here and a Type 2 diabetic diagnosed late 2006

Blood sugar is pretty well controlled..indeed during a recent spell in hospital that was nothing to do with diabetes at times it was too low and they reduced my medication (Metformin and Gliclazide)

However in the past few months I've noticed that I seem to get fatigued very quickly. Most recently when a neighbor and I were assembling a shed my arms and shoulders suddenly became achey very quickly and indeed after just a few minutes (maybe 10 minutes) of helping I had to sit down for several minutes to recover. Pls note I didn't eat nor drink anything to recover other than some water..it was not a hypo.

This has happened quite a lot recently

Very fatigued, aching legs, hips and arms, hot but not sweaty, a bit short out of breath but not breathless, very pale..everyone commenting on the paleness....but I feel fine shortly afterwards

During the hospital stay I was closely monitored for BP, heart rate, O2 levels, had an ECG and all sorts of blood tests and nothing showed up..GP is at a loss but I may be going for some tests involving exercise

Anyone else experienced anything similar? I've got it in my head that it's to do with glycogen levels but I don't know that

 

[dawnmc]

What other medication are you on if any?

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Hi @johnnyaitch and welcome to the forum. It might pay to get a printout of your blood test results so we know what has been tested for and what hasn't. Various vitamin and mineral deficiencies could possibly cause symptoms a bit like this. Metformin is known to reduce B12 and folate levels, but I'm sure your doctors would know that. I think exercise/stress testing is a good idea. I wonder if Gliclazide has potential side effects a bit like this? Another thing that could help is seeing a specialist, but the trick is figuring out which kind. Ideally your GP should be consulting a few and sounding them out.

 

[Indy51]

Are you taking a statin as well as diabetes medication? If so, you might want to read this topic:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/poll-side-effects-from-statins.58409/

Another thing I always suspect when people mention fatigue is a Vitamin D3 deficiency. Have you been checked?

 

[johnnyaitch]

Hi

Thanks for replying

I was on BP meds but was taken off them some time back as BP came down after losing a fair amount of weight but I am on a statin which GP says is more precautionary..I'm 49.

 

[johnnyaitch]

Are you taking a statin as well as diabetes medication? If so, you might want to read this topic:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/poll-side-effects-from-statins.58409/

Another thing I always suspect when people mention fatigue is a Vitamin D3 deficiency. Have you been checked?

I am indeed on a statin so will read up on that and I'm not aware of specifically being checked for D3 deficiency but I'll look into it

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Hi @johnnyaitch and welcome to the forum. It might pay to get a printout of your blood test results so we know what has been tested for and what hasn't. Various vitamin and mineral deficiencies could possibly cause symptoms a bit like this. Metformin is known to reduce B12 and folate levels, but I'm sure your doctors would know that. I think exercise/stress testing is a good idea. I wonder if Gliclazide has potential side effects a bit like this? Another thing that could help is seeing a specialist, but the trick is figuring out which kind. Ideally your GP should be consulting a few and sounding them out.

On second thoughts, you might want to disregard my post until you've looked into whether statins are causing this. Good luck.

 

[johnnyaitch]

Thanks all..I'll definitely follow up on the statin and as I have a general review coming up I'll raise it then too

 

[Totto]

Pale? Check your Hb and Ferritin and full blood count, FBC. You could be anaemic. Get B12 checked as as metformin can cause B12 deficiency. Thyroid might need checking too.

 

[johnnyaitch]

Had amaemia checked on a few occasions and it was fine. B12 is worth looking at but I'd be surprised if it was a thyroid issue.

I will pursue the statin angle as that has been mentioned before by a colleague of my Wife (my wife is a nurse)

But hey, thanks as I intend to challenge my GP on this as he's been pretty rubbish at evaluating my meds and trying different ones..seems to be sticking to the textbook!!

 

[johnnyaitch]

Going to have a full meds review with GP

Where my wife works they have an extensive diabetic centre and so she spoke to one of the staff there who backed up the statin theory; in fact she claimed it should have been reviewed and possibly changed a long time back.

For some time now I've felt **** with achey muscles, inability to exercise much etc etc and it's been put down at times to everything from a virus to a reaction to acid reflux meds but it's continued and indeed worsened.

The statin theory 'fits' but isn't something my GP has ever mentioned so definitely worth exploring

Thanks again

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Going to have a full meds review with GP

Where my wife works they have an extensive diabetic centre and so she spoke to one of the staff there who backed up the statin theory; in fact she claimed it should have been reviewed and possibly changed a long time back.

For some time now I've felt **** with achey muscles, inability to exercise much etc etc and it's been put down at times to everything from a virus to a reaction to acid reflux meds but it's continued and indeed worsened.

The statin theory 'fits' but isn't something my GP has ever mentioned so definitely worth exploring

Thanks again

I'm glad you have found a highly plausible lead in solving this mystery, but also saddened that you may have been put through all this for no good reason.

With cholesterol levels, GPs often focus on the total cholesterol figure, but this is fairly meaningless compared to looking at the individual lipid levels and ratios. When we do that, we often come to the conclusion that our cardiovascular risk isn't all that bad. Also, a safer way to reduce risk is probably improving our diet, losing weight if needed, and doing an appropriate amount of exercise regularly. There is a wealth of knowledge amongst the members of this forum to help with fine tuning all this.

Statins are a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

 

[fred1234]

What a great forum this is!! It doesn't matter what's being asked there's always someone that has the experience to respond. I watch this forum every day and it just doesn't cease to amaze me what a wealth of knowledge people have and so willing to share. I have learned so much. Type2 insulin .

 

[johnnyaitch]

Indeed..my first time on here and it's been helpful already..I'd never thought of the statins angle and no one else had ever mentioned it before