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621217 tn?1289009087

Been Sick for Yeahs and doctors dont know, Can Anxiety be causeing this to me? Please help.

Hello, I'm 27 female, 140lbs non-smoker or drug abuser, barely even drink alcohol.  Sorry for having such a long post, just trying to cover everything I can think of right now AND make this as short as possable.  Two years ago I suddenly got really, really stomach sick after a round of Keflex (antibiotic) to treat a skin infection.  I first became sick directly after finishing my round of antibiotics (I have tried porbiotics with no luck) and had most of the symptoms listed below for about a year and a half and then I had a few months over the spring and summer were I almost felt normal again, just a few days here and there were my stomach felt out of whack.  But my symptoms have recently come back in almost full force.  I know I'm stressed and anxious about them now, but I don't remember being stressed out before they came on again.  My current symptoms have lasted about 3 months maybe a little less now and are:

*Extreme, almost debilitating, nausea pretty much the whole time I'm awake from the second I wake up, Its not effected by foods I eat. (if I can eat, right now all I eat is crackers, bagels, potatos and gingerale) and it does not cause me to vomit.  This is the symptom that bothers me the most.
*Diarrhea, at the most a few times a week, again not effected by what I eat.
*Some discomfort/sick feeling in my intestinal area, that's not always related to when I have diarrhea.
*A dull pain in my tail bone area, but its pretty rare.
*Sometimes before I begin to feel like I'm actually going to vomit, my arms will get numb and tingel and I have really bad diarrhea, this has happend to me maybe seven times over the past two years. Once or twice I passed out after.  Oh this also always happends directly from waking up in the middle of the night, except for once. Really weird and scary!
*Dizzy/light headed on some days
*My thoughts and memory is a little foggy
*Sometimes I almost feel "distant" from my surroundings
*Hair falls out a lot (its maybe about half as full as it used to be, but no bald patches)
* Very tired, even if I get a ton of sleep
*Bad breath, and I brush my teeth regulary, also very bad taste.
* All over dull body ache that will come one every few months, doesn't seem related to my stomach problems but worth mentioning.

So far all the testing I've had done has been through a GI and some blood work through my PCP.  So far I've had a ultra sound of my gallbladder (liver, spleen and kidneys), 3 endoscopies, a colonoscopy, a sigmoidoscopy, all of which were normal.  Regular blood panel, Tested for bacterial over growth, not lactose intolerant, checked for celiac a few times. negative for H. Pilori, negative for C.diff. Um, Ive been tested for all types of hepatitis. I don't have Lyme, no campylobacter, Salmonella, or Shigella.  HCG,QUAL (i don't even know what that is) is negative.  I'm almost positive I've had my thyroid checked but I don't have the records for it, so maybe they didn't.  I think that's it.  Next Monday I will be getting a small bowl x-ray, I have a feeling nothing is going to turn up, and then I get to go back in to see my Gastroenterologist on the 23rd.

The medications (including ones that are otc) I've tried are Prilosec, Promethazine, Gas-X, citrucel, probiotics, beano, digestive enzyms, asefex (sp?), Omeprazole, Reglan, Donparidone, A few anti-spazmotics but I don't remember the names, Kapidex, Librax,... I think that's all, nothing has helped at all except for the Promethazine (but that might be just because in knocks me out) My doctor wont give me more because they don't like to keep people on it long term.

I'm currently on Benzol (its a drug for IBS, even though I'm pretty possative I don't have IBS) for about 3 weeks now, not noticing much of a difference.  I also take Prozac and Klonapin, I started them about a month or two after I first got sick, because I couldn't take it anymore, and I would start to panic which makes everything worse.

Please let me know if you guys think there are any other areas I should be pursuing?  Or if you guys can think of any help I would be so grateful.  I've been to a few PCP's and a few GI's and so far nothing has come up as to why I am feeling so, so bad all of the time.  I just switched to a new therapist because my old one stopped taking my insurance (I'm not sure I like her)  I'm getting to my wits end with this.  Please let me know any other info you might think will help.  Thanks so much in advance guys, I could really use any help.  
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Avatar universal
Perhaps even a Rhuematologist or a dietician.  You may test negative for celiac but could indeed be gluten intolerance (or lactose intolerance).  I certainly do feel for you as I have had a slew of different issues as well for the past year and nothing significant comes up in the Drs findings.  I have seen cardiologist, gastroenterologist, neurologist, allergist, rhuematologist and primary care physician.

My symptoms are burning in the chest, muscular skeletal pain, anxiety symptoms, palpitations (here and there), diarreaha chronic lasting 3+ months.

Right now I have a 30 day heart monitor on.

I have found some relief from seeing a holistic medical Dr.  He checked for various nutritional deficiencies and found that I was allergic to casein quite highly (milk allergy).

I hope you find your answers, it is frustrating not knowing.

Blessings on your journey.

Sue
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi there!

  I am not a doctor, simply a sufferer as you are. I have had some of your symptoms and my doctor has diagnosed my case as Anxiety. Has me on paxil in the morning and klonopin at night. My symptoms were a sudden feeling of strangness then panic, my form of a 'panic attack' I guess. And I would bolt upright at night out of sleep in a terror state with my heart feeling like it was going to pound out of my chest and not being able to breathe. I have been told over and over these panic/anxiety feelings can not kill you, but man are they ever intense. You do feel like you are going to die.
   My doctor did several tests on my bood. Checked thyroid. Did a chest x-ray. Didn't do a CAT scan yet. Everything he checked was normal. EKG normal. No diabetes. Blood was fine. So he started me on the klonopin/paxil. The klonopin truly helps me sleep as it is a tranquilizer I think. But the paxil completely drains me and knock me out. I don't know why he's got me on it in the morning. First morning I took it I went back to sleep and slept till 8pm that night. (I'm 36 year old male, and it was a saturday thank god). The rest was good to have but woke up very confused about why I slept that long and was sore all over.
   As for your specific case its hard to tell. I believe Anxiety has a huge role to play in your condition, but may not be the root cause. Here are some links I researched on your various symptoms.

Anxiety:
http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety.shtml
IBS:
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ibs/
Hair loss:
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/men/general/081.html
Numbness:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003206.htm
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/symptoms/arm_numbness/causes.htm

I hope its ok to link to other medical sites on here.

Anyway I know these sensations can be terrifying, but just know that  lot of people go through them, and we carry on. We are always searching for answers and 'cures'.
  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
If I were you, I'd see an Endocrinologist.  Our endocrine system impacts every major organ in our bodies, and if one thing is out of whack it has a domino affect.  Your hair loss is a big red flag pointing to your thyroid.  An Endo will check all your hormone levels as well.  Even if your GP checked your thyroid, see and Endo. Due to vomiting and diarrhea you may be dehydrated which causes a lot of the symptoms you describe.  Drink plenty of water, orange juice and Gatorade to replenish the electrolytes you've lost, and eat a banana every day.  I can only imagine how frustrated you are. Don't give up, someone will have an answer for you.  Hope this helps, and take care.
Helpful - 0
621217 tn?1289009087
Thanks for your respponse.  Part of me was really hoping it wasn't from anxiety because then I wouldn't know how to fix it, though it is soo stressful going years without knowing whats wrong with me.  
Helpful - 0
370181 tn?1595629445
While some of your symptoms could be due to anxiety, I seriously doubt anxiety is the root cause of all your various medical issues. I think the course of action you are taking now is the most sensible. Your symptoms appear to be affecting quite a few areas of your body and I think seeing specialists in each area will finally net you a diagnosis. Make sure all your doctors are aware of all the tests you've had and the medications you're taking. This might take a "team" effort to figure out what is going on, but hang in there.........I'm sure they will put it all together soon and you'll be on the road to recovery.
I hope you find a new therapist as it would be really helpful for you to have someone to talk to about all this.
I wish you the very best
Peace
Greenlydia
Helpful - 0
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