Always feel bad but medical tests always normal

Hi I have this problem where I always feel unwell. Nausea, dizziness, headaches (especially at the back/top of the head), and I get this awful tiredness that makes me feel like I’ll fall over.

All this sounds bad, it IS bad but can’t be too life threatening as I have been to and fro the GP surgery and hospital for blood work, scans and tests, and despite how bad these symptoms present with me nothing ever shows up! Sometimes I feel like I’m going crazy and imagining it all but when it happens and the symptoms are at their worst I am reminded that it is all very real and as unpleasant as it sounds.

I am anxious and because of the autism I do suffer with sensitivity, and I am sure this doesn’t help matters. What I’m struggling with is that the GP couldn’t find anything and for that reason there is seemingly no help with these problems. So when it happens I have no good ways of alleviating the dreaded symptoms. It’s much a case of put up, shut up, wait for it to improve which it normally does after a couple of hours. A good nights sleep always helps, in the morning I feel a lot better, not perfect but I do feel better. I never feel completely refreshed after sleeping but I at least don’t have that nagging exhaustion that hangs on to me for dear life.

If anybody else here suffers from this, or some of what I have explained, please let me know how you cope with it. I am at a loss and have found this affects me every single day! Not every day is severe but every day is bad enough that I had to quit work – they were going to let me go anyway – and I can no longer be as physically active like I used to be. Not without it crippling me with the symptoms I mentioned.

If you’ve experienced this and have any tips please let me know.

Thank you!

Parents
  • Not offering medical advice but personal experience. 

    Perpetual overload + unidentified burnout = some sort of chronically fatigued state. CFS isn't well understood by medical professionals. ....autistic fatigue even less so. If you do your research and get to know others' experiences,  you may get answers. 

    A neurodivergent friend found she had high levels of cortisol. This is the stress hormone. Stress can lead to fatigue.  I do not know if cortisol levels are tested as routine by the NHS.

    Come to know what overloads you on a fundamental level. Come to understand how SMALL aspects of this can accumulate - big time. Understand that we can experience stress and anxiety for atypical reasons. Consider if it's GAD and/or actually stress from being overloaded. They are different things. Come to recognise what your stress markers are. Once you learn to recognise them you come to understand these don't have to be a normal part of every day life. Come to understand what pleases you on a sensory basis which may alleviate the overload.

Reply
  • Not offering medical advice but personal experience. 

    Perpetual overload + unidentified burnout = some sort of chronically fatigued state. CFS isn't well understood by medical professionals. ....autistic fatigue even less so. If you do your research and get to know others' experiences,  you may get answers. 

    A neurodivergent friend found she had high levels of cortisol. This is the stress hormone. Stress can lead to fatigue.  I do not know if cortisol levels are tested as routine by the NHS.

    Come to know what overloads you on a fundamental level. Come to understand how SMALL aspects of this can accumulate - big time. Understand that we can experience stress and anxiety for atypical reasons. Consider if it's GAD and/or actually stress from being overloaded. They are different things. Come to recognise what your stress markers are. Once you learn to recognise them you come to understand these don't have to be a normal part of every day life. Come to understand what pleases you on a sensory basis which may alleviate the overload.

Children
  • Thank you, much appreciated. Hope I didn't get you in to any trouble and obviously all the apologies under the sun if I did!

    Come to know what overloads you on a fundamental level. Come to understand how SMALL aspects of this can accumulate - big time. Understand that we can experience stress and anxiety for atypical reasons. Consider if it's GAD and/or actually stress from being overloaded.

    This! ^

    I have no idea about what affects, I struggle to process how I feel and don't really understand what's happening. There is plenty of stress in my life and I try to slow down and focus my thoughts and feelings but it feels near impossible!
    My thoughts are like cars on a motorway, fast and noisy, never slow enough to figure them out. That's probably a bad way of describing them but it's how I try to imagine them.

    Need to work on all this.