Fatigue every afternoon - How can I get more energy?

Posted by jmorris58 @jmorris58, Dec 18, 2022

I am 75 and am very tired every afternoon. I need a two hour nap. My blood work is good. Any comments that can help me get more energy?

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Profile picture for marye2 @marye2

I take an hour's nap most days before 3 pm. It helps me sleep better at night when I am not overtired. I also take a Tylenol if part of me is in pain. I get a second wind afterwards. I do not plan my day around it, but more than a couple days in a row without the "siesta" reminds me that I need it.

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I do the same thing. I call this my “self care time.” I breathe and meditate. It helps carry through for the rest of the day. I am also able to sleep through the night.

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I am 80 years old and have had a right hemicolectomy and 22" of my ileum removed due to carcinoid syndrome. I now have a 2 wire pacemaker, atruim and ventricle to control slow heart beat. When playing 18 holes of golf and using a cart, I am exhausted. Never been that way before. Do have low RBCs and Hemoglobin that remains stable, workout in the gym and ride stationary bike 20-25 minutes. Would like to know what is causing the fatigue level or is it just age?

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I know how you feel! I’m 72. Every afternoon the last month I had to nap. How often has this been going on? What does your doctor say?

I had blood work done, doc says everything is fine. I a pondering taking like 8 mg of iron tablets, just to check. I’m vegan and may not get as much iron as a carnivore.

I never understand why when some results are “low” docs don’t address that. My MCH (not sure what that is, has been low for five years). Anyhow, if I’m tired i have to nap, no use fighting it. It is usually not a refreshing nap for me, I feel dragged out the rest of my day. I do get hard on myself because I want to keep enjoying my day, but I decided to accept it, not get mad at myself because I’m tired. It seems to be lifting. It is kind of cyclical.
Good luck!

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I have systemic lupus, and I find an afternoon rest period or nap refreshes me. I used to fight it, but I realized I was only hurting myself. I think it's good to nap so you recharge your body. No sense in pushing yourself.

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I developed anemia after m hip replacement in 2023. My levels got back to “normal “ . My doctor tild me about a month after the normal blood work to stop the iron. I just had blood work down and my hemoglobin and hematocrit are at the very low end of normal . I am going back to taking a low dose iron supplement. It is a slow release tablet. I am also taking Vitamin C and zinc and vitamin D3. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea recently and i think that was a big part of my fatigue.

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I found sometimes my energy flags more when I don't eat enough protein, and my blood shows it. Red meat isn't a favorite of mine, because it's hard to digest and I have radiation injury/burns to my intestiness. Buyi still need to eat it. I also take sublingual B-12. Don't take B-12 late at night or you might have trouble getting enough sleep.

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Profile picture for ejjr @ejjr

I am 80 years old and have had a right hemicolectomy and 22" of my ileum removed due to carcinoid syndrome. I now have a 2 wire pacemaker, atruim and ventricle to control slow heart beat. When playing 18 holes of golf and using a cart, I am exhausted. Never been that way before. Do have low RBCs and Hemoglobin that remains stable, workout in the gym and ride stationary bike 20-25 minutes. Would like to know what is causing the fatigue level or is it just age?

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I’m 74 and I think we have a tendency to blame a lot of things on age and not sure we should be. Maybe a visit with you cardiologist and blood work up including thyroid panel might help just to be sure. 😊

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Profile picture for ejjr @ejjr

I am 80 years old and have had a right hemicolectomy and 22" of my ileum removed due to carcinoid syndrome. I now have a 2 wire pacemaker, atruim and ventricle to control slow heart beat. When playing 18 holes of golf and using a cart, I am exhausted. Never been that way before. Do have low RBCs and Hemoglobin that remains stable, workout in the gym and ride stationary bike 20-25 minutes. Would like to know what is causing the fatigue level or is it just age?

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Also is there any possibility the carcinoid syndrome could return?

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I have a functional medicine appt. This month and hope to get started on a low dose of testosterone hoping that will help with fatigue and bone health as well as my libido.

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Profile picture for willow5 @willow5

I know how you feel! I’m 72. Every afternoon the last month I had to nap. How often has this been going on? What does your doctor say?

I had blood work done, doc says everything is fine. I a pondering taking like 8 mg of iron tablets, just to check. I’m vegan and may not get as much iron as a carnivore.

I never understand why when some results are “low” docs don’t address that. My MCH (not sure what that is, has been low for five years). Anyhow, if I’m tired i have to nap, no use fighting it. It is usually not a refreshing nap for me, I feel dragged out the rest of my day. I do get hard on myself because I want to keep enjoying my day, but I decided to accept it, not get mad at myself because I’m tired. It seems to be lifting. It is kind of cyclical.
Good luck!

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@willow5, MCH measures the average amount of hemoglobin in your red blood cells. Hope that helps.
https://www.health.com/mch-7099097#:~:text=MCH%20stands%20for%20mean%20corpuscular,to%2031%20picograms%20per%20cell.

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