Please Help. I'm tired and I'm running out of fight.

[ashley84]

Before I get into the detailed symptoms list... I should introduce myself. I am 22 years old, and a full-time college student of Audio Engineering. I'm also a blues singer and songwriter (when I'm well enough that is). Ever since I was a child, I've been experiencing odd symptoms. I've had a tremor in my hands since I was probably 7 years old. I would always complain as a child, after I ate, that the food made me feel sick. I didn't like sweets very much because of the sick feeling I would get. In fact, family would always give me candy as a child, and I'd stuff it in my huge dresser drawer and hardly eat it. When I moved to Texas, I became known at my doctors office for being "The Asthma Child". It was quite severe, with frequent bronchitis. In my younger teen years, my mother always claimed I was lazy when I didn't clean something up, but she wasn't listening to me when I said I didn't have enough energy to do it. Cleaning my room would literally wipe me out. In 2004, I saw the family doctor about sugar not making me feel good. He tested me for diabetes (which came out negative) and said I had Benign Essential Tremor. I found out recently, he actually reported I had hypoglycemia to the insurance company and never reported the tremor. Somehow he NEVER told me. I went to a new doctor in '06 for the same problems, and he gave me a GTT, they watched me like a hawk and found out I had hypogclyemia. The doctor told me to read a book and learn how to control it myself. He sent me to an endocrinologist who tested me for addison's, told me I had an anxiety disorder and that I don't really have hypoglycemia. I also got sent to a dietian... whom of which I told certain foods were making me sick, told me I was fine and to eat them anyway. Well, his diet ended up making me about 5X worse. This year I went to a woman general practicitioner. She had me diary everything I was eating, and saw that I was wheezing after cheese and wheat. Took it out of my diet, and my chronic diahrrea stopped (it still wasn't normal)... She then told me to never eat gluten again.

I've had some suspicions about my development in my mother's womb. She ate SO much sugar it was messing up her blood levels, and the doctor told her to stop. She of course didn't... Alright now, here's the list of symptoms... Bear with me, I really need some suggestions:

-Exhausted VERY easily - chronic.
-Chronic Fatigue.
-Hungry often & if food is not ingested like clockwork numbness, blurred vision, and dizziness occur quickly (about every 2 hours).
-Some days I have energy to function, and others I can only get up to go to the bathroom.
-Frequently dehydrated
-Bloated feeling 1-2 times per week
-Fuzzy thinking - several times a day
-Vertigo once per day
-Dizziness 8-10 times a day
-Numbness in hands and feet (accompanied by blurred vision). 8-10 times a day. Sometimes my tongue and calves will get numb along with it.
-General feeling of unwellness 98% of the time
-Diharrea, 6 months consistent (at times for a month straight)
-Blood Pressure is erratic (sometimes its normal, sometimes its low, sometimes it drops when I stand up).
-Heart rate jumps about 20 beats from sitting to standing.
-Blood sugar levels are erratic.
-Muscle Pain in arms, legs, lower/upper back, mornings if not constant throughout the day
-Very sensitive to foods (especially all processed ingredients), constant
-Headaches, once every few days
-Vivid nightmares, 1-2 times per week
-Severe Allergies, constant
-Sporadic rashes, has itchy burning feeling, 1-2 times per week
-Heartburn, occurs when I eat protien and starch together
-Feeling of a Rock/solid mass in my stomach, occurs when protiens are eaten with starch (such as a deli sandwich)
-If over 80 degrees, my body feels heavy and almost like its being attacked, I get headaches and extremely tired
-Below 71, cannot keep warm

New Symptoms (began within the past 3 days):

-Joint pain, stiffness, and swelling in hands, wrists, knees, ankles, and toes.
-Slight fever. Temp is normally 97.3-97.6, and its been 98.9

Previous Doctor Diagnosis:
Hypoglycemia
Benign Essential Tremor
Asthma
Hereditary Neuropathy
Gluten-Intolerance

I've been on the hypoglycemic diet for about 10 months now. I do not eat anything processed. Only healthy oils, everything gluten free, soy cheese, beans, 5-10 severings of fruits and veggies daily, and a multivitamin extracted from food, along with 1000mg a day of calcium citrate. The synthetic ones always made me feel sicker.

Last night, I was so upset... I broke down and was practically ready to give up. My husband got a little more fight in me after that. I've been reading a book called "Never Be Sick Again". It talks about cells, how certain nutrients affect them positively, how the cells work, etc. I've tried healing with diet, and I felt alright (meaning I could function minimally)... Instead now I'm getting this arthritic symptoms.

Any suggestions you have of what it could be would be greatly appreciated. Everyone thinks differently, and sometimes things don't instantly flash in a doctors mind like a neon sign. Ever since childhood, I've pretty much had the SAME blood tests over and over again. They check my thyroid and for anemia. I never had either of those things in the millions of times I've been poked in my life. My last MRI was in 2004, my last catscan was probably a year ago, and they did some chest X-rays. The doctor in the emergency room said my chest x-rays were fine... then the radiologist looked over it and said there was something on my back that looked a little more dense than it should, but they just wanted me to get another one done because they thought it was a fluke. Well, I and my doctor both completely forgot to do another one.

Thank you all in advance. I'm so tired of suffering with my health.

[rosequartz]

I'm taking a wild guess, and I don't know that much about it, but have you considered the possibility of Lyme Disease? Some of your symptoms fit, why don't you check out the board on this site and post your symptoms and read what others have said.

[ticker]

Hi Ashley84. I am sorry you have been sick for so long. I know it is frustrating not knowing what is wrong.

I agree with Rosequartz about considering Lyme disease as a possibility. Lyme disease is a multi-system bacterial infection caused from the bite of an infected tick. It can cause many seemingly unrelated symptoms. Lyme disease is the second fastest growing infectious disease after AIDS in the US and the number one vector-borne disease. It is in every state; however, the majority of the medical community is ignorant about is seriousness and prevelence. As a result, it can take some time to get diagnosed.

Below is a Lyme symptom list. You can have any combination of symptoms.

Unexplained fevers, sweats, chills, or flushing
Unexplained weight change--loss or gain
Fatigue, tiredness, poor stamina
Unexplained hair loss
Swollen glands
Sore throat
Testicular pain/pelvic pain
Unexplained menstrual irregularity
Unexplained milk production: breast pain
Irritable bladder or bladder dysfunction
Sexual dysfunction or loss of libido
Upset stomach
Change in bowel function-constipation, diarrhea
Chest pain or rib soreness
Shortness of breath, cough
Heart palpitations, pulse skips, heart block
Any history of a heart murmur or valve prolapse?
Joint pain or swelling
Stiffness of the joints, neck, or back
Muscle pain or cramps
Twitching of the face or other muscles
Headache
Neck creeks and cracks, neck stiffness, neck pain
Tingling, numbness, burning or stabbing sensations, shooting pains
Facial paralysis (Bell's Palsy)
Eyes/Vision: double, blurry, increased floaters, light sensitivity
Ears/Hearing: buzzing, ringing, ear pain, sound sensitivity
lncreased motion sickness, vertigo, poor balance
Lightheadedness, wooziness
Tremor
Confusion, difficulty in thinking
Difficulty with concentration, reading
Forgetfulness, poor short term memory
Disorientation: getting lost, going to wrong places
Difficulty with speech or writing
Mood swings, irritability, depression
Disturbed sleep-too much, too little, early awakening
Exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol

When Lyme disease is a possibility, it is very important to see a knowledge-able doctor. Many doctors do not understand Lyme and treat with outdated protocols. Besides Lyme, ticks can transmit several co-infections including Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis (HME & HGE), Bartonella, and Mycoplasma. Many people who have Lyme are co-infected, and it may affect treatment choice and progress. It is important to be tested for these by a Lyme reputable lab such as IgeneX also. If you need a doctor recommendation, let me know.

It is also important to learn as much as possible. I recommend reading Dr. Joseph Burrascano's 2005 Diagnostic Hints and Treatment Guidelines For Lyme and Other Tick Borne Illnesses. He is one of the top Lyme doctors in the country, and many Lyme doctors follow his protocols. I also recommend the book "Everything You Need To Know About Lyme Disease (2nd edition)" by Karen Vanderhoof-Forschner.

I also suggest having your thyroid tested. Thyroid disorders can cause many symtpoms. Ask to have the Free T3, Free T4 (besides the T3, T4) and thyroid antibody tests done. They are not usually done but are necessary for a comprehensive view. If you post your results on the thyroid board at this site, the people can help you interpret them.

Absolutely do NOT give up. You will find out what is wrong. If a doctor cannot or will not help you, see another one. I know it is frustrating, but it is their job to help and you are paying them. You deserve to feel better! Please keep us posted on how you are doing okay?

[ashley84]

My husband and I are going to push for tests involving parasites, lupus, and anything else. Autoimmune diseases run in my family. My grandmother has lupus, my mom has a slow thyroid, etc. Its frustrating reading the lab results. I learned with the GTT even though it said normal range... certain results not normal (such as 198 after 30 minutes of the glucose drink). I'm 5'0", very small boned, and 102lbs. Something on the higher end of normal, might be really high for me. We're going to demand he test EVERY level in my blood, and do a complete full workup.

Does anyone know what the iron results mean on blood tests? My Total Iron was 79, Iron Binding Capacity 475 (flagged as high on the test), saturation 17%. This was from Nov. 07, 2006.

I just realized my Hemoglobin levels came up as borderline. Low is under 3.4 and borderline is 3.4-5.4 and normal is over 5.4. My levels were 4.9.

[Jenteal]

I just saw a show on the Discovery Channel about a whole family that was allergic to glutten or otherwise known as Celiac Disease . It's a life-long autoimmune disorder of the intestinal tract, which may have its onset in childhood or adulthood.

I did alot of research on it cause it was new to me. The gene carries the trait, and the trait can be passed down from one family member to another. It is treatable and the family I that was on tv had to eat everything completly gluten and wheat free. After they changed their diet none of them have been sick to this day unless they had the a cold or flu.

Here are the bad side effects that happen to a person if they are allergic to gluten. Since nurtients can't be absorbed some vitamins that aren't absorbed can cause a larger portion of the small intestine to become damaged, with gas, and bloating.

Without the following vitamins the stuff in brackets can happen. Vitamin B1 and B12 (numbness in extremities), Iron (anemia), Folic Acid (birth defects), Calcium and Vitamin D (bones and muscles), Vitamin E (nerves), Vitamin A (eyes) and Vitamin K (blood clotting)

Common symptoms are: diarrhea ,constipation ,
abdominal pain , excessive gas , fuzzy-mindedness after gluten or wheat ingestion ,burning sensations in the throat , querulousness, irritability , inability to concentrate
pale, malodorous, bulky stools , frequent, foamy diarrhea
itchy rash,anemia ,chronic fatigue ,weakness , bone pain , easily fractured bones , abnormal or impaired skin sensation ,paleness ,pot belly with or without painful bloating, Joint and bone aches, wite flecks on finger nailts.

There are so many things if you do a search you will find tons of info.

Why not just try for a month to eat things with out gluten and wheat. If that family that I saw on tv can do it so can you. They had 4 kids ages 4 months to 6 years of age. There has to be some kiind of glutne food out there that you will like.

It cheaper than doctors at the moment. Good Luck

Jenteal