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Forum Name: Pediatric Topics

Question: tired, shaking

erm - Wed Jan 10, 2007 5:28 pm

hi I am a female almost 17 years old, in 1 week. for about the last year and a half I have been very very tired, even though getting about 9 hours plus sleep most night. I have also noticed myself shaking badly sometimes. it is scaring me!! I find that when I shake, I go and eat sugary foods and it seems to stop. I love playing sports, working, being outside but I have been really tired and had to cut back on these things. I have also been getting alot of really bad colds and the flu. the Dr lazily diagnosed me with Asthma when I had a persistent Cough about 1 year ago, but I didnt think it was. I stopped taking the inhaler about 8 months ago and seem to be fine, so I no longer take it at all. I would like to know how to get my life back and start being active again!! I hate sleeping and being tired and sick!!! thanks ERM

Dr. Chan Lowe - Thu Jan 11, 2007 1:59 am

There are several possible causes for your fatigue but first, let's examine your shaking. Hypoglycemia is a very common cause of tremulousness. If eating helps you, I suspect that occasionally your Blood sugar is getting low. This is a common thing, especially among teenagers. To help this I would suggest keeping some little snacks around to eat-healthy snacks are best. Try to eat more complex carbohydrates and avoid simple sugars. Proteins can also be of help. Contradictory to what is generally encouraged, fats are an important part of the diet. It is important to make sure that you are getting a little fat in your diet also as they are an important source of energy-just don't get too much. If doing this doesn't help alleviate your tremors I would recommend you be evaluated for this to see if you have something else going on. Regarding your fatigue, there are several possible causes including Hypothyroidism and Anemia. Teenage girls are especially susceptible to Anemia due to monthly blood losses. Taking a good multivitamin with iron is important. Testing for Hypothyroidism and Anemia are quite easy and involve a simple blood test. Do you take any medications? Medicines often have fatigue as a side effect. In addition, staying on a set schedule is important. Try varying the amount of time that you sleep. It may be that you are sleeping too much. Try adjusting the time by about 15 to 30 minutes every few days and see which time lets you fell the best. Then try to stay on that schedule. Days when you can get up later, try not to get up much later as this throws off your internal clock. A direct examination is important and some simple blood tests can check for lots of issues. If you are unsatisfied with your doctor you may be able to see a different physician. Finding a doctor you like is important. Keep us updated. Hope this helps.

erm - Thu Jan 11, 2007 3:38 pm

thanks for the really quick reply. I am not happy with my Dr as I recently went overseas and I went to have a check up. he said it was all good and I didnt need any injections. about 2 weeks later I went back to get anti biotics and he wanted to give me two injections. one being tetnus that I don't need for another year. I refused, with good reason, as my cousin contracted CP as a result of this and he was rude, I couldnt believe it. I am on no medications at all, only had a course of anti biotics about 1 month ago because of infected wisdom teeth. I have tried altering the amount of sleep, and it does not help at all. tried going to bed earlier, later, getting up earlier later, no change. what are some other signs of Anemia? thanks!!

Dr. Chan Lowe - Fri Jan 12, 2007 1:04 am

Anemia most often is assymptomatic. It is picked up on a routine screening. When there are symptoms they are often vague, such as fatigue and easy Shortness of breath. As Anemia becomes more significant one can begin to look pale. With more severe Anemia one may feel as if they are starving for air. I would recommend a screening CBC to look for Anemia. At the same time they can check for thyroid problems with a TSH and Free T4 level. Regarding immunizations, typically teenagers need a booster tetanus/diptheria at age 16 or 17. In addition, there are a few "new" vaccines for teens your age you may want to consider. These include a meningococcus vaccine to help prevent meningitis, and an HPV vaccine that can help prevent infection with the HPV virus. The HPV virus is known to be a major (if not essentially the only) cause of cervical cancer. Hope you feel better. Keep us updated.

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