Yearning for change and wellness, opinions? ideas? insights?

In the fall of 2015, I began having extremely bad migraines. Doctors had told me that they couldn't find a source of my pain, wrote me off as being a drug-seeking young woman. I didn't give up, I knew something was off, eventually saw a TMJ specialist, I was diagnosed with Bruxism and TMJD. I wore a splint for about a year to correct the malalignment of my TMJ. Migraines decreased, now currently wear a night guard which protect my teeth & joint position, but doesn't stop the bruxism. It's been getting cold and the bruxism seems worse, neck muscles always tight, eyes feel sensitive to light, intense pressure feeling in head. 

Then at the beginning of 2017 (shortly after receiving HPV vaccine), I began to experience EXTREME exhaustion that was completely debilitating. I could barely make food for myself without having to lie down and rest. My husband has sleep apnea and how I was feeling resembled how he felt prior to starting CPAP therapy: mornings are very rough, feel unrested after sleep, sleeping more doesn't help, exhaustion, intolerance to exercise. So, did a sleep study and was told it was very mild and I was not considered a candidate for CPAP. I purchased a CPAP online and use APAP settings which do show I have had multiple obstructions at night and have required pressure of up to 8. Yet, even using the APAP consistently, I have yet to experience significant relief. 

Then I started getting extreme stomach cramps, diarrhea, weight loss with continued fatigue and some anxiety/depression. My life felt like it was falling apart, I couldn't work, support my family, and I felt extremely sick. For months went through testing with the gastroenterologist, he had suspected crohns due to ulcerations in my small intestine, but the majority of tests came back negative and the ulcers have healed. 

My doctor ran many autoimmune conditions, all coming back negative. Every doctor was saying they couldn't find anything. 

A few months ago, I learned I was pregnant for the first time and miscarried around 6 weeks. Those weeks I had felt significantly better. 

Shortly after, my appointment with a functional medicine doctor finally arrived. 

She ran many tests, looked at my genetic mutations and the following was significant: 

Vitamin D 30

Ferritin 15

Creatinine Kinase 105 

Homocysteine 10

T3 reverse 19

omega 3 ratio 13.4

lastly, ana came back positive, speckled pattern 1:40 (first time it's ever came back positive) 

I began taking GI repair products, digestive enzymes, and other GI related products from Apex Energetics to help GI issues, which thankfully have improved greatly. 

My dose of Vitamin D was increased to 10k IU with K2, began taking B6 complex (to address homocysteine), and desiccated liver capsules for the low ferritin. 

In my research, I've learned that ferritin is the amount of iron in your cells, many of my current complaints are symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia and when i was pregnant I craved hamburgers and steak. Is it possible the iron-deficiency could explain everything? Low iron can also affect thyroid function which could explain why my thyroid is in a hibernation like mode (as the doctor explained). She thought the high creatine kinase could explain the muscle pain I experience. I'm doing all that though for over a month now and I have yet to notice a difference. 

I struggle daily with very low energy (enough to clean the house and cook, but trying to go to work is hell on my body), muscle pain (part in neck, head, & shoulder area which can be related to the TMJ, but also get quite a bit of body pain, especially in my legs and ankle/knee joints. Not only do I feel like I want to sleep all the time, but its hard to focus/concentrate, I always feel extremely sensitive to light, I often feel like its difficult to think and problem solve like a constant headache/fog feeling. 

I want to have energy, I want to be able to work and think and problem solve and not experience so much pain. I want to feel rested after a good night's sleep. I want to be able to provide for my husband and family. 

I follow-up with the functional medicine doctor in a few weeks, she's considered starting me on low-dose naltrexone.  Will it be the miracle I feel like I need? I'm grateful to be feeling better and doing more than I was able to in early spring when I could barely cook for myself, but at 24, I should be capable of so much more than just cleaning the house and cooking. I can't even imagine having kids or being a mother, I don't know how I would do it. If it wasn't for my husband, I wouldn't be able to support myself, I don't know where I would be. Work (as an RN) is extremely exhausting and honestly, I just can't do it right now. 

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