After 5 awful years, no doctor knows what's wrong with me. Please help
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hello, my name is Philip and I'm 21 years old. Over the past several years I've been having some really bad health issues. They are making my life utterly miserable and I don't think I can take it much longer.
I've been having a boatload of symptoms for a long time. I know they have to be related somehow but, despite my frequent docotr visits, I've had no luck with a diagnosis. The long list of symptoms:
-I've been majorly depressed for the past 6 years of my life and no amount of medications or changes in environment have seemed to help.
-The depression never comes without huge mood swings. Out of nowhere I'll have a sudden mood swing that will consume my whole self. I'll get violently angry, break things out of my control and then 5 minutes later be unbelievabley sad.
-Overwhelming fatigue. I've spent entire days just laying in bed because I didn't have enough energy to even move. I've had to skip out on meetings with friends and family because I literally didn't think I could walk.
-Hair loss. I started loosing huge amounts of hair at age 17. Medication helps but now it's getting really bad at age 21. The hair loss isn't normal though, it will come out in chunks and not just on top, I'm almost bald all over my head. I've also been getting really bad dandrif lately, giant chunks of skin falling off.
-Head aches. I've had a non-stop headache for almost 3 weeks now. The doctor told me to try anti-inflammitory drugs but they didn't help. The pain is not bad but it's constant 24/7 and it's getting worse.
-Bowel problems. I've been feeling sick a lot randomly and have been having an excssive amount of painful bowel movements. Sometimes I can't even get food through my system before my body shits it out.
I've beeing trying for years to find out what's wrong with me. I've done extensive blood work for abnormal thyroid levels, they came back normal. I've tested for anemia, normal. I tested for several auto-immune diseases, normal. Vitamin deficiencies, normal. I went to a "functional medicine" doctor who recommended improvements in diet. I've been off all gluten and dairy products for month and have been eating a diet of only fruits, vegetables, and meat. Nothing! In fact, my symptoms have gotten worse! My mood swings are getting so strong that I don't know if I can control them much longer!
Please help! I see no hope for the future if I can't figure out what the hell is wrong with me! Whatever this is, it's ruining my life.
3 likes, 6 replies
yasmine333 philthehuman
Posted
Hi Phil,
So sorry to hear that your going through such an awful time.
It seems you have been doing your best to get help which is great.
Although I am no doctor, my mum suffers with the same kind of symptoms & she was diagnosed with MS.
It is hard to diagonose & they usually come to the diagnoisis by process of elimination but it's something you can ask about.
Also these all sound like classic symptoms of depresion. I think a lot of the time we forget that although Depression is a metnal illness it still affects us physically.
You're doing amazingly well, don't ever give up.
patientinfo8 philthehuman
Posted
Hiya, I can relate. I'm having similar problems & it's affecting my life completely. I've been unwell for 2+ years now & I've been recently diagnosed with B12 def, so on injections. I've also been prescribed anxiety & depression meds, IBS meds & sleepers, still yet to pluck up the courage to take them. I just wanted to say I hope you start feeling better, as I know you start to lose hope, I know I have. Best wishes, J.
hypercat philthehuman
Posted
Hi I am sorry you are going through such a bad time. A couple of things occurred to me
1. Have you had your vitamin levels checked? You might be deficient in vit D or B12. Try taking supplements of these just in case, but be careful not to overdose on them.
2. It's not a good idea to drop a whole food group as this can cause health problems. You need carbhydrates in your diet for energy as well.
3. Have you every had counselling? Try that. If this is depression then it might help. x
borderriever philthehuman
Posted
Have you ever wondered what brought on your concerns. Was there an incident in your past that has caused all these worries To know theses problems will help you relate to your life in general
Talk to your GP and explain your depression He should be able to give you medication and CBT. It is very important you know what caused your problems and address the problem of your Anxiety, because everything has a reason.
BOB
tijim philthehuman
Posted
Hi Phil .. I totally feel for you! Sounds like major depression and anxiety which I have both of but I don't have the mood swings tho. (Mine is due to the passing of my daughter 8yrs ago) All these tests may rule out lots of things but they sure as hell aren't going to rule out depression/anxiety!
Unfortunately you're at an age where it can be very common to suffer from depression, no doubt something whether is was conscious and you yet haven't realised it or subconscious has set you off. Do you have a family dr that knows you well? I'd be asking for a referral to see a phychiatrist who will know instantly and prescribe meds for you. For me I tried many before I came across the closest I could get to sort of feeling a bit normal.
And omg can I relate to wanting to curl up in bed all day and cancelling things did it for a long time. Even cancelled going to our huge extended family Christmas last year .. first time I had to do that since my daughter passed away .. but last year it just hit both me and my husband and we had our Christmas dinner at the beautiful cafe at the cemetery and spent about 2hrs with our daughter. Strange that we coped with all the other Christmas's but last year we couldn't.
Depression can be strange and always effect us in different ways. As a rule when I go visiting I usually have a valium about 20mins before arriving just to relax me that bit more .. hate doing it but it works for me.
I was interested in Yasmine's post though .. I have no idea about MS other than how she said it's a matter of elimination.
Please seek help asap and let us know how you're doing.
Cheers... Tracey x
MtViewCatherine philthehuman
Posted
Hi Phil, I ran across your post today and thought I'd offer some support in case you're still having a tough time. All the symptoms you talk about could be thyroid related. Get a full panel done for your thyroid and do your own research on thyroid disease to see if this is something that makes sense with your symptoms.
It worth looking into, as thyroid disease frequently goes undiagnosed for years or decades. If you read through the posts here on thyroid, you'll find your post is pretty typical for thyroid patients. Weird combination of what seems like non specific symptoms, difficulty getting diagnosis and bloodwork, improper interpretation and incomplete bloodwork, etc. The symptoms you describe are "textbook" hypothyroid symptoms.
Good luck to you!