Belly heart axis, or what the heck is wrong with my body?
Posted , 3 users are following.
- Primary site of sharp aching pain: 6cm distal-median to xyphoid process, 1cm beneath the skin. ~8cm bulge at this location, aching and tender, with heavy gurgling happening around it.
- Pain radiates into ribs and mesentery, and along ilial walls.
- Hard pulsing knots, 2cm right and left-distal to navel, 1cm under skin. Painful to dig around and heavy pressure. Might be arteries?? Been noticeable for a year or two but feels related.
- Chest tightness and dry cough, creaky ribs.
- Pain in lymph nodes of neck (6 years), armpits(2 years), abdomen (three weeks).
- Strong lumbar/sacrum bone pain and glute soreness (ten years, but super intense for three weeks)
- Six months of unintended weight loss from 180lbs to 153lbs.
- Frequent nausea, no vomiting for three weeks. Happened last year a couple of times.
- Occasional constipation and diahhrea. Very uncommon for me. Super regular four weeks ago.
- Malaise and fatigue. I have chronic fatigue symtpoms anyway, but this past three weeks is flu-like.
- Walks bent at waist from abdominal cramping and back pain.
- Systemic arthralgia (nothing new except lumbar/sacrum intensity)
- Chills, cold hands and feet, tingling nerves (3 weeks)
- Breathlessness, walking around with mouth open (3 weeks)
- Trembling hands (two weeks)
- Had a bout of heavy chest pain last night and fainted onto the back of a sofa for a few seconds after I stood up. I don't think it was a heart attack and I can't afford to go to the ER, especially when I didn't go during the actual episode when they might've found something. Just went to bed and woke up sweating.
- Decreased appetite because upper abdomen feels like a stuffed bulge after eating (3 weeks)
- Other small painful knots throughout mesentery, less severe pain than in the primary bulge, or than in the lumbar/sacrum/buttock (3 weeks)
- Probably unrelated: got some ant bites on my legs and they magically turned into giant inflamed red welts.
- Omeprazole 40mg daily for past week. Just started Prednisone 10mg for 9 days. I take thyroid replacement hormone and vitamin d.
At this point I'm actually hoping this is just some overlapping chronic conditions like sarcoidosis/GERD/fibromyalgia. My doctors are super slo-mo about diagnostics and treatments. I just need some relief after 3 weeks of torture. Any tips or conjectures to be made here?
0 likes, 7 replies
lilian05079 livinmancrawlin
Posted
Why have you been prescribed prednisolone steroids?
livinmancrawlin lilian05079
Posted
The label says for my back pain, which I assume was my doc's note to the pharmacy.
lilian05079 livinmancrawlin
Posted
Did you have an ESR blood test for inflammation before you were given steroids...steroids bring there own problems and side effects....also have you had a complete blood count as you have a lot of things going on that might show up in a full blood count...if you take prednisolone steroids for a long time it is very hard to taper off them and they are only usually given if you have had an ESR blood test, a CRP test and ANA test that shows inflammation in the body.....
livinmancrawlin lilian05079
Posted
I've had a lot of blood work done by an internist/GP who is convinced it's all fibromyalgia. I don't know since I'm not a doctor, but some things like this lung congestion/dry cough and small/hard/sore lymph nodes point me to something like sarcoidosis, while the long-term lumbar/sacrum pain with three week long severe flare-up points me to ankylosing spondylitis. Those would be inflammatory right? I'm worried that if I get any diagnostics right now while I'm on prednisone then some disorders will temporarily disappear. I read that the sarcoidosis enzyme test is nixxed by prednisone. He also wants me to start Effexor long-term. The steroids I have are only for 9 days. Is there any blood work I should be asking for? The doctor is not very revealing of his inner reasoning, so I'm having to guess what/how he's checking off his list (if there even is a list anymore, since I'm apparently not in any imminent danger, despite feeling like walking death and having just attained this new level of horrid).
lilian05079 livinmancrawlin
Posted
Hi livinmancrawlin
You need to ask your GP if you were tested for inflammation which involves ESR blood test, CRP blood test and ANA blood test....that is Erythrocite Sedimentation Rate, C-Reactive Protein and Anti-Nuclear Antibody blood tests these confirm inflammation in the body....Ankolysing Spondylitis can be confirmed by a Gene test HLA-B27 gene but not all who have this gene gets AS....regarding steroids (prednisone) a nine day course is short course but can bring its own problems ...you did not say what dose pred you are on....they can cause insomnia...i know i was on them for a long length of time i had awful side effects including insomnia...tapering off them is a nightmare..i am now completely off them and staying off them. You can ask for the HLA- B27 gene test and check if you have had the other tests i've mentioned. ..i do not think fibromyalgia is diagnosed as an inflammatory condition.....but again check with your GP.......best wishes....
livinmancrawlin lilian05079
Posted
Hi Lilian, I just had all the inflammatory auto-immune testing:
CRP
2.56 mg/L
Reference Range:0.00 mg/L - 10.90 mg/L
ESR
4 mm/hr
Reference Range:0 mm/hr - 10 mm/hr
ANA Screen
<1:80
Reference Range:<=1:80
Anti-CCP (IgG)
< 13 unit(s)
Reference Range:<= 19 unit(s)
RF Quant
< 10 IntUnits/mL
Reference Range:<= 14 IntUnits/mL
lilian05079 livinmancrawlin
Posted
No inflammation then.....have you had the HLA-B27 Ankylising Spondylitis gene test??
If not request it just as a process of elimination....best wishes...