Suspect autoimmune but bloodwork is normal- what else could be going on?

[weliveinayellowsubmarine]

I'm in my late twenties. For the past 2-3 years, ever since a bout of walking pneumonia, have had problems with very common (but problematic), non-specific problems like fatigue (sometimes mild, sometimes severe), muscle/joint aches and insomnia (which of course contributes to the fatigue). Over this period of time I've accumulated a growing list of symptoms, I've had a chronic, pretty bad case of hives for well over a year, and my aches have gotten worse- my calf  muscles ache very badly at rest. I went to a dermatologist who took some bloodwork to test for autoimmune & thyroid problems, but the test results came back normal (I don't know the specifics). Has anyone had similar problems but tested negative for autoimmune or thyroid problems? I'm not sure where to go from here.

[TheLightSeeker]

Pathogenic Mycoplasma evades detection from all standard blood tests, as it hides within the tissues and enveloped in actual cell membrane where  even the immune system cannot recognize it,
Antibiotics are not effective as they are at best slightly bacteriostatic against pathogenic mycoplasmas unless the exact one is used -  I think treatment with  doxycycline may have better bacteriostatic action , not bactericidal , and if a strong immune system is given ample time, it may be able to detect the mycoplasma, tag it and destroy it, only under close to ideal conditions!!

There are very few doctors knowledgeable in this field, so chances are that any specialists you are seeing are not up with all this information.
If interested, I have somewhere in my office information on some specialized tests that may help diagnose this.

One thing to note is that with each course of abx your healthy gut flora is compromised, with the risk of a Candida infection, on top of your existing issues. Consider supplementing with high quality prebiotics and probiotics.
Also coconut oil is a great antifungal agent -among other medicinal properties.

Let me know if you need any further details.
Niko

[Pantx]

Really recommend you get copies of your labwork

[weliveinayellowsubmarine]

Many thanks TheLightSeeker! yes, actually it seems the mycoplasma problem has been a problem for a while. I've taken quite a few courses of antibiotics. I just wonder why my symptoms keep multiplying.

[TheLightSeeker]

Hi weliveinayellowsubmarine.

Thyroid dysfunction cannot be ruled out by standard serum testing of TSH,
T3 & T4. You must test for Free T3 & Free T4 levels which reflect bio-available and UNBOUND thyroid hormones, which is the most accurate
way to determine cellular thyroid function. You would also need reverse T3.
You may have pay for these, but you need to find a Holistic Doctor or Holistic -minded doctor or ND to order these for you.

It does not have to be an auto-immune disease just because your doctors
cannot diagnose you.
It could be a pathogenic infectious condition like pathogenic mycoplasma
infection (you may have had an mycoplasma pneumoniae infection-walking pneumonia with complications, and a co-infection like bartonella, ehrilichia, babesia etc  -which is common with such mycoplasma infections )

Apparently, according to Dr. Garth Nicolson, who is an expert in this field and a regular contributor here at medhelp, claims that the majority of CFS and FMS sufferers have an underlying pathogenic mycoplasma infection, which is not only difficult to diagnose through most standard tests, but also very challenging to treat.
Just do a search under his name here or go to his molecular medicine institute website.

If you need further details,  let me know, however, please note that my comments & suggestions do not constitute medical advice.

Best wishes.
Niko