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List of symptoms (particularly attention and irritability), looking for cause(s)
by brian_, Apr 03, 2007 12:00AM
Hello,
I'm a 27 year-old male, ~165 lbs, 6''. I'm in decent shape, smoker (around 3 to 5 cigarettes a day), pretty healthy diet. (vegan diet)
Over the last four or five years, I've developed a few issues that I've simply ignored. None of these cause me any immediate concern, but they affect my attention and happiness, so I would _love_ to resolve them.
* My vision is frequently blurry. Sometimes, after drinking something sweet (e.g., juice, beer), it clears up a little.
* My legs tingle a lot, and are frequently sore. (They distract me when I'm trying to concentrate.)
* I get hungover when I drink very little. If I have a beer or two, I "crash" a little time later (tired and groggy rest of day), so I only drink as my last activity of the day
* I am hungry _all_ the time, and am never satiated. I eat a _lot_. (My roommates are convinced that I eat as much as the two of them combined.)
* I'm very irritable, particularly between my frequently snacks.
* I'm losing my attention a lot, probably my greatest concern. I just started a career as a software developer, and its sometimes a great challenge to concentrate.
* A little frightening: I'm increasingly more "attracted" to drinking. I'm not an alcoholic (I drink once or twice a week), I find myself craving sweet things, particularly beer, increasingly more. I've made it a point to stay away from the bars, but it is all my friends do. I've made it a point to drink less, but I have a difficult time controlling my drinking once I start (as in after my first beer, I abandon my plans to drink only a few.)
* Some depression. (This has always been an issue for me as well as for my father, so it may be unrelated.) I'm not "depressed" as in suicidal; but I frequently lose all interest in everything
All of these intuitively feel related, since they have all seemed to develop together.
Any ideas? Does it seem like diabetes or hypoglycemia? Any other possibilities? I would see a doctor if it seems like it would be fruitful, but am so busy between work and school, which eats up standard office hours. Thanks!
I'm a 27 year-old male, ~165 lbs, 6''. I'm in decent shape, smoker (around 3 to 5 cigarettes a day), pretty healthy diet. (vegan diet)
Over the last four or five years, I've developed a few issues that I've simply ignored. None of these cause me any immediate concern, but they affect my attention and happiness, so I would _love_ to resolve them.
* My vision is frequently blurry. Sometimes, after drinking something sweet (e.g., juice, beer), it clears up a little.
* My legs tingle a lot, and are frequently sore. (They distract me when I'm trying to concentrate.)
* I get hungover when I drink very little. If I have a beer or two, I "crash" a little time later (tired and groggy rest of day), so I only drink as my last activity of the day
* I am hungry _all_ the time, and am never satiated. I eat a _lot_. (My roommates are convinced that I eat as much as the two of them combined.)
* I'm very irritable, particularly between my frequently snacks.
* I'm losing my attention a lot, probably my greatest concern. I just started a career as a software developer, and its sometimes a great challenge to concentrate.
* A little frightening: I'm increasingly more "attracted" to drinking. I'm not an alcoholic (I drink once or twice a week), I find myself craving sweet things, particularly beer, increasingly more. I've made it a point to stay away from the bars, but it is all my friends do. I've made it a point to drink less, but I have a difficult time controlling my drinking once I start (as in after my first beer, I abandon my plans to drink only a few.)
* Some depression. (This has always been an issue for me as well as for my father, so it may be unrelated.) I'm not "depressed" as in suicidal; but I frequently lose all interest in everything
All of these intuitively feel related, since they have all seemed to develop together.
Any ideas? Does it seem like diabetes or hypoglycemia? Any other possibilities? I would see a doctor if it seems like it would be fruitful, but am so busy between work and school, which eats up standard office hours. Thanks!
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When was the last time you had a checkup?
Ask your doctor for the following blood test:
You can read about them here http://tinyurl.com/yubb6p
CBC (complete blood count)
HGBA1C - Hemoglobin A1C measures average glucose for past three months (diabetes screening)
Liver function tests - ALT, AST, Albumin, etc
Lipid Panel - Cholesterol screening
Have you been screened for Hepatitis A, B or C? These are silent killers and EVERYONE should get tested in this day and age. You can read about Hepatitis here
http://tinyurl.com/2hxz96
And while you're at it, get an Echocardiogram to rule out heart issues
Good luck and good health.
http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec12/ch154/ch154j.html
Dietary deficiency — Vegans (strict vegetarians who do not eat any meat, fish, egg or dairy products) can develop vitamin B12 deficiency because they lack vitamin B12 in their diets.
Symptoms
Symptoms tend to develop slowly and may not be recognized immediately. As the condition worsens, common symptoms include:
Weakness and fatigue
Light-headedness and dizziness
Palpitations and rapid heartbeat
Shortness of breath
A sore tongue that has a red, beefy appearance
Nausea or poor appetite
Weight loss
Diarrhea
Yellowish tinge to the skin and eyes
If low levels of B12 remain for a long time, the condition also can lead to irreversible damage to nerve cells, which can cause the following symptoms:
Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet
Difficulty walking
Muscle weakness
Irritability
Memory loss
Dementia
Depression
Psychosis
Diagnosis
Standard blood tests to measure the level of red blood cells and check their appearance — In vitamin B12 deficiency, red blood cells are unusually large and appear abnormal.
Blood tests to measure B12 levels — Levels of iron and folate also may be measured to check for deficiencies in these nutrients.