Any ideas

[Jschwartz87]

I feel like we've tried everything already but we haven't done this yet so here it goes. So far we've stumped every doctor that we have met.
At the age of thirteen my boyfriend suddenly began having a dizzy sensation that is hard to explain. He is now 25 and still feels like this. The only way that he can explain it is that it feels like hes watching a movie or has a film over his eyes. He found an article on "derealization". It sounds exactly like what hes feeling but we dont know why it was so sudden, why its getting worse or how to treat it. This is the article, it may help. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derealization#section_1
Its now accompanied my many other symptoms and have found no known reason why. Almost one year ago he began feeling worse. Some days he can not function regularly or at all.
Heres a list of symptoms:
Dizziness
Pain to the right jaw
Headaches
Swollen glands
Weight gain
Depression
Anxiety
Low blood pressure

I think thats about it that i can actually give a name to. I think its more the feeling he has every second of every day that is the question.

First we went to the dentist that had removed his wisdom teeth a few weeks prior to the sudden change in the way he was feeling. His claim was that his jaw was hurting again. The xrays showed nothing and the dentist sent us to an ear nose and throat doctor. He told him to drink less coffee, more water and to get more sleep.

I then retrieved the MRI results from the scan they did when he was about 18 that he never followed up on. We saw the same neurologist again and he had another MRI done. In both the original and recent scans, it shows that he has quite a few cysts on his brain. They did not progress at all in the 6 years and it was said that it is not a problem and to leave them alone. She then ordered an EKG. The results came back completly normal. She ordered blood work. They also came back normal except for very low blood pressure. Her response was to ingest more salt.

We then waited months to get into another ENT to get another opinion. Between that doctor and two of his colleagues they had no idea what to tell him. They had done a hearing test and examined him and not one had an answer. Everything appeared to be normal.

We then went in the direction of the derealization route. It claims to possibly be caused by anxiety and/or depression. So then he began seeing a
Psychiatrist. He attempted two different medications for depression and that resulted in him feeling even worse than he usually does. So he stopped taking that after a few months of "letting it work it's way into the system".

The last thing that he did was seeing a naturopath. During the first appointment the doctor that prior to doing any tests that he definately has a thyroid problem. He was given
"cell salts" and a few other general natural remedies. It may just be a ploy for money but it seems to make him feel a little better and in a better mood. He had more bloodwork done and it showed that his thyroid was very normal.

So this results with a very dizzy, angry, frustrated and confused person. He does not have insurance and has had to pay for every single visit and test out of pocket. Every single one has had no results. We have exhausted every idea that we've had. If anyone else has had these symptoms, please let me know. I don't know what else to do.

[Red_Star]

Derealization is also associated with the presence of an arachnoid cyst.

[Red_Star]

Are these arachnoid brain cysts? If so, the symptoms that may occur are numerous depending on the size and location.  Going from your list of symptoms, an arachnoid cyst may cause:

*Headaches

*Vertigo/dizziness

*Depression

*Anxiety

* Mental status includes confusion, difficulty in going to sleep or remaining asleep, general apathy and feelings of depersonalization

[Barb135]

Some of the symptoms can be those of a thyroid condition.  Please post results to whatever thyroid function tests were done and be sure to include reference ranges, since those vary lab to lab and must come from his own report.  

Even labs in a "normal range" may not be normal for the individual.  

They should, at the very least, have done Free T3, Free T4 and TSH.  Hopefully, they would also have done thyroid antibody tests to determine if there were an autoimmune disease destroying the thyroid.

FYI - there are no "natural" remedies for hypothyroidism, so if the naturopath thought there was a thyroid condition, s/he should have started him on a thyroid replacement medication.  Not sure what "cell salts" even are, but that's quackery at its finest.

If the tests I mentioned above were not done, your boyfriend would need to get them done in order to determine whether or not he has a thyroid condition.  If he needs to have them done, we can point you to a couple of web sites, from which the FT3, FT4 and TSH can be ordered for about $85, which is less than most labs would charge and wouldn't entail another doctor visit to get a lab order.