Suffering from possible undiagnosed condition

Hi,

I have been suffering from a variety of symptoms for over 3 years now, and just really looking for any help and advice. I am a 21 year old male, a healthy weight for my height at 65kg. I suffered badly from Epstein Barr-Virus (EBV) in late 2018, roughly a year before the symptoms I listed started. It took me months to recover from this and the fatigue lasted for ages. I probably didn’t take as long to recover as I should have and I feel maybe this could have had a substantial role to play in developing all of this, as I know that certain conditions such as MS have been linked to EBV.

The symptoms I experience daily are:

• Chronic Acid Reflux/GERD
• Brain Fog
• Memory issues
• Lack of concentration
• Fatigue
• Oftenly raised heart rate (Sometimes significant heart rate increase from activities that require little exertion)
• Skipped/Ectopic beats (especially during exercise when heart rate is very high)
• Chronic Insomnia and Sleep paralysis
• Muscle twitches - Neurological/nerve related?
• Dizziness and head pressure
• Tinnitus
• Depression

The recurring pain symptoms that are still frequent but not always daily:

• Pain from change of temperature - Neuropathy?
• Sharp pains in my head
• Sharp cramping pains in stomach and bowels
• Chest pains that come and go
• Pain in back of my neck behind right ear

Symptoms in order they appeared in:

• The first symptoms to occur 3 years ago were the Brain Fog, Memory issues, Fatigue, Dizziness, and sharp/itchy stabbing pains from change of temperature. The dizziness and head pressure mostly come from standing up, and especially during exercise.

• The temperature pain affects me greatly and I have a feeling its a neurological issue. The pain can be excruciating and is brought on by my body’s change in temperature from heating up, this can be from exercise, feeling flushed from embarrassment, walking into a hot room, or even just doing the laundry. I experience this pain all over my upper body (head, scalp, arms, chest, back) and the only way to describe this pain is that it is like being stabbed with thousands of needles all over my upper body, it can also be itchy, but is mostly just really painful. I’ve been told by the doctor that it’s probably just prickly heat, but there is no sign of rash or anything on the skin, I know this is not the case.

• The heart issues followed. Many occasions over the last few years my heart rate is very high or elevated for no reason or from very little exertion. I also have palpitations and ectopic beats. I have had many ECG’s, two heart monitors, a heart ultrasound, and an exercise stress test in the last couple of years, all not showing very much other than the ectopic beats which the doctors don’t seem worried about.

• Trouble exercising, very exhausted quickly, dizziness, head pressure, lots of ectopic/PVC beats when heart rate is high, pain from temperature change, shortness of breath, tightness in chest.

• Sleep issues followed months later, taking hours to get off to sleep, and waking up during the night multiple times. Possibly never reaching deep sleep, never feeling rested, this makes the already existing fatigue worse. I often have sleep paralysis also, I'd say 3 times a week. I noticed the tinnitus start a few weeks later, a constant ringing in both ears. There is now a flapping/popping sensation in my right ear only, this seems to be brought on by certain noises such as typing on a keyboard, rustling a bag of crisps etc.

• I next noticed all of these other pains that recur often. The pains aren’t debilitating and sometimes I won’t have them for a while. The pains are in my stomach and bowels, the sharp stabbing pains in the top of my head (different to a headache), sharp pain in my right side of my back under my ribs, the chest pains come and go, and a sharp pain in the same area of my neck behind my right ear.

• In late 2020 I began to experience constant acid reflux and gas after most meals, this wasn’t ever a problem before. Still suffer with this daily, needing to take antacids often. Apple Cider Vinegar sometimes helps. I’ve been trying to fix this naturally with some supplements and by having less carbs. I’ve been offered Omeprazole by the doctor but have been reluctant due to the nature of the drug halting a crucial bodily process (stomach acid) for digestion. I have also seen that a lot of people struggle to come off the drug as their heartburn comes straight back, as it seems to help the symptom but not the cause. I have recently been debating giving it a go, as I'm not finding much relief from this and am worried about the possible damage to my oesophagus.

• Also around the same time, I noticed that I was experiencing muscle twitches for the first time. They started completely in my calves and thighs for weeks, before progressing over time to other muscles one by one. I have these twitches daily now in different muscles in my hands, arms, legs, neck, shoulders, chest, back, abdomen, feet.

I have had all of the standard blood tests over the years, all returning normal. I recently had an appointment with the doctor where I explained all of this again and the troubles I’m having. His solution was to try and say this is all caused by depression and to put me on a drug called ‘Mirtazapine’ to help with the low mood and the insomnia. I explained that the feelings of depression or low mood is the effect rather than the cause, that the low mood is caused by having all of these symptoms negatively affect me daily, and not being able to be diagnosed or treated for it, rather than the other way around. I have tried to push for more testing many times, such as an endoscopy, a referral to a gastroenterologist, or a neurologist for an MRI or something to see what could be causing this muscle twitching and temperature pain, and sharp pains in the head. Instead, I feel I am always neglected or fobbed off, as it's easier to say it’s caused by anxiety than to refer me for testing.

I am fairly certain I have some underlying illness that is causing all of this, and that it could be discovered if I was listened to and referred for further investigation. It is too much of a coincidence to have all of these problems suddenly erupt one after the other after always being a happy, active, and healthy person all my life.

I appreciate any help or advice anyone can give to any of the problems I have listed, any idea of what it all could be or what I should be asking for? Do you think I should try the antidepressant I’ve been prescribed? Should I try omeprazole? Or do you think there is something more going on here that is being missed? Thanks 😃 P.S. Wasn't sure which group was best to post in as you're only allowed one.

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