I overtrained over a year ago, and still haven't recovered! Advice?
 

I'm 16 years old, and incapable of training more than an hour a week. I've seen many doctors and stuff, but no one can figure it out. I'm just generally fatigued. If you have ever heard of anything like this, I'd like to hear about it.

It's not due to over training that's for sure. A friend had a lingering fatigue problem that sapped his energy where he could hardly be physically active. He had no success for years until an associate mentioned that he had the same problem and his doctor found a rare bactrial infection. My friend took the name of the disease to his doctor and got cured.

Suggest you go to a university medical research facility that specializes in tracking down hard to dianose problems or at least one with a big name /reputation. They are very good.

Also, a google search with various discriptions of your symptoms might work.

It could also be a symptom of a major blockage of an artery/vein near your heart. At your age, they might not check for that.

Have you had a stress test at a medical facility? That would allow them to check you in real time when you have the symptoms.

Al

First observation- how much were you exercising and when did you start feeling so fatigued? How fit are you right now? Do you consider yourself overweight? If so, by how much?

Have you had any problems in your family life recently? Are there any obstacles at home you can share here (or drop me a PM if you'd prefer to talk if the answer is yes).? Any problems with school?

When do you go to bed? How much sleep are you getting? How much food are you eating? I want you to actually measure out your food intake and report back what you eat in a typical week. That's right... I said WEEK. Feel free to elaborate what you eat from day to day, and take as long of a post as possible.

What intensity were you exercising at? Were you out of breath when you exercised? What were you doing for cardio and weights?

Once you do this, I think we will have a better idea of what might be happening.

Koffee

Thanks for your replies.
A bit more about me: Summer before last, I was training about 15 hours a week of xc for racing. That's when the fatigue hit. I probobly did a bit more anerobic work than I should have. Up to now, my life and I have been completely normal (save for the fatigue) - I am not overweight, my now frequent blood tests show everything is fine (except for slightly low blood sugar), I have been checked by three pediatricians and a cardiologist, I get 8 hrs of sleep, I'm not depressed, I eat well, get A's in school, etc. To describe this fatigue, riding feels like it would to any healthy person, only the trouble is that a day or two afterwards, I'm just crushed by tiredness. I would compare it to feeling like one does after finishing a really long ride - not sleepy, just tired. This fatigue can last anywhere from a week to many months.

Thanks again

Chronic fatigue syndrome is now quite well documented as a legitimate problems. Is is something any of your specialists has contemplated?

You don't have any diabetic problems with that low blood sugar? And did they test you for anemia? I was anemic in college, and dang it if I didn't feel so overall tired all the time and went to the doctor several times. Finally, one doctor tested my blood and asked if I was aware that I had a low iron count! Then she perscribed an iron pill for me to take, and once I started taking my perscriptions, I started feeling a lot better. Don't just start taking iron just because I speculate, though, because if you are ok, and you take too much iron, you could really do some damage to yourself.

Chronic fatigue could also be a definite factor, just like Rowan said. It is more difficult to diagnose, but it could also be the answer you're looking for.

Please, keep us updated and let us know if and when they find out what's up with you. Drop me a PM sometime if you get an answer. I am curious now.

Take care,


Koffee

If you have been in the woods alot, get checked for Lyme's disease.

At your age, you have to take extremely good care of yourself. I played basketball in high school and didn't finish either of my two varsity seasons because of bad illnesses. I contracted a serious staph infection through a blister in my right big toe. It travelled to my lymph node in my groin before we finally licked it (thank God my Mom was a critcal care nurse).

Then my senior year, I got mono at about the same point midway through the season. Two years down the drain. :(

I don't have a specific answer for you, but for you and anyone in their teens, I beg you to take especially good care of yourselves. You're typically very active during those years, you're interacting with a lot of folks, and the stress that goes along with being a teen probably doesn't help. Your immune system isn't ready to slug it out with everything that is thrown at you.

It is imperative to take personal hygiene seriously. Do every little thing possible to prevent yourself from getting sick. Always bundle up before going out in the cold, and _please_ cover your head. That's probably the most important thing you can do right there (I never did).

Maybe you're already doing these things, but I would never wish anyone to have to go through the hell that was my junior & senior years of high school. Too much fun to be had for IV drips, bone scans, and mad dashes to the ER.

I would guess chronic fatigue. Get to a qualified medical practitioner and get properly diagnosed. I wish you a full and speedy recovery

Daichi,
Sorry to hear how you're feeling. About once or twice a year, I get hit by something similar. Mine usually last about two weeks, but this year mine went on for about two months. My Dr. is unsure of what I have but guesses that it's a virus; possibly low grade mono (chronic fatigue). The problem with most Drs. that aren't familiar with endurance athletes is that because we're not terribly sick during these bouts, they feel that were fine. They don't understand how much of a stress biking is on the system. I'm not saying that you have what I have, though. My advice is that you're 16 and have a many years of riding ahead so take the time to get well. If you do ride, don't go anywhere near the anaerobic level. It would probably be best to stay in the recovery zone. Listen to your body. On days that you're feeling tired or unmotivated, don't ride. Trying to ride through your fatigue will do more harm than good. Good luck. Take care of yourself. Hope you get better soon.

Have you ruled out mono?

Another thing to consider is a sleep disorder. You might be getting 8 hours of sleep, but if you have something like sleep apnea or another condition that prevents you from getting the proper ammount of REM o sleep or deep sleep, your body won't be able to recover since this is the part of sleep when it repairs itself. Might want to ask someone who has slept in the same room with you if you snore badly, gasp, or seem to breath irregularly, as these could be signs of apnea. I've always had trouble falling asleep, but never knew I wasn't getting any real sleep after that until recently. It can really make you feel like crap day to day.

I also think mono might be something to look into.

Either way, good luck, and just keep looking.

damian...sleep apnea isn't the only sleeping disorder, but it is common. There are literally hundreds of sleeping disorders that can disrupt the sleep cycle. In his case it would predominantly be an absence of stage 3&4 sleep (known as slow wave sleep)that would cause physical fatigue. But from hearing what daichi is saying, I doubt he has OSA (obstructive sleep apnea). maybe he is just at such a nutritive detriment that his body has to take several days to weeks to recover. I'm kinda leaning away from that since he is obviously a veteran athlete.

Hope you can get things worked out daichi, I had a fatigue problem earlier this year and had to take several months off.