Thank you, everyone, for all your insights. Coincidentally, I got some news this week that may explain most (if not all) of my symptoms, and I want to share it here in case it can be helpful to others.
After four-plus years of feeling off most of the time, and four-plus years of seeing a variety of doctors/specialists and being told that it's "just stress" or anxiety, I focused on the fatigue aspects of my condition and pushed my GP to prescribe me a sleep study. Though he assured me there was no way I had a sleep disorder, he followed through with it... and I found out this week that I have sleep apnea. My body has been fighting a battle all night, every night, which could explain so much of what's been going on with me.
I mention this because I am in good physical shape (in terms of BMI) and probably look like a very unlikely candidate for sleep apnea. I think this type of thinking is what kept my doctors from ever thinking it was a possibility, so I urge anyone with mysterious or unattributable symptoms to consider if this may be a cause.
I get my CPAP machine this week and anticipate a vast improvement in quality of life. Thanks again to everyone who participated in this forum.
Thirst can be a sign of diabetes but you seem to have had lots of blood tests so I assume this would have been picked up quickly.
You say you are drinking 'gallons' of Gatorade and water per day. If that is so, I'd definitely drop the Gatorade altogether and just drink water. Drinking tons of any fizzy drink can't be good for you, as the sugar content of lots of these kinds of drinks is appalling. I read that Gatorade also has a high sodium content too which can make you thirsty. (I read this on another site so I don't know if it's true or not - perhaps you could find a reputable nutritional or government site and do some research on the contents?). If this is upsetting your body's natural balances, it could be causing other symptoms.
As digestion problems also seem to be part of your symptoms, looking at the fizzy drinks and avoiding coffee might help. Coffee caused me a lot of indigestion and gastric pain in the past and I had to swap it for tea. It's a pity because I love coffee.
I know most health sites say 'drink lots of water' and suggest you avoid everything you basically love. I think most of this is just repetitive stuff that is cut-and-pasted around from one site to another (to be honest), but in this case I do think that the fizzy drinks could be causing you problems.
thanks so much! really appreciate your help!
Thanks so much - appreciate that suggestion!
Hello,
It appears that you have tried everything, so, my suggestion, try a chiropractor, they can help with the symptoms you are having. When vertebrae are misaligned they can press on nerves that control other functions of the body. They will take a few x-rays and then take it from there, you might be pleasantly surprised.
Thanks, everyone - I have seen an integrative specialist who is fluent in Lyme and there is no indication that I have ever had it. He also gave me a whole bevy of tests (spit, stool, etc.) and nothing is showing any sort of parasitic infection or imbalance of any kind... this is what's been so frustrating!
Any other thoughts?
there are things you can do to help through a proper diet and eating immune boosting foods .
if you can find someone who will do a thoruogh darkfield microscopy.you would be able to see if you have a virus in your blood or if it is bacterial or even fungal .and you may be able to find someone to give you antibiotics or antifungals if so needed .regular drs dont seem to be very helpful if it isnt something easy you might want to try an integrative md.
Please do some Google search for Lyme disease symptoms. You may find some answers! It's important that you seek out a Lyme literate MD. Not all are knowledgeable on the subject.