Does anyone know what this could be !!!!

[wostar]

Hi all,
So in May 2008 I stupidly had a one night stand with a bisexual guy, I had no health problems until 5 months later. I was in perfect health before (I had never even had the flu) I was 17 years old at the time and I am now 19, (I am female) the reason I cannot go for bloodwork/tests is I am severely needle phobic!! Ok so for the symptoms part... five months later I had the following symptoms:

Flu like illness
Very severe joint pain migrating between elbows and knees
nausea
sore throat

All of those symptoms cleared up within a week apart from the joint pain!! which is terrible! it was in just both knees until a few months ago and now my fingers are in the same pain  The pain is constant, 24 hrs a day 7 days a week, it is eased by walking and made worse if my knees are bent for a while.

Now for other symptoms that have occured recently (about a year and a half after first symptoms)

still have the joint pain
white coating on tongue at back brushes off easy and does not hurt
upper right abdominal pain in the liver area
yellowish eyes
orange urine
fatigue

and the one that worry's me most?????? TERRY'S NAILS!!!!

I am 99.9% sure that this is an infection as my boyfriend who I started dating about 3 weeks after that one night stand also has joint pain and Terry's nails!!!

Can anybody give me some ideas as to what may be causing these problems?? I am so lost and worried. I cannot have tests done at the moment because of my severe needle phobia (which I am attending classes/hypnotherapy for)

ANY IDEAS/COMMENTS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED !!

p.s ( please no comments such as '' you should always have protected sex, or don't have one night stands'') I already know this, I was 17 at the time and I have learnt from my mistakes.

[spectda]

I really understand that your fear is real and strong. In the past few years I have grown fearful of flying and it takes a lot longer then 20 seconds to go anywhere. I have used klonopin and it helped with the anxiety of flying a lot. I don't really have other phobias and generally do not have high anxiety.

Take Care - Dave

[spectda]

You can't expect a diagnosis from an internet forum. You should ask your doctor what he needs to do to diagnose you, what has the doctor said? Perhaps they can give you some valium or klonopin if you need to give blood for testing. At some point in life you will most likely need to have you're blood tested. I would find a way to deal with the Fear since it takes about 20-30 seconds to give blood.

[wostar]

anyone else want to share anything?

[wostar]

thanks but i had a negative hiv oraquick already and was screened for everything else at the gum clinic but they cant use saliva for a hepatitis tests, also i was more worried about hep b rather than hep c, good points though :)

[nygirl7]

PS Off the needle rant - whether you had sex with bisexual dude or a straight dude really makes no difference - this is not a sexually transmitted disease as a rule (although it is possible).........now if he has a history of drug use PERHAPS but those odds are very slim as well. You have to have blood to blood infection.  If you had gotten this disease a few years ago the active infection which causes the real hepatitis symptoms (jaundice, flu, severe weight loss etc) would be over by now and most people have no symptoms when they are in early stages of the disease.  They don't come usually until much later when severe liver damage is done.

I'd be more worried about HIV and some other things rather than HepC.

[Diane12855]

Great Point!!!!!!!!

[nygirl7]

I hate needles and was afraid I couldn't give myself the injections but Lord knows you surely get used to it.  Giving the blood for blood tests was 100x worse to me because you can't control it but the injections you give yourself during treatment are really nothing at all. They have nothing to do with veins so it's ok.

Anyway I have to tell you anyone who can do a 36 hour labor with a breach birth can handle this.  Just get it done and then you'll realize the 8 year old is not in charge any longer...........it's different as an adult who realizes there is a purpose.  And the purpose is to be cured.

[wostar]

for me its not the whole pain thing its just the thought, I haven't had a needle since i was 8 years old, i had a really bad experience because they couldn't find the vein, I didn't even have one when i gave birth to my son an it was a 36 hr labour and he was breach born, my hypnotherapy classes are doing nothing for me right now but i am only 3 sessions in so hopefully by the end i shall be ok :)

[Diane12855]

You two are very lucky people. Rocker... your statement was that they are 100% painless. I assumed that you meant that for everybody, not just for yourself.

While I was going to school to be a lab tech, we had to do health fairs, and take blood from lots of people. Believe me, the fear of needles is very real to a lot of people. The thing that surprised me the most was the fact that men are a lot more afraid than women. You wouldn't believe how white they would turn. Sometimes we had to make them sit for a minute before they got up.

I don't know if it is the pain they feel, or the fear of the pain, but whatever it was... it was very real to them. Personally, I never minded getting shots either... I used to watch because I thought it was interesting.

Diane

[Trinity4]

I was thinking the same thing and agree with you Rocker because they never bothered me either, even as a child.   Now when they were jamming a 16 gauge needle in my arm to do phlebotomy that was a little uncomfortable but blood test, inoculations etc., were no problem.

It's a perception thing.  

[Rockerforlife]

Its not false,needles DO NOT hurt me ,i cant even feel a thing.Just because a pin ***** hurts you dont mean it hurts me

[Diane12855]

Ask your doctor for something for anxiety before you have to go for the lab work. That should help a lot.

Also, the statement above that needles are 100% painless is false. They do hurt some, but not nearly as bad as the disease you are wanting to avoid. I have always found that honesty was the best policy with my kids when I took them for their shots. They weren't nearly as afraid as the other kids who's parents were lying to them and saying "it won't hurt." because they knew what to expect. Pinch yourself in the area where they take the blood from. That's what if feels like. You can handle that.

Diane

[wostar]

Thanks for your advice everyone, I have just come off the phone to my doctors surgery, he is going to discuss with me what I need to do. I have to go there Monday afternoon so I will let you all know :)

[Rockerforlife]

great answer

[Willy50]

There are different types of hepatitis.  Check out Hep B virus;

http://www.medhelp.org/medical-information/show/68/Hepatitis-B#sec_2598

Hep B IS a STD and it's symptoms are very similar to those you describe.  The first test would be a blood draw to check for antibodies and or an actual PCR test since you seem quite symptomatic.

I strongly recommend that you get medical attention for your condition.  You need a doctors diagnosis and treatment for whatever you may have.  If you have Hep B you also need to understand that you can transmit this to others and that there are things which can possibly but you at greater risk for damage, such as alcohol use.

I also agree that there could be other STDs that you need to be tested for and other tests as a Dr sees fit to order.  If you explain your issue with needles you may find that there is some accommodation which can be given.  When I get mine, they put in one needle and can fill any number of test vials.  It could be that your fear of the proceedure is greater than the actual act.  

In any case, in the best interest of your own health as well as those whom you could infect while you go undiagnosed or treated, I urge you to get prompt medical help.

best,
Willy

[Rockerforlife]

My phopia is not needles,its the ocean at night,i dont mind being on the water in the day time but at nite is scares me,its the depth and vastness that get me.

[Trinity4]

Only a physician can give you an accurate diagnoses.  Cirrhosis or hepatic failure takes years to occur with hepc so even if you had contracted Hepc sexually which is highly unlikely you wouldn't be experiencing liver failure after two years so Terry's Nails would have no correlation.  Just my opinion, I'm not a doctor.

Hope you overcome that needle phobia soon because you need to get tested for peace of mind.

Trinity

[Rockerforlife]

BTW...syringes are 100% painless.

[Rockerforlife]

I highly doubt you got hep from the sex,maybe just a STD...

[peacepostx]

Phobia or no...you should see a doctor...both you and your boyfriend.
Hep C is not considered a STD (disclaimer: blood to blood contact is necessary to transmit, so there is a slight possibility)...but Hep B is highly contagious....and with the jaundice....yellow eyes etc...
Sounds like you need to get tested...with a Hepatitis Panel as well as being checked for a myriad of  sexually transmitted diseases.
Good luck.