I’m a 42 year old exercise physiologist. For the past seven years I have been dealing with a series of health issues including exercise intolerance, muscle soreness & joint pain. Before the onset of these symptoms, I was active in high school sports and later exercised without any problems. About three years ago I suddenly began to experience muscle soreness around my eye’s that would increase with activity such as reading and working on a computer. Suddenly on 8/1/07 on a flight home from Key West Florida I began to experience balance problems. I first noticed this latest problem after the first leg of our flight home ( a short flight from Key West to Miami) and the problem has yet to go away. On some days my balance issues get worse than on others but regardless I have been dizzy every day since that flight home. The dizziness is more like being on a rocking ship at sea than a spinning sensation.
The following tests had positive results. I was tested for Chlamydia pneumonia (elevated up to 1:1,024), carnitine (37-low), skeletal muscle biopsy (“mild inflammatory sympathy consistent with poliomyelitis, drug reaction, or systemic connective tissue disease”), MRI (nearly normal-central disc buldge with an annular tear at L5/S1), bone scan (minor degenerative arthritis noted in both knees), MRI of brain (venous angioma with hemorage-angiogram performed twice without any findings), and a forearm ischemia test (flat lactate and normal rise in ammonia-performed 5 times, all abnormal).
The following tests were performed and came back within normal limits: lyme’s disease, HLA antigen, c-reactive protein, sedimentation rate, CK, CBC and chemistry, arthritis panel/immunology, glycogenosis screen/genetic panel, EMG, EEG, MRI-hip and spine, and venous Doppler-bilateral.
Questions:
-What do you make of my situation?
-Have you ever examined someone with eye soreness without vision problems or eye drooping:? -My balance problem has confused all the specialists I’ve seen. Have you seen any patients with this problem?
-Since the onset of my problems, I have been able to return to strength training with positive results of increased muscle mass. Does this seem peculiar?
-I’m a proud father of a two month old son who appears to be perfectly healthy. He is slated for genetic testing. What is the likelihood that he may harbor the same genetic disorder?