Aa
Autoimmune disease or am I just "Weird"?
Medical Mystery 101 -
I am a 31 year old female, who was formerly highly active with insomnia-like tenancies and even got told that I was compulsive when it came to working out. I had a very routine schedule that led me to walk/run/bike up to 16 miles a day with stretches, weights and calisthenics intermixed. I kept this up from 2005 to 2007 (then back at it from 2009 to 2013) when I went to college, there I proceeded to join the nearby YMCA for weights, and run up and down 10 flights of stairs 10 times a night (or every other dependent on work load.) I could sleep for 5-7 hours a night with no issue, and no complications in weight, health or any other field of my life. I ate about 3,000 calories a day. I wasn't just psychically fit, I consistently annoyed teachers throughout my life with my ability to read a book and listen to their lectures. I have a highly addictive personality so I am the type of person to spend 3 days on a mini game until I mastered it. I am not a person who sits at home unless I want to beat a game.
Then I started hitting obstacles. I blamed work stress and colds for occasionally feeling winded walking up steps. It would pass and I could go back to working out with no issues. Off and on from 2013 to 2016 I had light "spells" of fatigue that I could wait out and go. Then, I lost 20lbs in a month. I had a full battery of tests ran on me and everything came up healthier than my doctor had ever seen. Then my muscles started to act funny. I walked a 6 mile hike (just walking with a pack) and could not get out of bed for 3 days because my muscles felt as though they were ripping off of my bones. So, I eased up on working out and started going to the doctors and now I'm at my wits end because I cannot find answers and I am beyond frustrated that I can't get back to my old routine.
I can't walk without getting a runners cramp or dealing with 3 or more days of muscle aches. I have heart palpitations that never happened before and muscle spasms that last from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. I can't go out in the sun for a set amount of time without getting a shattering migraine. My libido that was once rampant is came to a screeching halt because sex physically hurts. I have trouble focusing and wanting to do anything. I do still make sure to do my chores and eat 4 small meals a day, but I have no appetite.
-I have not gained or lost weight. I am perpetually stuck in a 135-145 weight range.
-My WBC is always between 6-7 and my RBC is always 4.5-5
-I am not Anemic - my Iron panels are always right except my TIBC which is usually elevated. The hematologist I went to said he wasn't sure what to tell me as my blood showed no signs of ever being anemic.
-I have one positive result for EBV, and heard nothing else about it. I do not get fevers and I'm always able to get up out of bed.
-My Sodium, Magnesium and Potassium are always about right, although a little low.
-I do not have B12 deficiency and my Vitamin D levels are okay
-I do not have Fibro, the only pains I get are in my knees, shins and occasionally joints. It's not wide spread or in my back.
-I have jaw pain and mouth sores are common, my right lymphoid in my throat has been swollen for about a year.
-My thyroid levels are rarely ever elevated or low. I am on Synthroid. It doesn't seem to do much.
-I recently had a thyroid ultrasound, the right is the small side of normal, the left is 1cm smaller than the right. I do have pain in my throat -not my esophagus, just the "meat" of my throat under my chin.
-I am ANA Positive, 1:160 titer, Speckled pattern, C3 is 105mg, C4 is 22mg - No Lupus diagnosis
-I went through a Methacholine Challenge and it came back positive so they think I have Exercise induced Asthma. I did notice something that the nurses who administered the test said was strange - my hands, lips and tops of my ears started to tingle, and then went numb as the irritant was introduced. My hands locked up. It was very similar to a panic attack as that happens during my panic attacks.
-I have had lesions on my cervix that were not a concern, my last 3 paps were normal. Cancer does run in my family but it's Breast Cancer and all breast cancer screens came out as normal.
-I have night terrors and night sweats, but I always had them they've just gotten worse.
-I do not have sleep apnea
-I don't have constipation
-If I get swelling, it's usually barely noticeable.
-I have noticed that if I scratch any part of myself it gets inflamed very quickly, I have tattoos and only the new work I had done on my sleeve has gotten swollen. It did not hurt, but it looked an awful lot like a bad prosthetic was on my arm and it was jiggly.
-My Brain MRIs are all normal. I do not have MS or abnormalities in the brain.
-I do have anxiety, but it's not really an issue. I haven't had panic attacks in a while.
-I get blood spots a lot, little pin point sized dots that don't hurt but usually appear in clusters where a spot got hot.
-I have had 3 spots that looked like bug bites on my back and arms but I don't remember getting bit by anything.
-I do not have Lyme's Disease, I had 1 marker show up on the test.
Current Medications:
-Metopolol - 50mg
-FloVent and ProAir
-Synthroid 25mg
-Celexa 10mg
-Crysell 28 day cycle.
I am currently in a holding pattern with a Rhematologist, Pluminary Doctor and Endocrinologist until something pops up in my lab.
Please help. I'll answer any questions for more information as needed. Thanks!
I am a 31 year old female, who was formerly highly active with insomnia-like tenancies and even got told that I was compulsive when it came to working out. I had a very routine schedule that led me to walk/run/bike up to 16 miles a day with stretches, weights and calisthenics intermixed. I kept this up from 2005 to 2007 (then back at it from 2009 to 2013) when I went to college, there I proceeded to join the nearby YMCA for weights, and run up and down 10 flights of stairs 10 times a night (or every other dependent on work load.) I could sleep for 5-7 hours a night with no issue, and no complications in weight, health or any other field of my life. I ate about 3,000 calories a day. I wasn't just psychically fit, I consistently annoyed teachers throughout my life with my ability to read a book and listen to their lectures. I have a highly addictive personality so I am the type of person to spend 3 days on a mini game until I mastered it. I am not a person who sits at home unless I want to beat a game.
Then I started hitting obstacles. I blamed work stress and colds for occasionally feeling winded walking up steps. It would pass and I could go back to working out with no issues. Off and on from 2013 to 2016 I had light "spells" of fatigue that I could wait out and go. Then, I lost 20lbs in a month. I had a full battery of tests ran on me and everything came up healthier than my doctor had ever seen. Then my muscles started to act funny. I walked a 6 mile hike (just walking with a pack) and could not get out of bed for 3 days because my muscles felt as though they were ripping off of my bones. So, I eased up on working out and started going to the doctors and now I'm at my wits end because I cannot find answers and I am beyond frustrated that I can't get back to my old routine.
I can't walk without getting a runners cramp or dealing with 3 or more days of muscle aches. I have heart palpitations that never happened before and muscle spasms that last from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. I can't go out in the sun for a set amount of time without getting a shattering migraine. My libido that was once rampant is came to a screeching halt because sex physically hurts. I have trouble focusing and wanting to do anything. I do still make sure to do my chores and eat 4 small meals a day, but I have no appetite.
-I have not gained or lost weight. I am perpetually stuck in a 135-145 weight range.
-My WBC is always between 6-7 and my RBC is always 4.5-5
-I am not Anemic - my Iron panels are always right except my TIBC which is usually elevated. The hematologist I went to said he wasn't sure what to tell me as my blood showed no signs of ever being anemic.
-I have one positive result for EBV, and heard nothing else about it. I do not get fevers and I'm always able to get up out of bed.
-My Sodium, Magnesium and Potassium are always about right, although a little low.
-I do not have B12 deficiency and my Vitamin D levels are okay
-I do not have Fibro, the only pains I get are in my knees, shins and occasionally joints. It's not wide spread or in my back.
-I have jaw pain and mouth sores are common, my right lymphoid in my throat has been swollen for about a year.
-My thyroid levels are rarely ever elevated or low. I am on Synthroid. It doesn't seem to do much.
-I recently had a thyroid ultrasound, the right is the small side of normal, the left is 1cm smaller than the right. I do have pain in my throat -not my esophagus, just the "meat" of my throat under my chin.
-I am ANA Positive, 1:160 titer, Speckled pattern, C3 is 105mg, C4 is 22mg - No Lupus diagnosis
-I went through a Methacholine Challenge and it came back positive so they think I have Exercise induced Asthma. I did notice something that the nurses who administered the test said was strange - my hands, lips and tops of my ears started to tingle, and then went numb as the irritant was introduced. My hands locked up. It was very similar to a panic attack as that happens during my panic attacks.
-I have had lesions on my cervix that were not a concern, my last 3 paps were normal. Cancer does run in my family but it's Breast Cancer and all breast cancer screens came out as normal.
-I have night terrors and night sweats, but I always had them they've just gotten worse.
-I do not have sleep apnea
-I don't have constipation
-If I get swelling, it's usually barely noticeable.
-I have noticed that if I scratch any part of myself it gets inflamed very quickly, I have tattoos and only the new work I had done on my sleeve has gotten swollen. It did not hurt, but it looked an awful lot like a bad prosthetic was on my arm and it was jiggly.
-My Brain MRIs are all normal. I do not have MS or abnormalities in the brain.
-I do have anxiety, but it's not really an issue. I haven't had panic attacks in a while.
-I get blood spots a lot, little pin point sized dots that don't hurt but usually appear in clusters where a spot got hot.
-I have had 3 spots that looked like bug bites on my back and arms but I don't remember getting bit by anything.
-I do not have Lyme's Disease, I had 1 marker show up on the test.
Current Medications:
-Metopolol - 50mg
-FloVent and ProAir
-Synthroid 25mg
-Celexa 10mg
-Crysell 28 day cycle.
I am currently in a holding pattern with a Rhematologist, Pluminary Doctor and Endocrinologist until something pops up in my lab.
Please help. I'll answer any questions for more information as needed. Thanks!
Ok, I’m no expert...maybe I’m barking up the wrong tree...but here’s something to look at, if you haven’t solved it yet.
http://www.oprah.com/inspiration/julie-rehmeyer-mold-and-chronic-fatigue-syndrome
http://www.oprah.com/inspiration/julie-rehmeyer-mold-and-chronic-fatigue-syndrome
You have symptoms of exercise intolerance. Symptoms include unusually severe post-exercise pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting or other negative effects. The most common cause of exercise intolerance, other than poor physical fitness, is exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) aka exercise induced asthma.
Environmental triggers of EIB include air pollution, irritants, pollen, viruses. WBC can be increased with asthma. The most common cause of swollen lymph nodes is an infection, particularly a viral infection.
Environmental triggers of EIB include air pollution, irritants, pollen, viruses. WBC can be increased with asthma. The most common cause of swollen lymph nodes is an infection, particularly a viral infection.
2 Comments
Is that something that can happen over time? I stopped working out when I started getting too weak, but even something as simple as talking gets me winded now. I don't have traditional asthma symptoms either. I don't wheeze or gasp for breath, I just get a tightness in my chest like I'm wearing a true steel boned corset. I did a stress test for my Cardiologist and he thought it was unusual that I suddenly got a leg cramp that stopped the test, but I never wheezed while running. And my Potassium and Magnesium is always on par with normal levels, which really confuses my doctors. They thought for years it could just be Hyperthyroidism keeping me from gaining weight but those always came back alright until 5 months ago I came back with a slightly lower than last time level and I got slapped with a Hypothyroid diagnosis.
I just want to know what I'm fighting so I can fight it right.
I just want to know what I'm fighting so I can fight it right.
Most thyroid imbalances are autoimmune (Hashimoto's, Graves and in some cases both Hashimoto's and Graves at the same time - Hashitoxicosis).
Labwork - TSH, free T4, free T3, thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb), TSH receptor antibodies (TRAb)...some labs just test TSI antibodies rather than TRAb.
Ultrasound and radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU) can also help with a diagnosis.
Labwork - TSH, free T4, free T3, thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb), TSH receptor antibodies (TRAb)...some labs just test TSI antibodies rather than TRAb.
Ultrasound and radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU) can also help with a diagnosis.
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