Do I have a minor or major medical issue?

So I have been to the doctors today and was an absolute waste of time. I am none the wiser and it is as if he didn't care and it was almost as though I was holding him up.


For the past month I have been 'diagnosed' with stress and anxiety' with slight breathing difficulties, sleepless nights, headaches.

Have not seemed to get worse or better. Recently I have had full body aches and pains, dull aching pains, in one knee, then toes, then foot, the hand, then side of hand, then side of foot, then ankle, then hip, then arm, then back, then head, the fingers, all over really, on and off every few minutes. Not to the point of agony, but to the point of "Ow, what was that".

Slight dizzy feeling when standing up after sitting down, laying down, getting up quick, coming out of hot bath. Knees and ankles have been especially aching, like an arthritic feel. Warm knees, no inflammation. Elbows ache sometimes too.

Still sleeping problems, possibly due to internet and looking at all the illnesses under the sun, although they all seem to have the same or very similar symptoms.

Back ache for a week - only thing I can put it down to is using a rowing machine without warming up - even though for only 5 mins, cycling to work everyday and back - 20 mins max each way.

I am 19 years old and male, I have never been the fittest person weighing 14 stone last year - mostly fat - to 10 stone this year after much hard work and exercise. Still quite flabby on stomach and chest area, but my mum says i am bony - mainly because my shoulder blades are prominent.

Seems that i have weak muscles, or find it hard to put muscle on, forearms and wrists are quite bony, no real tone there as for the biceps. Legs have always been quite stocky, strong, lots of cycling. Have never really tried to put muscle on as in gym.

Work is mostly physical, ranges from pulling down trees old style to gardening, woodwork, painting, any odd jobs really. Have had a new 'desk' job for about two weeks, which is when these problems seemed to begin - pain problems, still trying to get over stress and sleeping issues.

Could it be transition from outside to indoors? 10 hours a day 5 days a week - now reduced to 8 hours a day 3 days a week so I do not die!

Like i said, today doc seemed totally unhelpful, asked to do refelx tests and any simple test that may check for coordination, etc but said nothing much really, could be due to sleep loss maybe? I dont know.

Have looked briefly into Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis, other illnesses with similar symptoms, can be anything, I don't know. I have never really felt like this before, There was a time when i was around 5,6,7 or 8 cannot remember when I woke up but could not move - paralysis, eyes wouldnt open, mum had to get me up then I seemed fine.

Had terrible migraines and sickness for about 4 years, maybe couple of times a week, due to school work and stress, was told I am a sensitive person.

I DON'T KNOW!

I just feel that there are links with these symptoms, whether it is because I have always been anxious, or worried or depressed whatever. But I always - look on the black side - I suppose. I mean could it be one of the major illnesses like MS, or other muscle weaknesses????

What other symptoms are there, have looked at most and tick the boxes on some but like i said they are all so similar, depression, anxiety, stress, sleep problems, muscle problems, headaches.

last few days just been lethargic feeling, tired, heavy eyes, heavy headed, slight loss of balance, only occasionally. Not constant aching but on and off pains,
slight problems swallowing,
sleeping still,
stiffness in hands in the morning
muscle weakness and tightness.

Thats about it, I do not know what is mild or bad, to me it is just noticeable as I am not used to it, so it makes it seem bad.

Any ideas, please shed some light.

Many Thanks

James Girdler

p.s. I had a blood test recently, said they were looking for U's and E's???? Think it was kidneys or something else not sure. also my neck hurts when moving.

[sllowe]

Blue,

Hi Blue. Sorry for what you are going through. This doesn't sound like MS to me.

Some of your symptoms even sound viral. Has this been w/in the past week or so? A lot of what you mention sounds flu-like - but not sure how long you've been dealing w/this.

Your MD should definitely be willing to run labs for you to check many things. Doc can do this by running a comprehensive metabolic panel, a CBC and could even run some other areas like vitamin deficiency, thyroid, etc.

You could be looking at something simple as a problem. Best advice I can give is to try to not get worked up about it. Remain calm. And, when you re-visit the doctor just simply look he/she in the eye and ask (nicely) why is it you are feeling so badly, and what has been looked into so far. Tell the doctor you want to feel better and then go from there.

Hope you feel better soon,
-Shell

[addicted2harleys]

Hi, James and welcome to our forum.  I am unclear how much a stone equals compared to pounds, but I can take a guess that you recently lost a considerable amount of weight!  Congrats on that for sure!  That is something to definitely be proud of.  Depending on how much weight you lost in a years time, if it is quite extensive, I wonder if what you are experiencing has anything to do with rapid weight loss?  I don't know.

I am no doctor, but what you are experiencing doesn't sound like MS to me either.  The doc that you saw today, was it a regular doctor or a specialist like a neurologist?  Did he/she decide to run any tests on you?  Or a referral to a different doctor?  Is there a followup appointment scheduled?  Did the doctor give you any ideas/suggestions/thoughts on what could be the cause of what you are experiencing?

Shell gave you some good feedback, too.  And I hope you get to feeling better, too!

Addi

[COBOB]

James,
Given your age and symptoms, I'd think something viral.  Have they tested you for Mononucleosis?

The Sleep Paralysis when you wakeup and can't move for a bit is actually quite common.  Normally, your body enter hypotonia when you sleep so you don't get hurt while dreaming or having a nightmare.  That hypotonia can sometimes extend into the waking phase of sleep.

People with narcolepsy seem more prone to sleep paralysis.

Bob

[LisaJF]

Hi James,

You ride your bicycle a lot outdoors and work outdoors??  Your symptoms sound viral as I would agree with everyone else.

Have your MD check for Lyme disease (ELISA), Mono spot, EBV, CMV, CBC, CMP, Vit B12, TORCH, .  Myalgia, joint pain, night sweats, weakness is one of the symptoms of Lyme and Mononucleosis.  Numbing and tingling can stem from these viral illnesses as well.

Feeling dizzy after a hot bath is most probable orthostatic hypotension due to vasodilation of the arteries.

You definitely need to be the captain of your ship and make sure your doctor tests you as soon as possible.

Please let us know how you're doing and welcome to the forum!

[SarahL2491]

from a nurse's standpoint, it sounds like its viral to me, ask your doctor if he's willing to run some blood and basic tests......if not.........find a new doc

Welcome and keep us posted!

[supermum_ms]

I also dont think your sx sound like MS or even any of its mimics. From what you've written you remind me of what my daughter went through when she got mono. It took a long time before she got over it fully, viral infections like mono can stay around for a while, the sx linger in your system. She too lives with anxiety and depression, the viral infection affected that and she was dark too, until it finally got out of her system.

Sometimes mental health issues can make it easier for you to fixate on your health and other times there is a health issue that makes your mental health issues play up. I dont think it really matters much what the cause, getting help for your anxiety will only ever be a good thing. If you suspect your mental health is being exaserbated and causing your sleep difficulties, then stop your googling!!

If you do have a viral infection in your system, (simple blood tests will pick it up) then physical exercise is going to be hard when your body is not functioning at its best. Your going to have to give your self time to recover, regardless of the cause. Try laying off what your currently doing, work on strengthening your mental health issues and stregthening your general health, both will help you.

Cheers........JJ

[Lulu54]

Addi, a stone is  equal to 14 pounds - the Brits mix standard weights and measurements all over the place.  They drink pints but buy petrol by the litre.  :-)

James - you have received spot on advice here - I hope you will discuss this with your doctors.

best, Lulu

[twopack]

James, you sound miserable and lost.  You may have something extra going on here lately making you feel worse than usual.  But I'm more struck by your description of yourself as a 19 year old male who has never built up much muscle despite a fair amount of physical exercise.

Add in things like feeling physically and emotionally weakened, disrupted sleep, lots of body aches and a possible problem with your blood volume or circulation and I start to wonder if hormone levels need to be checked.  Those important chemicals that float around in our blood can cause a lot of your symptoms.  Symptoms, in turn, can also contribute to hormone imbalances.

I'm wondering if the "flabby" stomach and chest areas you describe are folds of excess skin that are sometimes a left-over of weight loss.  It is possible this could be another sign pointing to hormone imbalance.

Your primary doctor could run some basic blood tests to check some possibilities.  (I don't know what the U's and E's might have been.)  I'm not clear how your health care works for referrals.  What does it take to get referred to see a specialist?  I can see you maybe benefiting from a doctor who specializes in endocrinology.  

Good luck in finding some answers.  You have a lot of life to enjoy and that's much easier when you feel healthy and good about yourself.

Mary

By the way, if a stone=14 pounds I'm thinking Mum is right and you are looking boney if your 10 stone is on average height.