Tired all the time

Enjoy your holiday Grammaretto. Hope you feel better for it.

There is such a lot of controversial information on most ailments. Or something does you good for this but it causes that! I wonder whether we worry too much about everything.

I am sure I read somewhere that it is dangerous to take kelp when you have a thyroid condition.

I agree that there is a lot of information about what is normal thyroid function and I think the current level is probably wrong. The reason GPs are worried about increasing the dose of thyroxin is because taking too much can cause heart problems and osteoporosis.

I got the results of my blood tests and they were normal.
I should be pleased and I am but there will be another reason for feeling tired so much.
I'm off on holiday soon (no not prescribed by doc!) so maybe the change of air will help.

This is me too at 64 I feel exhausted all the time but I put it down to my job, I drive maybe 50 or 60 miles and carry a hefty briefcase. However I have joint and muscle pain which are worst next day. I try to pace myself but I just know that a strenuous day means utter exhaustion and pain

Update us after your appointment gramarretto. (If you like, of course) Good luck.

I've got an appointment next week. I hope they prescribe a month in the sun!
Just woken from afternoon nap.....

newnanny I am exactly the same as you. I used to be on 150 mcg a day and now the doc insists on 100 a day. I would happily double it.

My hypothyroidism was diagnosed in my 20s when my hair became quite sparse, tiredness was part of my life that I’d had since childhood it would just hit now and again like a tidal wave! Guess I’d had it that long undiagnosed.

I was diagnosed with under active thyroid 24 years ago, when pregnant with youngest child. I tale the tablets prescribed every day, get my blood tested twice each year. I am always at bottom of normal range but gp refuses to give me higher dose dispite being constantly tired. I have a vague memory of having such energy. Now gp tells me as you get older expect to get more tired.

KatyK Your doctor said he feels tired all the time too. Mine (now retired) used to recommend a week in the south of France for most ailments. He never offered to pay though!

I hope I haven't set you all off worrying that your tiredness isn't normal. I find it quite reassuring actually to know there could be dozens of reasons why I feel tired a lot of the time.
I will make a doctor's appointment. Thanks for being so helpful.

I am 73 now and tired all the time.
Especially after looking after dgs for a few hours.
I take vitamin D regularly.
But on the other hand, I don’t sleep very well, so that is probably a contributing factor.

Had a thyroid check a few years back which came back normal. Maybe I need another one. If I can get an appointment that is.

chicken I believe this is true. An easy test to see if you need more iodine is to paint a 5 cm square of iodine on the inside of your thigh. It should stay orange for about 2 days, but if it disappears within 24 hours (mine faded within 8), then your body is crying out for iodine.

People who eat a lot of soya are preventing their bodies using the natural thyroxine the thyroid makes. We are always being told that Japanese women eat a lot of soya to deal with menopausal problems and that they have less breast cancer because of soya boosting the hormones, but they have higher rates of thyroid cancer and thyroid problems. Soya is certainly not good if you've already been diagnosed with thyroid problems (I speak from experience! )

I read an article by an American specialist who said that the so-called normal levels of thyroid activity in this country are actually set very low and that most of us Brits are low in Iodine. He recommended that we should all take an Iodine supplement, so since then I've taken a kelp tablet each day and it's really made a difference. I was dreadfully tired all the time but that's now gone.

I only sleep 4/5 hours per night and strangely i bounce out of bed about 5.30.....I have been used to this as always did early starts while working! I’m very active most of day but on ‘slow’ days ( when not seeing to grandkids) I fall asleep about 3-4 in pm. I put it down to boredom. My husband watches 15/16 hours of putrid tv a day and I’m not prepared to join him. Sometimes I just go for walk or bike ride...sometimes go upstairs and watch Richard Dawkins on You Tube...those debates liven me up .

I have suffered with anaemia all my life. I take an iron tonic and vitamin tablets. Until my mid eighties I had plenty of energy but now at 95 still living alone I am inclined to fall asleep when I sit down at any time of the day.

Blue Belle I agree with you, go with the flow your body is winding down.I am pretty fit, I am 77 and every now and then I become so tired mid afternoon I just have to lie down,but after a nap I am up and about again.
Check with your Doctor if this is a recurring thing Grammaretto.

Have a check-up obviously, but if you get the annoying response that this is normal at your age, which I suspect is a doctor's way of saying they don't know what is wrong, consider the following:

how warm is your house? Might it be a good idea to have a little more heat on?

You say you sleep reasonably well, but how old is your mattress? A new one might help you to sleep better.

Sorry for suggesting things that cost money!

I was diagnosed at 61 with haemachromatosis or iron overload disorder, wondered why I'd been tired for years. I'd asked previously for my thyroid to be checked and it was ok, but iron overload wasn't really well known, so GPs missed it. It is getting into the news a bit more now, it's not that uncommon. Worth asking about when other tests are proving negative.

Thyroids change, 12 years is a long time.

I had a full blood count a few weeks ago for just the same reason. Turns out it showed an underactive thyroid. For some reason I have to wait two months for a repeat blood test before any treatment is offered. Meanwhile I'm nodding off a couple of times a day and can't wait to get to bed in the evening. It's miserable always feeling so fatigued and seems to affect everything I normally do.

As regards the cold, I always noticed when I was younger that elderly people were wearing more layers, they seemed to increase with age! so maybe that's all it is?

Gonegirl, mine is also physical exhaustion, like full body crash, but which does make me feel like I could go to sleep right where I'm at like children do when engaged in play then doze off - Had bloodwork done as well, Vitamin D was a little low - Doc suggested it could be sleep apnea, that I can go for a sleep study if I want to - The last time I experienced full body exhaustion like this was in my 30's, I was suffering from a tick borne disease and didn't know it, it took 4 years of going from one doc to the next before diagnosed -

I have my radio primed to come on at 6am playing 'His Latest Flame' (Elvis) which never fails to wake me if I'm not already awake.
As I go running with a buddy at 06.15-30, it gives me time for a shot of ☕ and a fast hot? then it's all systems go>>>>>>??‍♀️??‍♀️??‍♀️
Sunday is my 'day off' but I still get up at the same time.
In summer, if I'm at home, I sometimes read or listen to a play on the radio or an audio-book lying on my bed for an hour or so as the room gets all the sun from noon onwards.
My mantra is to sleep when tired, eat when hungry and drink when thirsty.
??????