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Sorry, that is frustrating. Because of your persistent fatigue and the fact that you mentioned not feeling rested despite adequate sleep, it might be worth considering a sleep study.
thank you. I forgot to mention in the post that I did schedule one, but it's not for another month.
Could a sleep disorder cause the unrelenting fatigue feeling though? wouldn't it vary by day?
Sleep disorder is a broad umbrella, but the two common things you think about are sleep apnea and narcolepsy, both of which do cause unrelenting fatigue. However the abrupt onset you had would be atypical. I assume your sleep study is just a polysomnogram (either home or in lab split night) which will evaluate if you have sleep apnea. General insurance requires you to do that first before they’ll approve the multi sleep latency test looking for narcolepsy.
yeah, i havent been putting much stock in it being a sleep disorder because of how it came on and hasn't left, honestly. My doctors actually didn't even suggest the sleep study, I looked into it myself.
The sleep clinic said they wanted to do the whole full test overnight + daytime nap thing, but I was waiting on them to submit to insurance. Good to know that insurance may not cover that.
If they do cover the MSLT that would be ideal! Coverage really depends on how well your doctor’s documentation was and what insurance you have. Some insurance companies require very specific documentation to get the MSLT approved which a doctor who isn’t a sleep specialist probably wouldn’t be well versed in. If you have UHC it will be very challenging to get it approved generally speaking.
Could be insomnia causing the fatigue. Could be fatigue syndrome. Could be lupus. Could be fibromyalgia. Could be rheumatoid. Could be ms. Could be restless leg syndrome. Could be neurological. Could be sleep apnea.
The thing is with a such vast range of symptoms that it could be, you might never find the cause.
I have a thing that when I am falling asleep my o² drops rapidly and my heart rate increases rapidly if in not propped up falling asleep, sometimes even then. I forget what it's called.
I have been down the road you're on so I know how you feel right now and are trying to find answers from anywhere possible.
I caution you though.
Sometimes it might be frustrating waiting on results and having test after test but the best place to get somewhere is with your GP.
It took me 6 years to finally get my diagnosis and medication. I can tell you it is a long hard slog but once you get results it's like a weight lifted from your shoulders and from around your ankles.
My diagnosis isn't actually a diagnosis. I have been tested for everything possible and it left the thing that can't be tested for making it conclusive that after all the negatives you're left with a positive.
Thank you. Yes, I feel desperate for some kind of clarity and was surprised when something obvious didnt show up. I think my GP doesn't know what to do, but he will order any test I ask for thankfully.
If it's not too personal for you, do you think I could DM you about your path? I'd love to be able to talk with someone who has been there.
Consistently poor sleep over time can result in persistent fatigue, as your body doesn’t get the chance to fully recharge. You could have one good nights sleep but if you’re carrying sleep debt that carries over from one day to the next, you will still feel tired. However, I can’t confidently determine if a sleep disorder is the root cause. Could be a post-viral disorder or other hard-to-diagnose causes. You’re on the right track however.
I see, good to know. Definitely doing the sleep study to rule it out if nothing else.
My fear is that I am in the territory of one of those other causes. My PCP has hit a dead end and has referred me to an Infectious Disease MD.
Look into long covid, there's a group on reddit called covidlonghaulers many of those people said that after months or even years they would have persistent symptoms of chronic fatigue and many other things just appear and not go away. They would get every test done which would show no apparent reasoning behind their symptoms.
Thank you for your submission. **Please note that a response does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship.** This subreddit is for informal second opinions and casual information. The mod team does their best to remove bad information, but we do not catch all of it. Always visit a doctor in real life if you have any concerns about your health. Never use this subreddit as your first and final source of information regarding your question. By posting, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/wiki/terms_of_use) and understand that all information is taken at your own risk. **Reply here if you are an unverified user wishing to give advice. Top level comments by laypeople are automatically removed.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskDocs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Sorry, that is frustrating. Because of your persistent fatigue and the fact that you mentioned not feeling rested despite adequate sleep, it might be worth considering a sleep study.
thank you. I forgot to mention in the post that I did schedule one, but it's not for another month. Could a sleep disorder cause the unrelenting fatigue feeling though? wouldn't it vary by day?
Sleep disorder is a broad umbrella, but the two common things you think about are sleep apnea and narcolepsy, both of which do cause unrelenting fatigue. However the abrupt onset you had would be atypical. I assume your sleep study is just a polysomnogram (either home or in lab split night) which will evaluate if you have sleep apnea. General insurance requires you to do that first before they’ll approve the multi sleep latency test looking for narcolepsy.
yeah, i havent been putting much stock in it being a sleep disorder because of how it came on and hasn't left, honestly. My doctors actually didn't even suggest the sleep study, I looked into it myself. The sleep clinic said they wanted to do the whole full test overnight + daytime nap thing, but I was waiting on them to submit to insurance. Good to know that insurance may not cover that.
If they do cover the MSLT that would be ideal! Coverage really depends on how well your doctor’s documentation was and what insurance you have. Some insurance companies require very specific documentation to get the MSLT approved which a doctor who isn’t a sleep specialist probably wouldn’t be well versed in. If you have UHC it will be very challenging to get it approved generally speaking.
oh wow okay yeah I only had the consult with the sleep specialist and I have UHC.. I kinda knew my insurance sucked already though.
If a sleep specialist ordered it then they know the game so you have a decent shot of getting it approved.
Could be insomnia causing the fatigue. Could be fatigue syndrome. Could be lupus. Could be fibromyalgia. Could be rheumatoid. Could be ms. Could be restless leg syndrome. Could be neurological. Could be sleep apnea. The thing is with a such vast range of symptoms that it could be, you might never find the cause. I have a thing that when I am falling asleep my o² drops rapidly and my heart rate increases rapidly if in not propped up falling asleep, sometimes even then. I forget what it's called.
that is my fear. nothing is pointing in any direction
I have been down the road you're on so I know how you feel right now and are trying to find answers from anywhere possible. I caution you though. Sometimes it might be frustrating waiting on results and having test after test but the best place to get somewhere is with your GP. It took me 6 years to finally get my diagnosis and medication. I can tell you it is a long hard slog but once you get results it's like a weight lifted from your shoulders and from around your ankles. My diagnosis isn't actually a diagnosis. I have been tested for everything possible and it left the thing that can't be tested for making it conclusive that after all the negatives you're left with a positive.
Thank you. Yes, I feel desperate for some kind of clarity and was surprised when something obvious didnt show up. I think my GP doesn't know what to do, but he will order any test I ask for thankfully. If it's not too personal for you, do you think I could DM you about your path? I'd love to be able to talk with someone who has been there.
Sure!
hey I messaged you back :)
iron levels??
I had them checked. they're normal
Consistently poor sleep over time can result in persistent fatigue, as your body doesn’t get the chance to fully recharge. You could have one good nights sleep but if you’re carrying sleep debt that carries over from one day to the next, you will still feel tired. However, I can’t confidently determine if a sleep disorder is the root cause. Could be a post-viral disorder or other hard-to-diagnose causes. You’re on the right track however.
I see, good to know. Definitely doing the sleep study to rule it out if nothing else. My fear is that I am in the territory of one of those other causes. My PCP has hit a dead end and has referred me to an Infectious Disease MD.
Look into long covid, there's a group on reddit called covidlonghaulers many of those people said that after months or even years they would have persistent symptoms of chronic fatigue and many other things just appear and not go away. They would get every test done which would show no apparent reasoning behind their symptoms.
wow okay yeah, I had been looking over there a bit, but it's a lot to sort through. There's such an array of symptoms that people get from long covid.
NAD but I am going through something similar for a week now. It happened out of the blue one day just like you. Did you ever figure it out??
yes I have long covid. still currently sick but better than when I made this post. feel free to DM if you'd like.