Chronic fatigue help?

[Itburnstopee]

Anyone work in fire&ems? I’m in medic school looking for advice because I feel like I’m losing my shit. It’s a condensed course with weekly exams and midterms/finals every 1.5 months, plus my ride times and clinical days. I’ve mostly done okay so far, As and Bs and then two exams I bombed.

But the problem I’m having with this course is my fatigue. I was recently diagnosed with low test but my doc doesn’t wanna prescribe TRT because it’s within the range, technically. Total was in the 300s. I’m in my late 20s. I’ve been trying to fix shit the right way before using drug interventions but I’m strongly considering throwing in the towel and hoping on at this rate. I can’t really entertain that until I have fully comprehensive bloods that show more than my TT anyways…


I sleep enough but wake up feeling the same as if I pulled an all nighter. All through the day every day I feel as exhausted as I did after a running PR when I was younger. That combined with other shit like the brain fog is 100% affecting how well I know that I CAN be doing. People keep telling me it’s just depression but with the other symptoms+ recent blood work I know what the problem is.


Aside from TRT how can I fix this fatigue problem? Really seems to be the biggest issue I’m experiencing right now. I woke up late and missed a ride along today and will have to pay $250 to have it rescheduled. This shit won’t fly when I’m on a department, I won’t even get that far if I’m having this problem.

 

[Nintey]

I've had chronic fatigue for years. I actually began TRT in hopes of fixing it, I had never used anything before that point. It helped me feel less brain foggy but ultimately didn't solve the issue.

If you have run gear it could be high estrogen or high hematocrit causing it. Donating blood usually makes me feel better for a few months.

Have you tried HCG?

It could be sleep apnea.

How much caffeine do you take? You could taper off and quit for a month or so to reset your tolerance. Avoid taking any 8-10 hours before you go to sleep.

It could be brain inflammation, have you tried a gluten free/low sugar diet? Do you take probiotics? Are all your vitamins and minerals good? Do you take turmeric, fish oil oil, or any other anti-inflammatory supplements?

This is a weird one but my doctor prescribed me meloxicam (a 24h NSAID) for some hip pain I was experiencing and it weirdly helped with the fatigue. But of course I didn't want to take that long term so I stopped.

It's a shitty issue to deal with, best thing I've found is simply a regular sleeping schedule, good diet, basic supplements, 10 minute power naps, and a good mindset towards it.

Just some ideas for you, good luck.

 

[Itburnstopee]

Could sleeping with too many pillows cause my airway to close off and mimic sleep apnea? I know it may sound weird but it’s all I can think of. I’ve heard how sleep apnea can make someone feel and from what others have said it sounds similar to this fatigue and fog


I’ve never used anything before. Caffeine intake is all over the place. Tried quitting, felt the same but slightly less anxious.

 

[CJ]

I went through a condensed FF Academy as well, nights after work. My sleep suffered, I was dragging ass. Wasn't medic school, but similar enough.

How much longer do you have to go? Be wary of stimulants, they can mess up your natural body rhythms.

 

[CJ]

Do you know your Test levels PRIOR to starting Meduc School? This could just be a temporary thing due to sleep issues.

 

[shackleford]

Anyone work in fire&ems? I’m in medic school looking for advice because I feel like I’m losing my shit. It’s a condensed course with weekly exams and midterms/finals every 1.5 months, plus my ride times and clinical days. I’ve mostly done okay so far, As and Bs and then two exams I bombed.

But the problem I’m having with this course is my fatigue. I was recently diagnosed with low test but my doc doesn’t wanna prescribe TRT because it’s within the range, technically. Total was in the 300s. I’m in my late 20s. I’ve been trying to fix shit the right way before using drug interventions but I’m strongly considering throwing in the towel and hoping on at this rate. I can’t really entertain that until I have fully comprehensive bloods that show more than my TT anyways…


I sleep enough but wake up feeling the same as if I pulled an all nighter. All through the day every day I feel as exhausted as I did after a running PR when I was younger. That combined with other shit like the brain fog is 100% affecting how well I know that I CAN be doing. People keep telling me it’s just depression but with the other symptoms+ recent blood work I know what the problem is.


Aside from TRT how can I fix this fatigue problem? Really seems to be the biggest issue I’m experiencing right now. I woke up late and missed a ride along today and will have to pay $250 to have it rescheduled. This shit won’t fly when I’m on a department, I won’t even get that far if I’m having this problem.

are you me?
i was working 2 full time 24/72s while doing medic school. it sucked and took alot out of me. I was on an ambo every...damn...day. I got through it and still felt like shit. i tried everything. I could get off work and sleep till i had to go to work next. I finally got my test checked, came back in the 200s. I dont know why. I blame the stress and fucked up schedules.

I dont know whats right for you, but trt helped me so much.

Fire engineering did an article on high cortisol and low t prevalent in the fire service, due to different factors, sleep being a major one. Just thought I'd mention it because its probably a journal you're familiar with.

Anyway, what made the biggest differences for me was trt. and getting a gig on a bls engine

Good luck with school, and i hope you get your health figured out. Your busy, but dont forget to take care of yourself!

 

[shackleford]

btw this was years after class and after quitting tobacco. diet changes and working out. "test boosters" supplements etc. i got a sleep study done.

i really started to feel old at that time.

i'm not sure if i could have done anything else to try to fix it before the trt...

 

[Itburnstopee]

are you me?
i was working 2 full time 24/72s while doing medic school. it sucked and took alot out of me. I was on an ambo every...damn...day. I got through it and still felt like shit. i tried everything. I could get off work and sleep till i had to go to work next. I finally got my test checked, came back in the 200s. I dont know why. I blame the stress and fucked up schedules.

I dont know whats right for you, but trt helped me so much.

Fire engineering did an article on high cortisol and low t prevalent in the fire service, due to different factors, sleep being a major one. Just thought I'd mention it because its probably a journal you're familiar with.

Anyway, what made the biggest differences for me was trt. and getting a gig on a bls engine

Good luck with school, and i hope you get your health figured out. Your busy, but dont forget to take care of yourself!

I was about to get in an ER on top of this. But I really think I would drown if I did that with this, I’m just constantly exhausted. Recently quit a job that had me busting 80 hours in overtime do maybe that had something to do with all this

 

[Itburnstopee]

Do you know your Test levels PRIOR to starting Meduc School? This could just be a temporary thing due to sleep issues.

I know when I last frequented this forum my levels were around 600/700, I recall making a post about it asking if that was okay or not (lol). But it’s only been like 5years and I’m still in my 20s so it shouldn’t be such a massive difference like this. I actually remember I felt great at the time of that test and a complete opposite of how I do now

 

[slicwilly2000]

I got this same problem. There's a number of causes and hence a number of solutions even if you don't do TRT. I'm considering self administered TRT as my doctor is completely unwilling to treat it even though the blood work came back indicating it's a good idea. Free T was very low. That said I would recommend getting NMN lozenges. I got mine off amazon and the company stopped selling on there due to all of amazon's fees. I can dig up their website address if you like. For me the chronic fatigue started at 31. I had just quit smoking and was in the process of cutting back on the alcohol consumption. I've always had jobs where it was completely permissible to have a few drinks on the lunch break or add some jameson to the coffee. However I realized it wasn't a good idea long term. Another possibility is that you got a parasite or something. I used cinchona for that. There is a wide range of genus and some are much more potent than others. Do your research if you go that route. Best price I found for the best genus was $33 lb. You drink cinchona tea for 2 weeks and I felt like a million bucks. I'm not advocating it just sharing my experiences. Whatever it did it fixed the brain fog and CFS for about a month so now I do that cycle every 3 months and that seems to help. You also have the dietary factor. Make sure you're eating good clean foods as in no corn, soy, wheat, dairy, etc. Don't eat crap like pizza or tacos, etc. That's the solution I found for the CFS shit. Brain fog is dealt with different herbs. I don't want to take up the whole thread here. My doctor is a moron and the primary care doctor is just as bad. Both of those idiots are lazy which is why I treat myself. The last thing they competently treated was pink eye. That's likely the route you'll have to go unless you find a competent GP that is willing to treat the low T. You can try an endo or a urologist if you can get a referral. Mine refuses because of other medication I'm on that he believes will interact with TRT. Google scholar doesn't come up with anything and none of the doctors I went to school with are finding any of the links he claims exist. I've waited on replacing him until after I move. Plus self administered TRT is cheaper and I don't have to deal with any of the bullshit. The only benefit is it's legal.

If you can list all your vices to see if any of those might be causing issues.

Slic.

 

[shackleford]

I got this same problem. There's a number of causes and hence a number of solutions even if you don't do TRT. I'm considering self administered TRT as my doctor is completely unwilling to treat it even though the blood work came back indicating it's a good idea. Free T was very low. That said I would recommend getting NMN lozenges. I got mine off amazon and the company stopped selling on there due to all of amazon's fees. I can dig up their website address if you like. For me the chronic fatigue started at 31. I had just quit smoking and was in the process of cutting back on the alcohol consumption. I've always had jobs where it was completely permissible to have a few drinks on the lunch break or add some jameson to the coffee. However I realized it wasn't a good idea long term. Another possibility is that you got a parasite or something. I used cinchona for that. There is a wide range of genus and some are much more potent than others. Do your research if you go that route. Best price I found for the best genus was $33 lb. You drink cinchona tea for 2 weeks and I felt like a million bucks. I'm not advocating it just sharing my experiences. Whatever it did it fixed the brain fog and CFS for about a month so now I do that cycle every 3 months and that seems to help. You also have the dietary factor. Make sure you're eating good clean foods as in no corn, soy, wheat, dairy, etc. Don't eat crap like pizza or tacos, etc. That's the solution I found for the CFS shit. Brain fog is dealt with different herbs. I don't want to take up the whole thread here. My doctor is a moron and the primary care doctor is just as bad. Both of those idiots are lazy which is why I treat myself. The last thing they competently treated was pink eye. That's likely the route you'll have to go unless you find a competent GP that is willing to treat the low T. You can try an endo or a urologist if you can get a referral. Mine refuses because of other medication I'm on that he believes will interact with TRT. Google scholar doesn't come up with anything and none of the doctors I went to school with are finding any of the links he claims exist. I've waited on replacing him until after I move. Plus self administered TRT is cheaper and I don't have to deal with any of the bullshit. The only benefit is it's legal.

If you can list all your vices to see if any of those might be causing issues.

Slic.

you mention some things i'm not familiar with. I'm interested and will have to do some reading.

 

[shackleford]

I was about to get in an ER on top of this. But I really think I would drown if I did that with this, I’m just constantly exhausted. Recently quit a job that had me busting 80 hours in overtime do maybe that had something to do with all this

Don't under estimate the sleep debt. And I really believe stress is a killer. I know that OT pay is hard to beat, but sometimes you have to ask yourself is it worth it? My rediculous work schedule allowed me to put a good down payment on my home, but when i felt like a zombie and even my coworkers were questioning why I look so bad, it was time to make a change.

I would recommend lightening your load if you can. Focus on the schooling. Paramedic is a golden ticket. You'll never be out of a job, depts cant get enough applicants to fill positions. You'll have opportunities to make money after school. Maybe you already know that, I dont mean to preach to the choir.

Also, if youre like me, you have this weird guilty feeling inside if you feel like you arent working "enough". Let that go.

ER is gonna need people tomorrow, next week, next year.

 

[slicwilly2000]

you mention some things i'm not familiar with. I'm interested and will have to do some reading.

If you can elaborate what I can point you in the right direction. I have a thread on this very issue on another board. I've been dealing with this shit for years.

Slic.

 

[shackleford]

If you can elaborate what I can point you in the right direction. I have a thread on this very issue on another board. I've been dealing with this shit for years.

Slic.

I have no idea what nmn or cinchona are. When I get some time today i want to google. I get nerdy sometimes and want to learn stuff. I would be interested in reading your other thread.

 

[shackleford]

If you can elaborate what I can point you in the right direction. I have a thread on this very issue on another board. I've been dealing with this shit for years.

Slic.

wow i can see just the nmn is going to be a scientific rabbit hole.

 

[RISE]

Went through the same course in my late 20's. Didn't have a problem with fatigue though so unfortunately I can't help.

Do you take in alot if caffeine a day? That may be wrecking your REM sleep.

Try mixing up your diet a little more. Add more carbs on your class days. I kept cliff bars in my bunker gear pocket when out doing drills. Any down time I would slam it down.

Good luck bro.

 

[OldeBull1]

Don't want to over simplify, but have you had iron and vit B and D levels checked? Maybe rule those out before digging deeper.

And dude, if you need to, dial your training back while you are so busy. Keep up the exercise, it is good and healthy. But maybe simply maintaining while in school is the best for now.

 

[slicwilly2000]

I have no idea what nmn or cinchona are. When I get some time today i want to google. I get nerdy sometimes and want to learn stuff. I would be interested in reading your other thread.

NMN = Nicotinamide Mononucleotide. It's a B vitamin but vastly superior to non flush niacin or flush niacin. You will feel much more awake on 500mg of it as a lozenge.

Cinchona is for the quinine. It kills off parasites which why I cycle it every 3 months. I do 5 grams a day for 14 days. I make about a litre of tea. You can get it in powder form or in bark chunks. Go with whichever form you prefer. Then you split the litre of tea into 5 portions and drink it throughout the day. You want to avoid sugar while you're doing it. You can sweeten it with whole stevia leaf if necessary. There's a couple other options but cinchona is the cheapest route. It's good to have multiple quinine sources so black seed oil would be good as well. You're looking for the thymoquinone in it. Not all brands are created equal. Expect to pay around $65 for a litre.

Slic.

 

[OldeBull1]

Checking in. How is sleep? How is school? Hope all is well.
I've been using MODALERT lately on shift change days to fight fatigue. I really dig it, clean, no stim, no buzz, not extra awake, but it clears the fog. I hesitate to recommend drugs to address sleep issues and it can lead to dependence, (address the root, not the symptoms). In your case, school, this is temporary, so maybe it's an option for you.