Please advise me on what these symptoms are.......

[Enigmatics]

My background.  I'm a 26 year old male, 160lbs, 5'10.  I work in the restaurant industry waiting tables.  I workout, but it is very spotty, sometimes 3 times a week, sometimes not getting in for a couple weeks at a time.  My work routine over the last 2-3 years has really worn me down.  I work anywhere between 8-12 hours a day, 5 to 6 days a week, on my feet, running around, in the high-anxietal atmosphere that my restaurant is.  I've also been heavily stressed out for the good majority of the past year due to various life events and I've fought bouts of depression and anxiety quite a bit.  Even though I work alot I find myself somehow managing to get myself out after work to hang out with friends at bars and such.  For the past 6 months or so I've been out pretty much every Fri, Sat, Sun..... I tend to binge drink, not to the point of blacking out or anything, but we do consume hard alchohol pretty quickly.  I'd say in an evening I'll go thru 2 or 3 shots and 2-3 mixed drinks.  My eating is very spotty, eat alot at work(Italian food).

The first symptom I started feeling about 6+ months ago was a bloated feeling, like I was full all the time.  Now, I still have that bloated feeling, but I can feel a sort of inflammation towards the left side of my midsection.  I developed an internal hemmorhroid that has recently ceased.  Through the past couple of months at work I've felt extremely light-headed and tired.  In the past couple of weeks I've felt sort of sick, but not full-blown sick instead more of a slightly nautious feeling.  I've been experiencing slight little headaches as well, nearly two months ago I had a migraine episode worse than I've ever felt.  I started getting more sleep, so I'm not nearly as tired as I used to be.  I have developed a very light numbing sensation in my big toe on my right foot and a slight shooting pain sometimes in my pinky on my left hand.  Furthermore, I've been waking up in the morning with a rapid heartbeat, almost like somebody was pounding the drums in my chest.  My lower back hurts on occasion as well.

I'm trying hard not to fall into the trap of self-diagnosing myself.  However, I am reading alot of things that point in the direction of Pancreatitis, IBS, and Diabetes.  As a child I used to suffer from what felt like severe pains or cramping in my midsection.  Nothing was ever done about it, as I got older it went away, but I remember those days sometimes in elementary school when I had to go to the nurse because I could barely walk the pains were so bad.  I also used to get headaches alot as a kid, but that too subsided when I got older.  Lastly, my grandfather and grandmother recently died from pancreatic cancer.  

I always felt like I was running myself into the ground working so much in such a brutal jobplace and then forcing myself to go out and have fun at night with friends.  It appears all that is catching up.  What do you make of all this?  Thank you for your t

[Lighthead]

Not sure if you still monitor this thread dizzyboy, I've only just found it after some random web trawling. I was wondering how you were getting along as I have had the exact symptoms you mention for around 11 years (yes 11years!) now and I'm still no closer to finding the cause. Briefly I suffer from: Lightheadedness (all the time), severe hangovers, anxiety, nervousness, sensitivity to criticism and some other stuff. The lightheadedness is the most worrying and gets me down from time to time. I have learned to live with it over the years but just want to get rid of it so that I can have a normal life (I'm still only 34).

The symptoms you mentioned are the closest to mine I have heard about in a long while epecially the hangover thing. Just wondering if you have made any progress in getting better since your contribution to this thread?

Thanks
Mark

[Stevenut87]

Have you considered Candidiasis?  Supposedly it can cause alot of what you are talking about.  With your stress, etc.. it could be a possibility.  I think I have it too.  I have most of your symptoms, and then some.  Check it out.  Check wholeapproach.com, or just do a Yahoo Search for Candida, and read up on it...  Its some nasty stuff, and most doctors dont know anything about it!!

[Enigmatics]

My symtpoms have subsided quite a bit.  My doctor recently recieved my allergin blood test back and it came back with an allergy to milk.  Now I've been a massive milk drinker for a looooooooong time.  Although I had been real lax about drinking milk for a year or two until last April, when I started my workout routine back up.  As I remember it correctly, I was drinking at least 2 to 3 whey protein milkshakes(sometimes just milk with the whey protein mix) a day.  I also was consuming alot of meats and melted cheeses(an addiction of mine).  Furthermore, I started eating breakfasts everyday, which I hadn't done in a long time.  My breakfasts always started with a tall glass of milk and either a big portion of yogurt with fruit and granola or a bagel with cream cheese and cheddar cheese.    

Now I'm not familiar with allergic reactions because up to this point in my life I didn't know I had any.  Little symptoms like tingling sensations in the mouth are things I just wasn't catching onto.  Is it possible that I caused myself some kind of gastrointestinal problems with all that milk drinking and cheese eating?

I also heard that Penacillin can be found in some cow's milk.  Now, this was completely irresponsible of me, but when I noticed some blood in my stool I was frightened by it and started taking some Penacillin we had left over in my house. I would later find out from my doctor that I had an internal hemorrhoid, causing the blood.

The nausea, headaches, and massive bowel movements I started getting within the last month were all during that time I was popping a few penacillins.  Could my wrongful use be the reason for alot of my symptoms?

[Enigmatics]

Thanks for the information Kevin.  As I think back to my situation I would also like to add that I believe that before any of the fullness in my midsection starting taking place, I remember I used to have to burp alot, especially when consuming alcoholic beverages. I don't know if that means anything, but I thought I'd share.

[dizzyboy]

This just the same as I'm feeling.
I feel dizzy almost all the time and my hangovers are the worst. Sometimes it feels like I'm going to faint. Havent happend yet but it probably will.
I have had this for the last 3years and the doctor have not found anything.
I also feel really tired and the dizziness is a lot worse if I dont get enough sleep.
Does anyone know what it could be and what to do?

[Enigmatics]

I should add a few more things to my lengthy list lol.  Another symptom I'm experiencing is blurred vision.  I used to have excellent eyesight and now there's a very noticeable decline in my far-sightedness, especially at night.  

Furthermore, I mentioned my drinking habits.  I forgot to include that I've gone out at night and drank with my buddies after getting out of work and not eating dinner.

In the past month I've had two or three episodes that really concerned me.  The first was at a wedding I attended.  I felt so lightheaded and warm that I thought I was going to pass out.  The bloated feeling in my midsection was there as well as a distinct pain in my left side.  The two others were episodes where the day after drinking I felt something that was more than a hangover.  Just felt way too sick to be a hangover.  I kept from drinking for two weekends recently, but last night I attended a wine tasting for my work.  Well this morning I woke up feeling nauseas and lightly feverish, with my consistent. midsection discomfort.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

There can be many causes for the symptoms you describe.

Bloating and nausea can be caused by GERD, an ulcer, pancreatitis, inflammation of the upper digestive tract, gallbladder or liver disease.

An initial workup with an upper GI series as well as an ultrasound of the liver and gallbladder can be considered to evaluate most of these disorders.  I would also consider blood tests looking at the liver and pancreatic enzymes.

If negative, you can consider treatment for irritable bowel syndrome.

Palpitations can be evaluated with an EKG, as well as an event/Holter monitor to document any arrhythmia.

For the shooting pains, I would consider a neurology evaluation.  

These options can be discussed with your personal physician, or in conjunction with a GI evaluation.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
http://www.straightfromthedoc.com