Anybody else suffering from extreme fatigue and/or chronic diarrhea?

EZLiving66

It's been over five years since I finished my chemo; I never had radiation. There are some days when, as my friend says, I feel like I was "rode hard and put away wet." 

I know part of it is the chronic diarrhea but this fatigue is just so sporadic.  I felt great Saturday and Sunday but yesterday, I could hardly move and today it's the same. I take a shower and I have to rest; I get dressed and I have to rest. Along with that, my head feels like it's stuffed with cotton. 

This is nothing new and I realize I'm not getting any younger but I sure wish my doctor could figure out a way to get me out of this. Do they still prescribe "uppers?" I've tried to figure out a pattern to this - did I have a bad night; was the diarrhea worse; was I more active than normal? NOTHING - no pattern at all. I make plans with my husband or my friends but I never know if I'm going to be able to follow through. I see my doctor again next week but I suspect all my blood work and urinalysis will come back normal as they have for years. I've even changed my diet to add more protein and less sugar thinking maybe that could be it.

Any ideas that worked for you??

Love,

Eldri

jan9wils

I struggle with this same

I struggle with this same issue. 

Jan

MAbound

How long?

Is this something new?  There are so many possible causes for extreme fatigue that you have to think about. If it started within this past year, could you have had asymptomatic Covid? You summer in WI, so what about Lyme disease? Chronic fatigue syndrom is a possibiity, but so hard to get diagnosed. Could it be how much sleep you're not getting because of your neuropathy or from taking CBD oil long term from it? You might want to go to a sleep therapist to get help with this. It could be a mistake to treat the symptom without knowing the cause.

EZLiving66

MAbound said:

How long?

Is this something new?  There are so many possible causes for extreme fatigue that you have to think about. If it started within this past year, could you have had asymptomatic Covid? You summer in WI, so what about Lyme disease? Chronic fatigue syndrom is a possibiity, but so hard to get diagnosed. Could it be how much sleep you're not getting because of your neuropathy or from taking CBD oil long term from it? You might want to go to a sleep therapist to get help with this. It could be a mistake to treat the symptom without knowing the cause.

No, it's not something new.

No, it's not something new. If it was I could understand it better. It's been ongoing but I think it's getting worse. I keep a little diary of my life and I think the "Lord, I'm really beat" days are becoming more frequent. My doctor had suggested I keep track of what I did the day or days before but there is absolutely no pattern. Some nights I don't sleep very well but the next day I'm ready to go. Other nights I sleep so good but can hardly move (or think) during the day. Same with the diarrhea - I'll have a day where I'm in the bathroom 10 or 12 times and I'm drinking Pedialyte because I'm shaking so bad and the next day I'm fine. No pattern, no change in medication and my labs are fine along with my A1c and my BP. I go for labs on Thursday and I always kind of hope they'll see something and can fix it. I take all the vitamins my doctors recommend and I even drag myself outside for some exercise thinking maybe that will make it better. Maybe this is just how the rest of my life is going to be and I work with the good days and just prop my feet up and rest on the bad? 

I see my husband slowing down - he'll be 70, but he has so much more energy than me and I'm younger (68). Before cancer, I was a dynamo. I know the stroke wiped out some of my brain and I've noticed my balance is not the best - LOL - I have no trouble getting my left foot into my undies in the morning but a h*ll of a time, standing on that left foot to get the right foot in. But again, some days my balance is better than others. And, come to think of it, it's the same with my eyesight; some days it's better than others!! 

But, at least I'm alive and knock-on-wood, the cancer hasn't come back!

Love,

Eldri

EZLiving66

jan9wils said:

I struggle with this same

I struggle with this same issue. 

Jan

I was going to say I'm glad

I was going to say I'm glad to hear this but no, I'm not because now two of us are miserable on those bad days. Maybe, for some people, it's just how it is. I see some women say, "Well it took me a year to get back to normal" but I now accept that's not going to happen to me. Maybe we can start a club, Jan? The "Just Let Me Sleep All Day" club??

Love,

Eldri

thatblondegirl

Sweet Eldri,

I can't offer anything helpful, but I wanted you to know I'm thinking about you and hoping you feel better. My fatigue issues are for different reasons than yours, but I certainly understand the frustration and worry.

Hugs & Love, 

Alicia

Forherself

EZLiving66 said:

No, it's not something new.

No, it's not something new. If it was I could understand it better. It's been ongoing but I think it's getting worse. I keep a little diary of my life and I think the "Lord, I'm really beat" days are becoming more frequent. My doctor had suggested I keep track of what I did the day or days before but there is absolutely no pattern. Some nights I don't sleep very well but the next day I'm ready to go. Other nights I sleep so good but can hardly move (or think) during the day. Same with the diarrhea - I'll have a day where I'm in the bathroom 10 or 12 times and I'm drinking Pedialyte because I'm shaking so bad and the next day I'm fine. No pattern, no change in medication and my labs are fine along with my A1c and my BP. I go for labs on Thursday and I always kind of hope they'll see something and can fix it. I take all the vitamins my doctors recommend and I even drag myself outside for some exercise thinking maybe that will make it better. Maybe this is just how the rest of my life is going to be and I work with the good days and just prop my feet up and rest on the bad? 

I see my husband slowing down - he'll be 70, but he has so much more energy than me and I'm younger (68). Before cancer, I was a dynamo. I know the stroke wiped out some of my brain and I've noticed my balance is not the best - LOL - I have no trouble getting my left foot into my undies in the morning but a h*ll of a time, standing on that left foot to get the right foot in. But again, some days my balance is better than others. And, come to think of it, it's the same with my eyesight; some days it's better than others!! 

But, at least I'm alive and knock-on-wood, the cancer hasn't come back!

Love,

Eldri

Hi Eldri

After reading your post i wonder if you are taking Metformin and it is giving you diarrhea.  I am taking it and get intermittent diarrhea.  I think the only thing i have found that makes a difference is only having one cup of coffee in the morning, and not my usual two.  I LOVE my coffee but sometimes I'm going out and need to make sure that doesn't happen.  I hope you can find out what is causing your diarrhea.  And your fatigue.  The list of causes is long.   Have you seen your family doctor about it.  I say this often, but sometimes the cancer doctor is not the best doctor for everything.

A great exercise for balance is standing in front of the dresser facing it.  Have your hands ready to grab the top, but don't, and lift one leg and balance for 20 seconds.  If you feel off balance grab the top of the dresser with both hands.  And then let go, until you work your self up to the 20 seconds.  Then try the other leg.  It took me about two weeks to get to 20 seconds.  I had nerve damage from a pinched nerve, and this was a great exercise for me.   

MoeKay

Possible B12 Deficiency--A Side Effect of Metformin

Hi Eldri, 

Sorry to hear about your extreme fatigue and other symptoms.  I'm wondering whether your GP has tested your B12 level.  Many of the symptoms you report are associated with a B12 deficiency.  The following is from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/vitamin-b12-deficiency-can-be-sneaky-harmful-201301105780

Vitamin B₁₂ deficiency symptoms

Vitamin B₁₂ deficiency can be slow to develop, causing symptoms to appear gradually and intensify over time. It can also come on relatively quickly. Given the array of symptoms a vitamin B₁₂ deficiency can cause, the condition can be overlooked or confused with something else. Vitamin B₁₂ deficiency symptoms may include:

 

• strange sensations, numbness, or tingling in the hands, legs, or feet
• difficulty walking (staggering, balance problems)
• anemia
• a swollen, inflamed tongue
• difficulty thinking and reasoning (cognitive difficulties), or memory loss
• weakness
• fatigue

Also, in addition to diarrhea, a B12 deficiency is a potential side effect of Metformin.  See:  https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/metformin-side-effects

which states:

Vitamin B12 deficiency

A lack of this B vitamin can happen to anyone, but the risk is higher on metformin, especially over time.

Since you've been on Metformin for a while now, and your symptoms appear to be getting worse, if you haven't already ruled out a B12 deficiency, you may want to look into whether that may be causing or contributing to your issues. 

Good luck in getting to the bottom of things and feeling better soon!

TeddyandBears_Mom

Eldri, I started taking a

Eldri, I started taking a statin for the first time 4 months ago. I have experienced fatigue and muscle pain since about day 4. I don't know if you are on a statin, but wanted to mention this to you. I'm waiting for a call back from my GP because I don't plan to live like this forever. I'm looking for an alternative to the statin drugs. My high cholesterol is hereditary and they tell me no amount of diet and exercise will bring it down. UGH! Anyway, I hope you find out what is causing your fatigue and that you find relief soon.

Love and Hugs,

Cindi

takingcontrol58

TeddyandBears_Mom said:

Eldri, I started taking a

Eldri, I started taking a statin for the first time 4 months ago. I have experienced fatigue and muscle pain since about day 4. I don't know if you are on a statin, but wanted to mention this to you. I'm waiting for a call back from my GP because I don't plan to live like this forever. I'm looking for an alternative to the statin drugs. My high cholesterol is hereditary and they tell me no amount of diet and exercise will bring it down. UGH! Anyway, I hope you find out what is causing your fatigue and that you find relief soon.

Love and Hugs,

Cindi

TeddyandBears Fatigue

Cindi,

When you use a statin, it is important to take a CoQ10 supplement as well.  It is an enzyme vital to the production of energy in the body.
Statins cause your body to not absorb CoQ10, just like metformin prevents the absorption of Vitamin B12. This could very well
be the reason for your fatigue-statins are also known to cause muscle pain.

I had always had high cholesterol but never took a statin drug- I use the supplement Choleast by Thorne, which is made from
red yeast rice (which acts like a statin), which was recommended to me by my integrative oncologist.  You may want to try this
option instead of a statin or just start taking a CoQ10 supplement with your statin.  You can purchase the Choleast at www.thorne.com.

You can speak with your doctor about these supplement options.

Our body depends on  vitamins, minerals, enzymes, proteins and other factors so that everything functions properly- that is why
supplementation is so important to make sure we have adequate levels of these key building blocks of our cells.

Takingcontrol58

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EZLiving66

Thanks, ladies, I really

Thanks, ladies, I really appreciate all your advice. I've gone off the metformin for a month in the past to see if it made a difference - I'm on the slow-release, 2000 mg. a day - and it didn't get any better or worse. I take 5000 mcg. of liquid B-12 every night on the advice of my doctor and I think it has helped with the pain of neuropathy. I also don't take any statins - my cholesterol has always been good except when I was on chemo. I think the chemo destroyed part of my stomach lining as I've had problems with esophageal erosion since the chemo. Once when I was hospitalized with esophagus problems, my nurse asked if I've always had such extreme diarrhea - LOL! And, you'd think I'd be skinny as a stick, but NOOOOOOOO!!! I can pretty much eat anything I want and I don't gain weight but I don't lose it either. 

One of the things I have noticed but this has been my whole life is I'm better in the evening. The diarrhea is better and so is the fatigue. I had a job when the kids were little proofreading environmental health reports in the evening. I did it so we didn't have to get a babysitter. I could tell that was the natural rhythm of my life but unfortunately, most of the world doesn't operate that way.

I'll let you know next week when I see my doctor if my labs tomorrow show anything abnormal.

Love,

Eldri

 

cmb

EZLiving66 said:

Thanks, ladies, I really

Thanks, ladies, I really appreciate all your advice. I've gone off the metformin for a month in the past to see if it made a difference - I'm on the slow-release, 2000 mg. a day - and it didn't get any better or worse. I take 5000 mcg. of liquid B-12 every night on the advice of my doctor and I think it has helped with the pain of neuropathy. I also don't take any statins - my cholesterol has always been good except when I was on chemo. I think the chemo destroyed part of my stomach lining as I've had problems with esophageal erosion since the chemo. Once when I was hospitalized with esophagus problems, my nurse asked if I've always had such extreme diarrhea - LOL! And, you'd think I'd be skinny as a stick, but NOOOOOOOO!!! I can pretty much eat anything I want and I don't gain weight but I don't lose it either. 

One of the things I have noticed but this has been my whole life is I'm better in the evening. The diarrhea is better and so is the fatigue. I had a job when the kids were little proofreading environmental health reports in the evening. I did it so we didn't have to get a babysitter. I could tell that was the natural rhythm of my life but unfortunately, most of the world doesn't operate that way.

I'll let you know next week when I see my doctor if my labs tomorrow show anything abnormal.

Love,

Eldri

 

Sleep

Eldri, I can't offer any specific advice about fatigue since for me, fatigue has always been tied to how well (or not) I'm sleeping, except during chemo when the drugs wore me out. Others have made some good suggestions. I hope you and your doctor can pinpoint what's causing your fatigue.

But I've always had trouble sleeping, dating back to high school. The only time in my adult life when I slept well and wasn't tired during the day was when I went back to school full-time for a year.

I found then that my natural sleep pattern was to stay awake much later than I normally did and then wake up later in the morning. I felt great that entire year and also managed to lose a lot of weight after I had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes during that time. But as soon as I went back to work full-time, I had to abandon that schedule and revert to the "usual" bedtime/wake up times. And I often struggled with days where I lacked the energy to do even simple tasks, although project deadlines usually forced me to keep going.

However, now that I'm mostly retired, I've let my natural sleep pattern emerge again and I'm having very few days where I lack energy or feel tired during the day.

So based on your past experience with an "atypical" sleep schedule, can you adjust some of your daily activities to better fit your preferred sleep cycle? For myself, I just don't schedule calls or appointments in the morning anymore unless I just can't avoid it. 

cmb

Diarrhea & Daily Loperamide

When I was having stomach pains a couple of years ago (not cancer-related) my gastroenterologist prescribed Dicyclomine for me to try. While that relieved the stomach pains, it didn't work as well for the diarrhea I've had ever since I started taking Metformin years ago (and was much worse during cancer treatment).

Since I wasn't having the stomach pains anymore, I decided to stop the Dicyclomine last year. Then I started taking one Loperamide (Imodium) tablet every (late!) morning with my other pills. This actually controls my diarrhea quite well.

Like Forherself, coffee is a trigger for me too although I don't limit my quantities of coffee. But I only drink the first cup when I'm near a bathroom. But the difference with the daily Loperamide is that I only have to go to the bathroom once. And I stop drinking coffee after lunch so that it doesn't interfere with my sleep later.

I've told my doctor that I'm taking the Lopermide once a day and she has okayed it for me.

I don't know whether Metformin has had any impact on keeping me cancer-free since treatment ended – I was already taking Metformin before I got cancer. But I continue with it versus another diabetes drug on the off-chance it helps deter recurrence for me, despite the diarrhea problem.

Tamlen

Food allergy testing?

Eldri, I'm sorry you're going through this. It sounds rough and like your body is just getting worn out by everything.

This is a long shot, and maybe you've already gone down this avenue, but have you ever had food allergy testing? About 20 years ago I had developed asthma that wasn't getting better with medication and looked like it was on a trajectory for getting worse. I was also not sleeping well and feeling fatigued all the time. After exhausting traditional medical routes, I finally found my way to a naturopath who ordered food allergy testing for me. Not all doctors believe this testing is "real" and poo poo it. My results came back showing me to be highly sensitive to a number of foods I ate all the time. I cut them from my diet completely for 6 months (difficult cooking for 6 months, since it was such a long list of potential problem foods) and then slowly re-introduced them, one by one. Most didn't seem to bother me, but about 5 foods that were a constant part of my diet (bananas, eggs, etc) immediately made me feel exhausted or bothered my airways. I cut those foods out and my asthma pretty much disappeared, along with the fatigue problem. Today, I do eat bananas and eggs again, but I am very cautious about how many I eat in a week. I need no asthma meds.

The whole experience taught me a lot about the ways the foods we eat influence inflammation, fatigue, and other chronic problems we face.

Big hug,
Tamlen

MoeKay

EZLiving66 said:

Thanks, ladies, I really

Thanks, ladies, I really appreciate all your advice. I've gone off the metformin for a month in the past to see if it made a difference - I'm on the slow-release, 2000 mg. a day - and it didn't get any better or worse. I take 5000 mcg. of liquid B-12 every night on the advice of my doctor and I think it has helped with the pain of neuropathy. I also don't take any statins - my cholesterol has always been good except when I was on chemo. I think the chemo destroyed part of my stomach lining as I've had problems with esophageal erosion since the chemo. Once when I was hospitalized with esophagus problems, my nurse asked if I've always had such extreme diarrhea - LOL! And, you'd think I'd be skinny as a stick, but NOOOOOOOO!!! I can pretty much eat anything I want and I don't gain weight but I don't lose it either. 

One of the things I have noticed but this has been my whole life is I'm better in the evening. The diarrhea is better and so is the fatigue. I had a job when the kids were little proofreading environmental health reports in the evening. I did it so we didn't have to get a babysitter. I could tell that was the natural rhythm of my life but unfortunately, most of the world doesn't operate that way.

I'll let you know next week when I see my doctor if my labs tomorrow show anything abnormal.

Love,

Eldri

 

Has your doctor tested your B12 level & is it normal?

Eldri, not to beat a dead horse here, but has your doctor actually tested your B12 level and is it normal?  The reason I ask is I'm wondering whether just stopping the Metformin for a month after having taken it for quite some time would be an adequate test period for things to go back to normal.  Also, while you're taking daily liquid B12, that has to go through your digestive tract, and the Metformin is known to reduce absorption of B12.  If you have additional gastrointestinal absorption issues as a result of your chemo as you describe above, it could be that you're not absorbing enough of the vitamin.  If the level is still low despite supplementation, you might need B12 injections for optimal absorption.  For those reasons, if I were in your situation, I would ask for a simple blood test to check your B12 level.  You may already know from testing that your B12 level is perfectly fine, but just failed to mention it in your post.  In that case, good luck with exploring other causes for your symptoms!

TeddyandBears_Mom

takingcontrol58 said:

TeddyandBears Fatigue

Cindi,

When you use a statin, it is important to take a CoQ10 supplement as well.  It is an enzyme vital to the production of energy in the body.
Statins cause your body to not absorb CoQ10, just like metformin prevents the absorption of Vitamin B12. This could very well
be the reason for your fatigue-statins are also known to cause muscle pain.

I had always had high cholesterol but never took a statin drug- I use the supplement Choleast by Thorne, which is made from
red yeast rice (which acts like a statin), which was recommended to me by my integrative oncologist.  You may want to try this
option instead of a statin or just start taking a CoQ10 supplement with your statin.  You can purchase the Choleast at www.thorne.com.

You can speak with your doctor about these supplement options.

Our body depends on  vitamins, minerals, enzymes, proteins and other factors so that everything functions properly- that is why
supplementation is so important to make sure we have adequate levels of these key building blocks of our cells.

Takingcontrol58

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for this

Thank you so much for this information Takingcontrol58. It is very helpful. I actually left a message for my doctor 2 days ago and still have not gotten a call back. I left her one 3 weeks ago too and never received one.... Time to find a new GP. I started using CoQ10 a couple of weeks ago. It did help some with the fatigue and surprisingly got rid of the constant headache. But, didn't help the muscle and joint pain at all.  I made the decision last night to stop taking the statin. I'm hoping that the side effects will all resolve soon since I have only been on it for, 4 months. Really appreciate the information on an alternative to the statin. I'm going to order the Choleast today!

Love and Hugs,

Cindi

takingcontrol58

Eldri- Too much B12 and diarrhea

Eldri,

You mentioned that you take 5000mcg of B12 every day.  That is a very high dose to use every day.

Do you test your B12 regularly? It should ideally be in the range of 600-800. I have found with
being on metformin for many years. B12 levels do fluctuate alot. I take 2500mcg/daily to maintain levels in the
700s.  And sometimes I skip a day or two.

I bring this up because too much Vit B12 can cause diarrhea, and I am guessing your levels may be way too high.
Maybe this is the source of your diarrhea issues if you have been taking  this high of a dose of B12 for a long time.

You should check this out and have your doctor test your B12 levels.

Takingcontrol58

 

 

Candlewood

Have you been checking your

Have you been checking your oxygen levels at rest and then when you are up and moving around? If your level drops too much then that could be why you need to take a rest after exertion.

EZLiving66

MoeKay said:

Has your doctor tested your B12 level & is it normal?

Eldri, not to beat a dead horse here, but has your doctor actually tested your B12 level and is it normal?  The reason I ask is I'm wondering whether just stopping the Metformin for a month after having taken it for quite some time would be an adequate test period for things to go back to normal.  Also, while you're taking daily liquid B12, that has to go through your digestive tract, and the Metformin is known to reduce absorption of B12.  If you have additional gastrointestinal absorption issues as a result of your chemo as you describe above, it could be that you're not absorbing enough of the vitamin.  If the level is still low despite supplementation, you might need B12 injections for optimal absorption.  For those reasons, if I were in your situation, I would ask for a simple blood test to check your B12 level.  You may already know from testing that your B12 level is perfectly fine, but just failed to mention it in your post.  In that case, good luck with exploring other causes for your symptoms!

I just checked and the B12 is

I just checked and the B12 is over 2000 which is way higher than it should be. I guess taking 2000 mcg. has caused that. A year ago it was 982 which is normal. I take the B12 because it helps my neuropathy. But my TSH is 5.73 which is high so my thyroid medication should probably be increased again. I'm at 175 mcg. right now. Maybe that will help the fatigue. My cholesterol is elevated too so maybe she'll put me back on simvastatin again at a low-dose level.

I see my doctor next Wednesday and I'll let you know what she says.

Love,

Eldri

EZLiving66

cmb said:

Diarrhea & Daily Loperamide

When I was having stomach pains a couple of years ago (not cancer-related) my gastroenterologist prescribed Dicyclomine for me to try. While that relieved the stomach pains, it didn't work as well for the diarrhea I've had ever since I started taking Metformin years ago (and was much worse during cancer treatment).

Since I wasn't having the stomach pains anymore, I decided to stop the Dicyclomine last year. Then I started taking one Loperamide (Imodium) tablet every (late!) morning with my other pills. This actually controls my diarrhea quite well.

Like Forherself, coffee is a trigger for me too although I don't limit my quantities of coffee. But I only drink the first cup when I'm near a bathroom. But the difference with the daily Loperamide is that I only have to go to the bathroom once. And I stop drinking coffee after lunch so that it doesn't interfere with my sleep later.

I've told my doctor that I'm taking the Lopermide once a day and she has okayed it for me.

I don't know whether Metformin has had any impact on keeping me cancer-free since treatment ended – I was already taking Metformin before I got cancer. But I continue with it versus another diabetes drug on the off-chance it helps deter recurrence for me, despite the diarrhea problem.

I take three Immodium every

I take three Immodium every morning. Then another one each time I have an episode of diarrhea. If I didn't do that, I would have no life. I asked about Viberzi but can't take it because I don't have a gallbladder.  I haven't had a day in over five years I didn't have diarrhea but even before the chemo, I had "some" problems but nothing like this!!

Love,

Eldri

 

EZLiving66

takingcontrol58 said:

Eldri- Too much B12 and diarrhea

Eldri,

You mentioned that you take 5000mcg of B12 every day.  That is a very high dose to use every day.

Do you test your B12 regularly? It should ideally be in the range of 600-800. I have found with
being on metformin for many years. B12 levels do fluctuate alot. I take 2500mcg/daily to maintain levels in the
700s.  And sometimes I skip a day or two.

I bring this up because too much Vit B12 can cause diarrhea, and I am guessing your levels may be way too high.
Maybe this is the source of your diarrhea issues if you have been taking  this high of a dose of B12 for a long time.

You should check this out and have your doctor test your B12 levels.

Takingcontrol58

 

 

My B12 last Thursday was over

My B12 last Thursday was over 2000 but I've only been taking that high dose for about three months. I'm going to cut back even though I hate to because it helped with the neuropathy pain. It's like I'm playing "Wack-a-Mole." I just get so frustrated! I try to drink more water but it causes more diarrhea; more diarrhea means I lose more fluid, so I have to drink more water.....it's like I'm on a merry-go-round I can't get off of. And then, one day for no apparent reason when I get up I have all kinds of energy even with the chronic diarrhea, but it usually only lasts a day or two.  I've kept activities and food diaries but nothing shows up to pinpoint the problem.

Love,

Eldri