Why am I so tired?

Fatigue can be a very complicated symptom to have as it can be attributed to so many illnesses. Working out the cause of the fatigue can be very challenging for doctors as there are so many possibilities out there of what may be contributing to their patient’s fatigue.

As a patient this can be very frustrating, undergoing test after test with no answers is disheartening and can be upsetting. It can be extra difficult when it feels like the doctor and others don’t really seem to believe you.

So what can you do to help find out the cause of your fatigue?

• First of all if you do not feel like your doctor is doing all that they can to find an answer, or even just feel they are not understanding and supportive, it may be time to change doctors. Sometimes this can be good to do even if your doctor is supportive, if it’s been an ongoing issue for several years or more and you still do not know the cause, it can be good to get a fresh pair of eyes on the case, sometimes a new doctor may see what others have been missing for years.
• To help your doctor work out the cause, it can be helpful to write down a list of all of your symptoms. Fatigue is not usually the only symptom and when combined with other symptoms it makes it easier for your doctor to pinpoint possible causes.
• Keep a diary, try and work out what has been triggering your fatigue, is there a trigger? Do some activities make it better or worse? Bring the diary with you to doctor’s visits, the more they know the more they can help.
• Consider that there may be more than one cause. It can be very difficult to find a cause of fatigue when there are multiple issues; it can make the combination of symptoms confusing making it difficult to pinpoint the possible disease/disorder. This can also mean solving one issue will leave the patient feeling just as bad as they did before diagnosis and treatment. If this happens, don’t be disheartened, every step helps and counts, but continued symptoms after one condition has seemingly been treated could very well mean something else is going on and has been missed. Push your doctor to keep looking.
• Start seeing a specialist, even if your GP seemingly has no idea it can be helpful to request to see a specialist appropriate to your other symptoms. Specialists are just that, they specialise and may be able to work out the problem when your GP can’t. You may need to see a variety of specialists before you find the one that can give you the right answers and the help you need.

Along with these suggestions, it also worth remembering that modern medicine does not know everything, there are many questions that remain unanswered. If the cause of your fatigue cannot be found, it is possible that conventional medicine is just not able to give you the answers. This is where alternate therapies and practitioners can be of benefit and are worth considering. While natural therapies may not give you any more answers than you already have, it could possibly help you at least manage symptoms and improve your quality of life. Always remember to keep your GP/specialist informed of any alternate therapies you are currently undergoing even if you have initiated them yourself.