Aa
Help/Advice/Guidance needed.
Forgive me if this is a goofy post or if I seem to start rambling on like a hypochondriac. I figured I would post here as I've been linked to this forum by a few Google searches, & (well) it seems like a good idea!
I'm going to go ahead & tell you that I'm nineteen years old.
I have been going to a doctor since January. He has referred me to four doctors since then though I mainly check in with him. I recently went to a doctor in the town I was raised in as well since I have a fairly long history with him (& since he's a real nice guy).
The general consensus between the doctors I've seen is that I have some sort of liver disease even though it hasn't been given an official name yet; nothing has shown up in my blood work yet. My ALT & AST are elevated (one being around 245 & the other around 200). The rest of the things checked during my blood work came back normal. They've checked me for "everything" (as one doctor put it) & checked several times. I was also told that both my good & bad cholesterol are "abnormally low".
I've also had two doctors (the one I mentioned having a long history with & the one I consider my primary physician) tell me they think I might have hypothyroidism.
I don't drink. I've never touched drugs. & the only time I've been out of the country (I live in the United States) was during a trip to Jamaica & Grand Cayman two years ago. No blood transfusions, either. The only member of my family with any liver disease was my mother's grandmother, who has Wilson's Disease. My mother is anemic & has Lupus. (Just in case that is at all relevant to my post.)
My skin itches. I am tired ALL of the time (I often nod off at the most inconvenient times). I have severe stomach pain (that I've suffered all of my life, so I don't know if that counts). I can't take much noise or light, especially bright light (like the kind produced at schools by fluorescent light bulbs). I feel like I have a fever most of the time, even though my temperature is usually below average (last check was at 97.1) when I start complaining. I can't seem to stand feeling cold or hot, either. I feel stupid a lot of the time, in that it's hard for me to focus or sometimes even form coherent sentences; I'll stutter, slur, & lose my "train of thought" mid sentence. My short term memory is absolutely awful -- I'll set down a bottle of water or something like that & almost immediately forget where I set it! I tend to either sleep all of the time or not sleep at all, sometimes for days. It has completely disrupted my life.
My skin is very pale. My hair has suddenly gotten kind of thin & .. coarse(? I guess is a good word). It even sort of changed color from dark brown to a lighter brown. My cheeks are always flushed, & I have dark bags under my eyes. About two weeks ago something very strange happened for the first time: I passed a lot of bright red blood during a trip to the bathroom (enough to soak the toilet paper I was using & even partially cover my hand through the toilet paper) & turn the water red. I had an awful headache for five days after this happened. & worst of all, my hands hurt like heck! It feels almost like the actual bones/joints are cramped. It's made playing guitar hard, & I'm sure you guys all know what that is capable of doing to any teenage guy -- no guitar = sad boy. Oh. & I have really, really bad posture that I can't really seem to help.
Within the last month, my eye sight has started growing blurry. & I've been extremely depressed, but I guess that's because of how crummy I've been feeling & because of the fact that no one can figure out what the heck is going on! (Not to mention other stresses that have been irritating me lately. Hehe.) I also have trouble passing urine, night sweats & feel dizzy & shaky fairly often. My ears ring a lot.. whether it be a buzzing or just sort of a ringing.
Since I've read that there is some sort of correlation between hypothyroidism & certain psychiatric disorders, I will mention this: I was diagnosed with Major Depression & then re-diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder (Type 1) & Borderline Personality Disorder when I was fifteen years old. They put me on Wellbutrin (though they later swapped it with Celexa), Depakote, & then Risperdal. I was prescribed Zoloft prior to that regimen of medications.
I was on those medications for a year before deciding to quit them & ended up putting on one hundred pounds during that time (prior to quiting). I lost almost all of the weight I had put on, started feeling really tired (& experiencing the rest of the symptoms I mentioned), & then put most of that weight back on again.
So.. Just to sum things up:
1) I have been told by all of the doctors I've been sent to that I most likely have Hepatitis. One told me that I quote "look like a Hepatitis case". Another called it "Hepatitis NOS" & explained to me what NOS meant. That was interesting!
2) The doctor I mentioned having a long history with told me that there is a chance I have Hypothyroidism as well & is currently looking into it (with a new round of blood tests).
3) There has been no diagnoses yet, so my use of "as well" is completely misleading. There is a strong suspicion that I have Hepatitis, though the doctors aren't certain since nothing has showed up in my blood work & since I haven't had a biopsy yet.
4) I've been prescribed a mood stabilizer in the past & have been diagnosed with Bi-Polar (Type 1) & Borderline Personality Disorder which I've read may correlate with Hypothyroidism.
Do you guys have any advice for me? Do you share any similar problems?? What in the world do I get to "look forward to" with all of this weird stuff going on with me?
I'm going to go ahead & tell you that I'm nineteen years old.
I have been going to a doctor since January. He has referred me to four doctors since then though I mainly check in with him. I recently went to a doctor in the town I was raised in as well since I have a fairly long history with him (& since he's a real nice guy).
The general consensus between the doctors I've seen is that I have some sort of liver disease even though it hasn't been given an official name yet; nothing has shown up in my blood work yet. My ALT & AST are elevated (one being around 245 & the other around 200). The rest of the things checked during my blood work came back normal. They've checked me for "everything" (as one doctor put it) & checked several times. I was also told that both my good & bad cholesterol are "abnormally low".
I've also had two doctors (the one I mentioned having a long history with & the one I consider my primary physician) tell me they think I might have hypothyroidism.
I don't drink. I've never touched drugs. & the only time I've been out of the country (I live in the United States) was during a trip to Jamaica & Grand Cayman two years ago. No blood transfusions, either. The only member of my family with any liver disease was my mother's grandmother, who has Wilson's Disease. My mother is anemic & has Lupus. (Just in case that is at all relevant to my post.)
My skin itches. I am tired ALL of the time (I often nod off at the most inconvenient times). I have severe stomach pain (that I've suffered all of my life, so I don't know if that counts). I can't take much noise or light, especially bright light (like the kind produced at schools by fluorescent light bulbs). I feel like I have a fever most of the time, even though my temperature is usually below average (last check was at 97.1) when I start complaining. I can't seem to stand feeling cold or hot, either. I feel stupid a lot of the time, in that it's hard for me to focus or sometimes even form coherent sentences; I'll stutter, slur, & lose my "train of thought" mid sentence. My short term memory is absolutely awful -- I'll set down a bottle of water or something like that & almost immediately forget where I set it! I tend to either sleep all of the time or not sleep at all, sometimes for days. It has completely disrupted my life.
My skin is very pale. My hair has suddenly gotten kind of thin & .. coarse(? I guess is a good word). It even sort of changed color from dark brown to a lighter brown. My cheeks are always flushed, & I have dark bags under my eyes. About two weeks ago something very strange happened for the first time: I passed a lot of bright red blood during a trip to the bathroom (enough to soak the toilet paper I was using & even partially cover my hand through the toilet paper) & turn the water red. I had an awful headache for five days after this happened. & worst of all, my hands hurt like heck! It feels almost like the actual bones/joints are cramped. It's made playing guitar hard, & I'm sure you guys all know what that is capable of doing to any teenage guy -- no guitar = sad boy. Oh. & I have really, really bad posture that I can't really seem to help.
Within the last month, my eye sight has started growing blurry. & I've been extremely depressed, but I guess that's because of how crummy I've been feeling & because of the fact that no one can figure out what the heck is going on! (Not to mention other stresses that have been irritating me lately. Hehe.) I also have trouble passing urine, night sweats & feel dizzy & shaky fairly often. My ears ring a lot.. whether it be a buzzing or just sort of a ringing.
Since I've read that there is some sort of correlation between hypothyroidism & certain psychiatric disorders, I will mention this: I was diagnosed with Major Depression & then re-diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder (Type 1) & Borderline Personality Disorder when I was fifteen years old. They put me on Wellbutrin (though they later swapped it with Celexa), Depakote, & then Risperdal. I was prescribed Zoloft prior to that regimen of medications.
I was on those medications for a year before deciding to quit them & ended up putting on one hundred pounds during that time (prior to quiting). I lost almost all of the weight I had put on, started feeling really tired (& experiencing the rest of the symptoms I mentioned), & then put most of that weight back on again.
So.. Just to sum things up:
1) I have been told by all of the doctors I've been sent to that I most likely have Hepatitis. One told me that I quote "look like a Hepatitis case". Another called it "Hepatitis NOS" & explained to me what NOS meant. That was interesting!
2) The doctor I mentioned having a long history with told me that there is a chance I have Hypothyroidism as well & is currently looking into it (with a new round of blood tests).
3) There has been no diagnoses yet, so my use of "as well" is completely misleading. There is a strong suspicion that I have Hepatitis, though the doctors aren't certain since nothing has showed up in my blood work & since I haven't had a biopsy yet.
4) I've been prescribed a mood stabilizer in the past & have been diagnosed with Bi-Polar (Type 1) & Borderline Personality Disorder which I've read may correlate with Hypothyroidism.
Do you guys have any advice for me? Do you share any similar problems?? What in the world do I get to "look forward to" with all of this weird stuff going on with me?
Ouch. I'm sorry to hear that!
I just mentioned the eight tubes of blood, because I thought it was funny. I couldn't imagine have twenty five taken in one sitting -- that's absolutely awful.
I'm just really confused about all of this. It's been going on for most of this year & sitting around waiting to get relief is a drag.
I just mentioned the eight tubes of blood, because I thought it was funny. I couldn't imagine have twenty five taken in one sitting -- that's absolutely awful.
I'm just really confused about all of this. It's been going on for most of this year & sitting around waiting to get relief is a drag.
like jim suggested you need to see a hepatologist to find out what is going on with your liver first. from what i have read the liver disease can affect the thyroid but not the thyroid affect the liver. what i'm trying to say is unless you have two different problems you should look at what is going on with your liver. best of luck
Good luck in your search for better health.
My life was destroyed wtih Hep C treatment and now I am on the same search for better health.
Finding a good, caring doc can be a great/depressing adventure. I seem to appreciate the docs that admit to not knowing everything and hate the ones that think they know everything. I quit seeing Endocrinologists because none would open their books and look for something not in their immediate vocabulary when you dont fit in their tiny world of blood tests of a form.
Just to make you feel better. All my tests come back normal or near normal too. First everyone thought I had hyperthyroidism but then I started gaining weight while exercising 2 hours/day so they all thought I had Hypo. I currently am on a diet of about 1200 cals and in the past four weeks gained 10 pounds. Again, all my tests come back normal or near normal. And by the way, 8 tubes of blood is nothing. Before starting Hep C treatment my doc requested 26 tubes of blood. Also 8 tubes aint gonna test for everything - there are soooooo many blood tests out there.
The blood lab hates to see me come in because my new doc pulls out these blood tests they have never heard of and some arent even in their books so they are on the phone to support making notes.
fun, fun, fun,
frank
My life was destroyed wtih Hep C treatment and now I am on the same search for better health.
Finding a good, caring doc can be a great/depressing adventure. I seem to appreciate the docs that admit to not knowing everything and hate the ones that think they know everything. I quit seeing Endocrinologists because none would open their books and look for something not in their immediate vocabulary when you dont fit in their tiny world of blood tests of a form.
Just to make you feel better. All my tests come back normal or near normal too. First everyone thought I had hyperthyroidism but then I started gaining weight while exercising 2 hours/day so they all thought I had Hypo. I currently am on a diet of about 1200 cals and in the past four weeks gained 10 pounds. Again, all my tests come back normal or near normal. And by the way, 8 tubes of blood is nothing. Before starting Hep C treatment my doc requested 26 tubes of blood. Also 8 tubes aint gonna test for everything - there are soooooo many blood tests out there.
The blood lab hates to see me come in because my new doc pulls out these blood tests they have never heard of and some arent even in their books so they are on the phone to support making notes.
fun, fun, fun,
frank
I understand your desire to know what's happening, but I really think you need to see a liver specialist to figure out the liver part and an Endocrinoloigst (Thanks Grandma :)) to figure the thyroid part out. In other words, no sense trying to fix something until you know exactly what that something is. If you want to tell us what part of the country you're in, maybe someone here can suggest a hepatologist (liver specialist). Or, you can ask your family doctor to refer you to a hepatologist. The sooner you find out exactly what is wrong, the sooner you will be on the path to feel better again.
-- Jim
-- Jim
Thanks for your reply!
I'm not currently on any antidepressants or anything like that -- & haven't been in something like four years. I decided to bring that up in my post since I read that the medications I was on are known to actually cause Hypothyroidism. (Kind of crazy, I think.)
I'm currently going to a family doctor. I was seeing a holistic doctor who referred me to a local family doctor & an endocrinologist. The endocrinologist seemed sort of disinterested in the whole thing while the family doctor I was referred to decided after my second or third visit to draw eight tubes of blood & test for darned near everything -- which all came back negative. My mother spoke with a specialist in Seattle who told her the stuff that is going on could be a cause for concern, so I'm not sure whether I'm being paranoid or if there's something wrong.
The doctor I am going to now is the one who originally prescribed those antidepressants for me & was around way back then, so I decided I'd rather just start going to him since the folks down here can't seem to figure out what's happening to me. I'm supposed to be finding out the results of my newest round of blood work soon. I think he's checking all of my thyroid related levels for the first time.
Do you know if the symptoms I listed could point in one direction or another? & if it turns out that I have Hepatitis &/or Hypothyroidism, what should I expect in terms of treatment & what not? & how long would it usually take for someone with all of this stupid stuff to get back on their feet? I'm ready to start college, but don't want to until I start feeling better.
I'm not currently on any antidepressants or anything like that -- & haven't been in something like four years. I decided to bring that up in my post since I read that the medications I was on are known to actually cause Hypothyroidism. (Kind of crazy, I think.)
I'm currently going to a family doctor. I was seeing a holistic doctor who referred me to a local family doctor & an endocrinologist. The endocrinologist seemed sort of disinterested in the whole thing while the family doctor I was referred to decided after my second or third visit to draw eight tubes of blood & test for darned near everything -- which all came back negative. My mother spoke with a specialist in Seattle who told her the stuff that is going on could be a cause for concern, so I'm not sure whether I'm being paranoid or if there's something wrong.
The doctor I am going to now is the one who originally prescribed those antidepressants for me & was around way back then, so I decided I'd rather just start going to him since the folks down here can't seem to figure out what's happening to me. I'm supposed to be finding out the results of my newest round of blood work soon. I think he's checking all of my thyroid related levels for the first time.
Do you know if the symptoms I listed could point in one direction or another? & if it turns out that I have Hepatitis &/or Hypothyroidism, what should I expect in terms of treatment & what not? & how long would it usually take for someone with all of this stupid stuff to get back on their feet? I'm ready to start college, but don't want to until I start feeling better.
Welcome to the forum. Jim has given you excellent advice above. The thyroid specialist is called an Endocrinologist in case you didn't know. Best wishes to you. Hope you feel better soon.
First, welcome to the forum and sorry you're having so many problems at a very young age.
Hepatitis NOS just means "not otherwise specificed". In other words, it sounds like they probably tested you for viral hepatitis like Hep A, B, C etc, and you came out negative. But in the broader sense, Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver, and that appears to be what their thinking is.
If you were my kid, and I had the resources (or the insurance) I'd send you to one of the Mayo Clinic centers for a complete and thorough evaluation. But short of that, are you still seeing your family doctor or have they sent you to a specialist yet? In your case, you probably need three specialists -- a liver doctor (they are called Hepatologists), a thyroid specalist and of course a good psychiatrist or psychologist to manage your bi-polar drugs.
Sometimes when things aren't working it pays to have a fresh set of eyes and ears evaluate things.
Hope you start feeling better soon and thanks again for dropping by.
All the best,
-- Jim
Hepatitis NOS just means "not otherwise specificed". In other words, it sounds like they probably tested you for viral hepatitis like Hep A, B, C etc, and you came out negative. But in the broader sense, Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver, and that appears to be what their thinking is.
If you were my kid, and I had the resources (or the insurance) I'd send you to one of the Mayo Clinic centers for a complete and thorough evaluation. But short of that, are you still seeing your family doctor or have they sent you to a specialist yet? In your case, you probably need three specialists -- a liver doctor (they are called Hepatologists), a thyroid specalist and of course a good psychiatrist or psychologist to manage your bi-polar drugs.
Sometimes when things aren't working it pays to have a fresh set of eyes and ears evaluate things.
Hope you start feeling better soon and thanks again for dropping by.
All the best,
-- Jim
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