Aa
Big question.
Forgive me if this is a goofy post or if I seem to start rambling on like a hypochondriac. I figured I would post here as I've been linked to this forum by a few Google searches, & (well) it seems like a good idea!
I'm going to go ahead & tell you that I'm nineteen years old.
I have been going to a doctor since January. He has referred me to four doctors since then though I mainly check in with him. I recently went to a doctor in the town I was raised in as well since I have a fairly long history with him (& since he's a real nice guy).
The general consensus between the doctors I've seen is that I have some sort of liver disease even though it hasn't been given an official name yet; nothing has shown up in my blood work yet. My ALT & AST are elevated (one being around 245 & the other around 200). The rest of the things checked during my blood work came back normal. They've checked me for "everything" (as one doctor put it) & checked several times. I was also told that both my good & bad cholesterol are "abnormally low".
I've also had two doctors (the one I mentioned having a long history with & the one I consider my primary physician) tell me they think I might have hypothyroidism.
I don't drink. I've never touched drugs. & the only time I've been out of the country (I live in the United States) was during a trip to Jamaica & Grand Cayman two years ago. No blood transfusions, either. The only member of my family with any liver disease was my mother's grandmother, who has Wilson's Disease. My mother is anemic & has Lupus. (Just in case that is at all relevant to my post.)
My skin itches. I am tired ALL of the time (I often nod off at the most inconvenient times). I have severe stomach pain (that I've suffered all of my life, so I don't know if that counts). I can't take much noise or light, especially bright light (like the kind produced at schools by fluorescent light bulbs). I feel like I have a fever most of the time, even though my temperature is usually below average (last check was at 97.1) when I start complaining. I can't seem to stand feeling cold or hot, either. I feel stupid a lot of the time, in that it's hard for me to focus or sometimes even form coherent sentences; I'll stutter, slur, & lose my "train of thought" mid sentence. My short term memory is absolutely awful -- I'll set down a bottle of water or something like that & almost immediately forget where I set it! I tend to either sleep all of the time or not sleep at all, sometimes for days. It has completely disrupted my life.
My skin is very pale. My hair has suddenly gotten kind of thin & .. coarse(? I guess is a good word). It even sort of changed color from dark brown to a lighter brown. My cheeks are always flushed, & I have dark bags under my eyes. About two weeks ago something very strange happened for the first time: I passed a lot of bright red blood during a trip to the bathroom (enough to soak the toilet paper I was using & even partially cover my hand through the toilet paper) & turn the water red. I had an awful headache for five days after this happened. & worst of all, my hands hurt like heck! It feels almost like the actual bones/joints are cramped. It's made playing guitar hard, & I'm sure you guys all know what that is capable of doing to any teenage guy -- no guitar = sad boy. Oh. & I have really, really bad posture that I can't really seem to help.
Within the last month, my eye sight has started growing blurry. & I've been extremely depressed, but I guess that's because of how crummy I've been feeling & because of the fact that no one can figure out what the heck is going on! (Not to mention other stresses that have been irritating me lately. Hehe.)
Since I've read that there is some sort of correlation between hypothyroidism & certain psychiatric disorders, I will mention this: I was diagnosed with Major Depression & then re-diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder (Type 1) & Borderline Personality Disorder when I was fifteen years old. They put me on Wellbutrin (though they later swapped it with Celexa), Depakote, & then Risperdal. I was prescribed Zoloft prior to that regimen of medications.
I was on those medications for a year before deciding to quit them & ended up putting on one hundred pounds during that time (prior to quiting). I lost almost all of the weight I had put on, started feeling really tired (& experiencing the rest of the symptoms I mentioned), & then put most of that weight back on again.
So.. Just to sum things up:
1) I have been told by all of the doctors I've been sent to that I most likely have Hepatitis. One told me that I quote "look like a Hepatitis case". Another called it "Hepatitis NOS" & explained to me what NOS meant. That was interesting!
2) The doctor I mentioned having a long history with told me that there is a chance I have Hypothyroidism as well & is currently looking into it (with a new round of blood tests).
3) There has been no diagnoses yet, so my use of "as well" is completely misleading. There is a strong suspicion that I have Hepatitis, though the doctors aren't certain since nothing has showed up in my blood work & since I haven't had a biopsy yet.
4) I've been prescribed a mood stabilizer in the past & have been diagnosed with Bi-Polar (Type 1) & Borderline Personality Disorder which I've read may correlate with Hypothyroidism.
Do you guys have any advice for me? Do you share any similar problems?? What in the world do I get to "look forward to" with all of this weird stuff going on with me?
I'm going to go ahead & tell you that I'm nineteen years old.
I have been going to a doctor since January. He has referred me to four doctors since then though I mainly check in with him. I recently went to a doctor in the town I was raised in as well since I have a fairly long history with him (& since he's a real nice guy).
The general consensus between the doctors I've seen is that I have some sort of liver disease even though it hasn't been given an official name yet; nothing has shown up in my blood work yet. My ALT & AST are elevated (one being around 245 & the other around 200). The rest of the things checked during my blood work came back normal. They've checked me for "everything" (as one doctor put it) & checked several times. I was also told that both my good & bad cholesterol are "abnormally low".
I've also had two doctors (the one I mentioned having a long history with & the one I consider my primary physician) tell me they think I might have hypothyroidism.
I don't drink. I've never touched drugs. & the only time I've been out of the country (I live in the United States) was during a trip to Jamaica & Grand Cayman two years ago. No blood transfusions, either. The only member of my family with any liver disease was my mother's grandmother, who has Wilson's Disease. My mother is anemic & has Lupus. (Just in case that is at all relevant to my post.)
My skin itches. I am tired ALL of the time (I often nod off at the most inconvenient times). I have severe stomach pain (that I've suffered all of my life, so I don't know if that counts). I can't take much noise or light, especially bright light (like the kind produced at schools by fluorescent light bulbs). I feel like I have a fever most of the time, even though my temperature is usually below average (last check was at 97.1) when I start complaining. I can't seem to stand feeling cold or hot, either. I feel stupid a lot of the time, in that it's hard for me to focus or sometimes even form coherent sentences; I'll stutter, slur, & lose my "train of thought" mid sentence. My short term memory is absolutely awful -- I'll set down a bottle of water or something like that & almost immediately forget where I set it! I tend to either sleep all of the time or not sleep at all, sometimes for days. It has completely disrupted my life.
My skin is very pale. My hair has suddenly gotten kind of thin & .. coarse(? I guess is a good word). It even sort of changed color from dark brown to a lighter brown. My cheeks are always flushed, & I have dark bags under my eyes. About two weeks ago something very strange happened for the first time: I passed a lot of bright red blood during a trip to the bathroom (enough to soak the toilet paper I was using & even partially cover my hand through the toilet paper) & turn the water red. I had an awful headache for five days after this happened. & worst of all, my hands hurt like heck! It feels almost like the actual bones/joints are cramped. It's made playing guitar hard, & I'm sure you guys all know what that is capable of doing to any teenage guy -- no guitar = sad boy. Oh. & I have really, really bad posture that I can't really seem to help.
Within the last month, my eye sight has started growing blurry. & I've been extremely depressed, but I guess that's because of how crummy I've been feeling & because of the fact that no one can figure out what the heck is going on! (Not to mention other stresses that have been irritating me lately. Hehe.)
Since I've read that there is some sort of correlation between hypothyroidism & certain psychiatric disorders, I will mention this: I was diagnosed with Major Depression & then re-diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder (Type 1) & Borderline Personality Disorder when I was fifteen years old. They put me on Wellbutrin (though they later swapped it with Celexa), Depakote, & then Risperdal. I was prescribed Zoloft prior to that regimen of medications.
I was on those medications for a year before deciding to quit them & ended up putting on one hundred pounds during that time (prior to quiting). I lost almost all of the weight I had put on, started feeling really tired (& experiencing the rest of the symptoms I mentioned), & then put most of that weight back on again.
So.. Just to sum things up:
1) I have been told by all of the doctors I've been sent to that I most likely have Hepatitis. One told me that I quote "look like a Hepatitis case". Another called it "Hepatitis NOS" & explained to me what NOS meant. That was interesting!
2) The doctor I mentioned having a long history with told me that there is a chance I have Hypothyroidism as well & is currently looking into it (with a new round of blood tests).
3) There has been no diagnoses yet, so my use of "as well" is completely misleading. There is a strong suspicion that I have Hepatitis, though the doctors aren't certain since nothing has showed up in my blood work & since I haven't had a biopsy yet.
4) I've been prescribed a mood stabilizer in the past & have been diagnosed with Bi-Polar (Type 1) & Borderline Personality Disorder which I've read may correlate with Hypothyroidism.
Do you guys have any advice for me? Do you share any similar problems?? What in the world do I get to "look forward to" with all of this weird stuff going on with me?
I am assuming that you have had all the standard test such as diabitis & allegies. If this is the case, I think I would look into going to Mayos to see some specialist. It could be that you have more then one problem but because you feel so bad you are assuming that all symptoms are related. I know how frustrated you be but it is your body and you know you are not feeling well then don't give up hope.
Oh Lord. Just one more, I swear!
My ears ring a lot.. whether it be a buzzing or just sort of a ringing.
(I'm done. I promise. Honest to goodness.)
My ears ring a lot.. whether it be a buzzing or just sort of a ringing.
(I'm done. I promise. Honest to goodness.)
I didn't notice an edit button, so I guess I'll just post it here.
I also have trouble passing urine, night sweats & feel dizzy & shaky fairly often!
(Just trying to give as much information as possible.)
I also have trouble passing urine, night sweats & feel dizzy & shaky fairly often!
(Just trying to give as much information as possible.)
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Undiagnosed Symptoms Community
Discharge often isn't normal, and could mean an infection or an STD.
In this unique and fascinating report from Missouri Medicine, world-renowned expert Dr. Raymond Moody examines what really happens when we almost die.
Think a loved one may be experiencing hearing loss? Here are five warning signs to watch for.
When it comes to your health, timing is everything
We’ve got a crash course on metabolism basics.
Learn what you can do to avoid ski injury and other common winter sports injury.
