Mystery Illness

[Bella_Keiko]

Hello All,

I am new to this site but I met a woman who said she has been greatly helped and she urged me to put my information "out there" because someone somewhere must know something.  So here goes.  

I’ve been having some weird health issues.  I thought they were random and unrelated but I’m starting to think it may be some sort of autoimmune condition.  

I had two emergency surgeries earlier this year.  Gallbladder in January (never knew I had a problem).  Appendix in February.

By May I had lost 20% of my weight and I had developed a rash that has covered 75-80% of my body.  A dermatologist thought it was a reaction to a new medication, I switched, the rash did go away but after a few weeks of peace the rash is now coming back.  It wakes me up at night.

My hair has been falling out.  My bones (not joints) hurt.  The GI problems I attributed to the missing gallbladder are returning with greater frequency and without any clear triggers.  For at least a year now, I've been very fatigued, periodically run a low fever <100, I never sleep through the night, persistent headaches and began to have migraines about a year ago.

Sound familiar to anyone?  I really need some help.  

[Bella_Keiko]

Thank you for taking time to respond.  The thyroid.... well, I had some blood work done a couple of months ago and received a generic report.  I did not see the exact numbers but was told that my liver, kidney, blood sugar and thyroid values were all normal.  Also negative for EBV and CMV.   .

I think I will  push to look at that report--"normal" is a relative term.

I did manage to weasel my way in to see a rheumatologist--no easy feat, let me tell you--and I'm waiting on the lab reports to come back.  

I just feel like I'm falling apart, I'm frustrated, and I don't know what to expect or what I should ask my doctor about when it comes time for follow-up.  What if everything comes back negative and he dismisses me?  Then What?

[bdjcaa]

I agree, you should get your thyroid checked. I had my apprendix removed, ovaries, then uterus, then glabadder in just a short amount of time. Weight loss, brittle hair, fatigue and muscle aches can all be symptoms of a thyroid condition. I thought I was going nuts, I didn't know whether I was coming or going at times. I had my TSH level checked every year and it was fine. Finally had a doctor who also checked the T3 and T4 levels of my thyroid, and sure enough I was diagnosed with Graves Disease (hyperthyroid) It's worth a shot to ask your doctor to check for it. good luck

[Bev707]

have you had your thyroid check at all?  Fatigue and hair loss are two of the symptoms I had (still have ) with low thyriod.
Just an idea - might be worth getting tested to rule it out.  I think sometimes autoimmune disorders are a process of elimination - so many of the symptoms seem to overlap different disorders.

Good luck!

Bev