I chose my nickname as voodoo doll because that's exactly what I feel like. Everything started a little over a month ago when my cycle was late. I had a terrible fear of being pregnant because I had a tubal ligation in 2010 and I was afraid of having an ectopic pregnancy. I did something really stupid while my husband was at work that I feel like was the trigger of the whole thing. I read online that you can do a home-made pregnancy test by adding your urine to bleach water (DUMB, I know!) but I wasnt thinking straight at the time. I went ahead and did it and sat there and watched it fizzle and bubble like crazy for about a minute before I realized how terribly gross it started to smell in my bathroom. I dumped it all down the sink and felt kinda light headed from the fumes, so I googled the possible toxicity of such a concoction and the first thing that came up was "Toxic!!! The fumes will kill you!!" - so of course after that I went full anxiety attack and got dizzy, heart pounding, the whole bit. I ended up fine, nothing happened to me. I also ended up getting my period within a few days. Ectopic pregnancy scare evaded. But that's when it got weird....
It began with feeling a burning sensation on my left thigh, almost like someone was running a lighter up and down my leg. The same leg would also fall asleep when I was laying down and my knee would be weak when I stood up. The same leg would bother me if I stood too long while cooking, etc. when it never had before. I chalked it up to sciatica (it ached all the way up into my rear pelvic bones) and kept on truckin'. Then I noticed I would be dizzy and lightheaded for no reason throughout the day. I would get a strange tingling sensation in my left flank side and the top/back of the right side of my head. Then the nausea came. I would feel incredibly weak and have strange twitching muscle spasms in my fingers, hands, legs, wherever it felt like twitching randomly. Then the fog came, and I have to say this is the worst symptom of all. I would rather feel pain than feel that way ever again. The internal white noise that buzzes and you feel like you aren't even in your own body. You can't interact properly. I went out to dinner with my family and couldn't even read the menu. That's when my husband insisted on going to the E.R.
The E.R visit was on 6/7 - I explained all of the above to the MD who ordered an EKG, CT scan of my head, and a chest xray. All came back clear except they noted a "possible chiari malformation" on my CT scan, which doesn't fit my symptoms at all so it was irrelevant to me. (I still plan to get that checked out when hopefully I can get an MRI to look for MS). They also did a full CBC and saw that my potassium was a bit low, so they gave me a wk of potassium supplements and sent me on my way with a follow up with my PCP.
In between the ER visit and the PCP visit a few days later I actually felt a little better. I decided it must have been anxiety triggered by the silly chemical "experiment" I had done before, but it was short lived as my symptoms came back with even more symptoms a few days later. This is becoming a novel, so let me just list them out as best I can remember and you all let me know what you think:
PLEASE NOTE THAT NONE OF THESE SYMPTOMS ARE CONSTANT OR EVEN LAST MORE THAN A FEW MOMENTS AT A TIME. RARELY ARE ANY TWO SYMPTOMS OCCURRING AT THE SAME TIME.
Headaches
Neck aches
Sore lymph nodes in my jaw/neck
Stange random aches thoughout my body that last only a few seconds at a time and then disappear only to show up in another place a few moments later
Heartburn
Lump in my throat sometimes that causes me to try and catch my breath -usually worse when Im lying down.
Sharp stabbing pains in random places, literally anywhere on my body at any given time for a few seconds at a time. Feels like someone is stabbing me with a needle (voodoo doll) ;) This is usually in my fingers, feet, calves, forearms, elbows, shoulders, around my collar bone, bridge of my nose
Twitching muscles
Tired ALL the time, never want to do anything
General flu-feeling malaise, more so at night than in the day
I have a spot on my back that hurts, right about where my bra strap would go, that only hurts when I either press on it or lean forward with my spine pushed outward purposefully.
I have hot and cold flashes all the time
Hard time falling asleep and waking up in the middle of the night
Strange dreams
Left ear pain sometimes
Buzzing sensation all over body
I feel like everyday theres something new. I am not sure if I have anxiety, thyroid problems, MS, Fibromyalgia... I've considered lyme but Ive never been bitten by a tick... I dont have the lupus rash.... what the hell is going on??? I want my life back!!
Thank you for your thoughts!