Resolved question:
Hello i am a 21 year old female who is currently taking lexapro for anxiety, and minastrin 24 FE. I have no other significant medical history other than gallbladder removal that was done in fall of 2011. I'm currently a college student who also works part time. I have been having overwhelming fatigue for the past 3 to 4 weeks that is really affecting my daily life. The only way i can describe this fatigue is similar to when i had mono 2 years ago, but without the swollen lymph nodes and sore throat. I have heard different opinions regarding my blood test results that i got done a week and a half ago. My hemoglobin levels were normal but my ferritin level was at 6 which the NP i saw for these blood tests on my college campus told me this was the cause for my fatigue, and to take iron supplements. I called my primary doctor at home and he told me that there was no way for ferritin to be the cause my fatigue if my hemoglobin levels were normal, and recommended i go in for additional testing. Meanwhile i have been taking 65mg of iron 3x a day for about a week now and still feel as bad as ever. What are your thoughts on this?
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Family Physician-GP
Hello,
Thank you for your medical query at DoctorSpring.com
I understand your concern.
I reviewed the reports and apart from the ferritin everything else is normal. Ferritin really does not explain the fatigue, as your hemoglobin levels are normal. Sometimes certain viral infections could be subclinical, and take a long time to recover, causing persistent fatigue. If you had any viral fever recently, it could be Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Otherwise, I will also advise you to get your thyroid profile evaluated and get back to me with the reports.
Hope this was helpful,
Feel free to discuss further,
Regards.
Hi Doctor. I have not had a fever previously that I am aware of. I got a blood test and urine test done earlier this morning. They called me back to report my free t-4 and vitamin d test was normal. They also ordered a epstin-Barr, Lyme disease, celiac disease test, and one other virus that I didn't get the name of... They also reported I had a uti but I have had recurrent utis since being sexually active 1 year ago with one partner (been tested for stds multiple times always negative) so I'm not very surprised. But they are usually asymptomatic so I don't believe this is the cause of my fatigue either... Any other thoughts or suggestions? Thanks a lot!
Hello,
They are also evaluating you along the same lines. As I mentioned, in my previous reply, a viral infection can cause such overwhelming fatigue. So, let's wait for the test reports. Sometimes viral infections may go unnoticed, hence we have to wait and see what the reports suggest.
Also, please get your thyroid profile done, as thyroid disorders can also cause similar symptoms.
Regarding UTI, it can cause fatigue too, so, you should start appropriate antibiotics based on the culture reports. In fact recurrent UTIs can cause fatigue.
Please share the reports once you have them,
Regards.