My Journey to an Answer for Chronic Fatigue

One month into starting my position as a medical assistant, I was barely staying conscious while driving to and from work.

At the end of each day, I came home to eat dinner and immediately collapsed into my bed.

I was, simply put, miserable in my own body. No matter how much a slept on the weekend I always felt exhausted during the week. Despite getting 7 hours of sleep regularly, the quality was something I always struggled with. I would wake up in a sweat frequently and find myself tossing and turning throughout the night, not getting any of that precious REM or deep sleep. At one point I even removed my beloved four inch thick memory foam mattress topper that made my bed feel like a cloud.

It helped a bit, but not enough to solve my problems.

I had struggled with fatigue before while in college, and due to the aggressive course load I worked with- being pre-Med – the doctors at student health always brushed it off as “stress” . During my senior year, once in the fall and once in the spring, all they did was run routine lab tests tell me I was stressed. I felt that something was wrong but I was being told it was all in my head.

So I finished my degree strong, but fatigued.

This nagging idea that something was wrong with me persisted.

In September, after a whole summer of feeling like a piece of trash, I found a Functional Medicine center. I knew this place was going to be the real deal when the entry paperwork took me about 30 minutes to fill out. I had to even refer to my parents to find out how my mother’s pregnancy was and if I was breast-fed or bottle-fed.

Turns out these things can have a profound effect on how your gut forms your immune system.

The optimism really picked up when I had my two hour long consult with the doctor.

yes. two hours.

Imagine having a doctor in conventional healthcare settings spend two hours with you. I can’t!

It kept getting better and better. We talked for over two hours about my experiences as long as I had been struggling, I took good notes on the meeting and I felt that I was going to be in very knowledgeable hands.

The plan following the visit was this:

• Add electrolytes powder to my water
• extensive lab work
• food sensitivity test
• stool test

About a month later I would have some profound answers.

The labs all trickled in and filled me with confusion.

I tried to limit the “what’s wrong with me” searches on Google…

The follow up visit provided immense clarity and a clear path on the plan towards progress. Maybe some people would find low vitamin levels, poor adrenal function, food sensitivities and Thyroid Antibodies discouraging, but I also found it validating.

There was something concrete, a bunch of somethings actually, that explained why I was feeling like a dumpster fire and there was a plan on how we could work on fixing them!

After conventional medicine told me I was stressed and fine, functional medicine told me I had low nutrients, an autoimmune disease, adrenal dysregulation, and food sensitivities.

Imagine that.

It wasn’t just stress, but long term stress that had caused adrenal fatigue and maybe even the other issues.

So I had to get to work. I completely changed my diet. Firstly, I was given about 8 different types of supplements to take each day. Then, I eliminated eggs and dairy because we found a sensitivity, and gluten because of the thyroid issues. (The structure of gluten can be recognized as a threat causing an immune response for those with Hashimoto’s Disease – interesting right!)

I was drinking my electrolytes all day, taking supplements four times a day and going to bed by 9 so I can prioritize my eight hours of sleep. The hardest part though, was completely changing my diet.

No eggs or yogurts? What else was I going to eat while I drove to work in the mornings? There was going to be lots more revisions to my daily routine including eliminating the ciabatta bread sandwiches from the café downstairs at work. That was a sad one…

Little by little I figured it out, no cheating though, I went cold turkey eliminating all the things that would limit me from getting better.

I owe lots of props to Tik Tok and the Instagram communities for providing me with so much knowledge about what I was going through. The world was my oyster, or the kitchen was, the internet was FULL of vegan desserts and ways to make thanksgiving recipes what I began to call “Emily friendly” (gluten, dairy, and egg free).

During the holidays I thought I would have felt ostracized and isolated not being able to eat and enjoy with the family.

Well I thought wrong because I have the best mom ever! She really put in the work for me to make sure I could still enjoy thanksgiving foods. She made me my own pans of mashed potatoes, stuffing, and awesome mini cheesecakes! I ate to my hearts content and did not feel left out at all.

Luckily, I live at home with my parents still and have the privilege of having healthy, minimally processed meals made for me and plenty of clean ingredients at my disposal. Every meal is protein dense and packed with colorful vegetables.

5 into the treatment later, March 2025, I am leaps and bounds ahead of where I was last summer. I struggle significantly less each day with my energy levels. Another thing I have found rewarding is meal prepping my lunches for work each week. Some of the recipes I’ve found have turned out just spectacular!

Upon running repeat lab work, my vitamin levels have come way up and my thyroid antibodies have reduced by almost half! We are making huge progress, making the effort I have put in even more rewarding. Food has been my medicine, and in conjunction with supplements, has helped me increase my energy and ability to enjoy each and everyday.

I know healing takes time, but my progress thus far shines a bright light into the future.

And so, the journey continues. While there’s still work to be done, the progress I’ve made proves that listening to your body and seeking answers beyond the surface can lead to remarkable transformations. I’m excited to see what the future holds, fueled by real food and a renewed sense of well-being.