Exhaustion

Posted By Sara on July 14, 1999 at 15:49:42
Hi.  I don't know if I'm in the right place but I thought I'd give this a shot.  I will try to keep this short and to the point but there is quite a bit of history.
I am 22, female, 29 weeks pregnant.  About 3 years ago I had a case of food poisoning.  Following that I had frequent (at least once a month) flu-like illness with low-grade fevers (99, 100F), swollen tender lymph nodes in my neck and under my arms, nausea, vomiting, diahrrea, body aches, headache, and occasionally sore throat and/or congestion.  I also had exhaustion severe enough to compromise my college work.  The clinic at the college said it was just stress, and I should excercise and eat right and get enough rest, and I would be fine.  I did these things, but the symptoms slowly continued to worsen until I was unable to continue school.  I worked for a time but was eventually unable to continue that either (I was calling in sick at least once a week); fortunately my husband has been most understanding and is willing to have a one-income family.  The symptoms continued to worsen, and new ones appeared:  migraine headaches (diagnosed with a CT scan); sebhorric dermatitis (diagnosed by a dermatologist); allergic reactions to some soaps, perfumes, cleansers, etc.; and agoraphobia-like symptoms.  Instead of classic panic attacks (chest pain, trouble breathing, etc) I would begin to vomit uncontrollably, have a fever (101-102 F), and have diahrrea.  The "panic attack" would subside shortly after I went to my bed - fever included.  This got to the point that I could not leave the house.  I sought therapy and was placed on antidepresants (tried various types & dosages) and though they helped with my energy levels they left me feeling manic and out of control emotionally, even in the lowest doses.  The therapist suggested I take a sedative in addition to the antidepressant, but I elected to go off the medication instead.  My energy levels slowly fell over the next few months until I was back where I started.  I tried St. John's Wort with no apparent effects.  I did not find the therapy helpful and eventually stopped going.  Through a support group on the internet I was able to deal with the "agoraphobia" and slowly resumed a relatively normal life.  I was still not able to work or go to school, but I could take care of normal day-to-day things and have something of a social life.
I became pregnant in January of this year, and symptoms suddenly disappeared.  I still have the flu-like illness but only once every 6-8 weeks instead of once every 1-4 weeks.  My energy levels are down but I am usually able to do the normal day-to-day things.  There seems to be a link between what I do and how I feel; i.e. if I get ample rest and do only my normal activities, I do well, but if I "push" and do extra things, I quickly become exhausted and it takes me a few days to recover.
I have been repeatedly told this is all in my head, there is nothing wrong with me, this is just normal exhaustion that everybody feels, and I should just learn to deal with it.  It doesn't seem to me that this is so.  Am I crazy?  Are these symptoms all psychological?  Or could there be something physically wrong with me?  Thyroid problems run in my family but I don't seem to have those symptoms, other than the exhaustion.  Are there tests I should ask my doctor to run?  Can they be done during pregnancy or do I have to wait until after the baby is born?
I know you can't make a diagnosis, and I plan to see my family doctor as soon as possible.  (He has been out of town and I am not comfortable talking about this with his replacement.)  It wasn't until the sudden alleviation of symptoms with the pregnancy that I realized how bad things had gotten.  Thanks for any input or suggestions you can give.
-Sara.










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Re: Exhaustion HFHS M.D - HG 7/21/1999
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