Almost a year of mysterious symptoms... please help!

[lindsay0891]

I'm about to turn 22, and my problems started right after I turned 21. Started with some spells of fatigue and nausea, then in April I came down with some kind of viral infection... might have been coxsackie because I had a lot of chest/rib inflammation but I never figured out what it was. Recovered and felt pretty good for two weeks, then in the middle of May I started getting the dizzy/fatigued/nauseous spells telling me I was getting sick again, and then I got what I thought was a stomach virus but it never fully went away. For a while I was waking up every morning and vomiting like a pregnant woman, and I could barely eat anything. But I did have good days where I felt pretty good. The symptoms were really off and on. I was also constantly lightheaded/dizzy, and had some weird symptoms like hair loss and slight weakness in the left side of my body. I also had a lot of gas and bloating and would belch all the time. I had heart palpitations and anxiety, and headaches a few times a month. Finally, I started noticing that I had to eat at least every two hours or I would get really lightheaded, and because I was nauseous a lot I had to force myself to eat.
So that's how I felt from May to September with gradual improvement. In October, November, and December I felt better but hit a plateau. The main symptoms that lingered were the off and on lightheadedness, needing to eat frequently, on and off nausea, and gas pains. Then in January I started getting slightly worse... more stomach issues than I'd had in the last couple months, more lightheaded feelings, couldn't go as long without eating, etc. February has been horrible. Fatigue, nausea, feeling like my blood sugar is crashing even though it's normal, headaches, lightheaded, and more.

I have been tested for HIV, hepatitis C, had a CBC with differential, complete chemical profile, lyme disease test, gluten intolerance test, thyroid (was borderline hyperthyroid but had no antibodies), ANA antibodies, and more. Does anyone have any other ideas?

[jemma116]

Thanks for letting me know what GI means.

As you have established that when you stopped digesting gluten foods that you felt better, it seems that your are gluten intolerant.

The other reason for the symptoms you describe can also be due to having lack of sleep.    

If I remember rightly without having to read all the thread, your blood pressure was ruled out for feelings of lightheadedness, and your diabetic blood glucose test was negative so that will rule out diabetes.

You did mention earlier that you (like myself) go to bed late and do not sleep well.  Lack of sleep as well as dehydration, UTI, hypoglocemia  can cause lack of concentration, lighheadedness, jittery and having trouble focusing your eyes (I am having that problem now due to lack of sleep, I think I had only 2 hours sleep so far).

Take care,  best wishes

[lindsay0891]

Today I feel faint, lightheaded, jittery, even having trouble focusing my eyes. I wonder if it has anything to do with eating gluten again... I stopped for a while and seemed to feel a little better.

[lindsay0891]

GI = gastrointestinal

[jemma116]

Thank you lindsay.

What is GI?

[lindsay0891]

I'm not really sure. It doesn't feel like any kind of viral/bacterial illness, I just feel bad all over. It's mostly been the GI symptoms, but even now that they're calming down I feel a little weak and lightheaded. I'm not sure if my GI symptoms are just affecting other parts of my body or what.
I'm not sure how many antibiotics I have left... only a few days, I think.
I hope you feel better too!

[jemma116]

Sorry to hear that.
Do you think it is connected to your digestive tract, or have you picked up a virus or bacterial infection elsewhere (throat)?

Are you resting and eating properly and keeping a diary of what you consume and how you feel?  So that you can build a picture of why you feel so horrible.

I feel horrible too, I just can't sleep even though I feel absolutely exhausted.  I have a viral cold and my nose is so congested with a nasty cough.  I shall go back to bed in a mo to see if I can drop off.

How many more antibiotics have you left to take?

Hope you are better soon