I am 33 years old, and I don't know what is wrong with me. I really don’t know how to start, maybe because I’ve never pay serious attention to my health, but because of it I had to leave my studies, my career, almost my dreams. I used to be a very energetic woman, always doing things, working, studying, running, dancing… now, I barely know myself. I refuse to give up, but in days like today… how pathetic I can be.
Around 6 years ago, when I was doing my masters in USA, I started feeling tired. I thought it was stress for the classes and my work, maybe the new language and country… but instead of feeling better with time, it was worse. From time to time (twice a year) I got a bad chess pain, but just for a moment then went away. Almost at the same time acne developed in my face, this also got worse with time. In 2006 a doctor discovered a myoma and gave me birth control pills as treatment, I also start the acne treatment (tetracycline). That year I got sick a lot, some infection (chills, fever, and headaches)… doctors never told me what it was because my entire tests were negative… just and infection that come and goes. By 2007 I was feeling really bad, getting sick a lot, feeling sick, numbness, my allergies get worse, very very tired, gaining and loosing weight, looking horrible because my acne never went away. No doctor told me what I had, no medicine made feel better… I had to return home. At home I went to every doctor in my city, nothing!! Two of them suggested that I was making this up… that made me feel horrible. I went to 2 physiologists and 1 psychiatrist, it was not on my head either… I almost wanted to be crazy, so I finally had an answer.
The positive side of seeing the psychiatrist is that he recommended me an specialist on liver. He did not tell me what is wrong with me, but he discovered I had high cholesterol (total cholesterol:224, HDL:48, LDL:148, triglycerides:150). He almost killed me though, when trying to control the cholesterol gave me atorvastatin, I lost it. I felt worse, and the third week I took the pills I could not wake up for a day… I end up in the emergency room… final score: total cholesterol:276, HDL:90, LDL:129, triglycerides:285, GPT:52, GOT:33. After that, doctor gave me 3 magical pills: Higanatur max (folfatidilcoline+silimarina or Silybum marianum), Higaprotector (fosfatidilcoline) and Verte (orlistat). I said magical because my acne started to get away… I am still taking the pills, because the moment I left them, my acne comes back and my appetite goes down.
I am still tired, but now it is for days… it is kind of a cycle. Some days I feel like wonder woman… then I think, maybe it is in my head, maybe I am getting better now, I cannot be sick at all. But other days I spent most of the day in bed, and not just because of the tiredness, because I feel burning up (but not fever), weakness, I have muscle spasms (arms, legs, face, even my tummy), joints pains, I feel like dying… I also made arrangements for it. Few months ago, a cardiologist discovered I have a conditions similar to Epstein syndrome, and also “cabalgamiento parcial de la aorta (sorry, I don’t know how to say this in English). Since then, I went to 3 cardiologists so far, two of them think that some of my symptoms can be explain by this, but the other one think not. I got this heart condition all my life, why now is a problem? Finally, I have the feeling that a swell some days, specially my upper body… well, I started to get records of my measurements and weight in a gym… and from day to day I can gain or loss two pounds, now I have proof.
Yes, I am working… brain is working just fine. But, my bad days do not allow me to have a regular life, or a full time job. I want to continue studying, but work and classes are everyday, not when my body pleases. I don’t know what else to do; I also considered pursuing a medical degree. Please, if somebody has an idea of what is going on with me… please, I am begging for help.