I've had a wide range of vague symptoms for months now and I can't get to the bottom of it. I am a twenty year old female. Several months ago I went to a doctor about extreme fatigue- I went from being very active- exercising moderately most days of the week- to hardly being able to make it up a flight of stairs. The doctor automatically assumed I was malnourished because I’m a vegetarian and fairly thin. I assured him that I eat healthier than anyone I know, I’m technically a pescatarian (I eat fish) I get plenty of iron, protein, I take vitamins, etc. He ran a basic test and everything came back normal. My TSH was 1.42 which from what I’ve read does not at all suggest low thyroid function. The fatigue never let up, when I try to go running I can barely make it a mile because of muscle fatigue. I also have not had a period in 10 months.

I am posting this now because in the past month my hair has been falling out dramatically. It seems like it happened right after I colored my hair slightly darker- this could potentially be the cause, however it is falling out at the root, and would it be breaking off if it were the dye? I’ve also recently been VERY thirsty, drinking water constantly throughout the day (glucose levels have also been normal- not diabetes). I feel like my sinuses and nasal membranes are very dried out, it affects the entire side of my face. I know these are symptoms of anorexia/malnutrition, but I have been eating a LOT to ensure that that’s not the problem. This summer I lost several pounds due to stress and I’m now 109 and 5’3. I’ve resumed eating normally, actually quite a bit more than normal, but I haven’t gained much back. Even when I’ve been eating a ton (seriously, like pints of ice cream), I get really intense cravings.

Another strange occurrence has been a sensation that has happened twice with my hearing- I can only describe it as feeling like a switch was flipped in my head, every sound seemed disconnected and then suddenly VERY loud, it was really disconcerting. The first time it happened was during the stressful week that I lost all of the weight, which makes sense, but it happened again the other day while sitting and not exerting myself. Occasionally everything that I hear will sound really tinny, like I’m hearing it through a tin can.

I have pretty bad hay fever which can apparently cause fatigue and thirst, but the season is pretty much over. I had another blood test run this summer of all of the usual things, again all normal. I’m starting to think that this could be some kind of adrenal/hormone issue. My face is very oily despite the rest of my skin being pretty dry. I’m not sure what half of the abbreviations on my test results mean so I’m not sure if they’ve looked for the right things. I have an appointment with a female doctor in a few days who will hopefully not just tell me I am depressed like the previous ones, but I thought I would ask around as well. I just want to figure this out before all my hair falls out!! I would really appreciate any help.