Autoimmune disorder, or someting else?

[RWebster]

27 yr. old F, unhealthy since birth. w/ sinusitis every few weeks, illness always abnormally severe. c. pox @ 5 lasted 2 weeks, w/ temp of 104+, hallucenations, & pox over my entire body, scalp & genitals. at 14, a heart arrhythmia w/ tachycardia & PVC's was found. 1 halter showed 22,000 PVC's in 24 hrs. the cardio. DX'd it as congenital & EP study came back normal. i suffer w/ severe depression & anxiety since age 12, tried almost every SRI, w/ no relief. at 23, came breathing issues & chest pain. i went to my Dr.,& DX'd w/ pneumonia & asthma (which i never had prior). after months of steroids, antibiotics, & frequent use of a nebulizer, i was able to breathe ok. i still use my inhaler & dueoneb rarely.  soon after, i had chronic pain in my muscles, lower back, joints & TMJ . i began heavy periods lasting 3 weeks, passing baseball size clots. i had an exam, & in tests since then, several ovarian cysts which have come & gone were found. 1 yr ago polyfolicular cysts & "unknown" calcium deposits in my uterus were found. in '06, i noticed my BP,  usually on the low side, was high. i went to my cardio. & DX'd hyperthyroid w/ cardiomyopathy w/ an ejection fraction @ 40%. 2 yr. b4 it was 60%. started meds for thyroid &  Toporol to slow my heart. then, my thyroid went from overactive to under. my ejection fraction is @ 50% now. dr's say viral infection. i lost ALL sex drive & still not regained ANY of it. i was DX'd w/ fibromyalgia. after 2 yrs, my synthroid dosage is where tests have been ok for 6 mo, but i still have the symptoms. my sleep cycle changed due to sleep paralysis & night terrors,i sleep during the day, i'm 2 scared at night. a sleep study was inconclusive. i awoke 98x in 6 hrs.& never entered REM. also, +/- 70 psoriasis plaques on arms&legs i'm unable to treat.last period, 4 mo. late. i'm excessively hot.woke last week w/ swollen face, rash on neck & chest. symptoms all being treated separately.  was tested for MS, Lupus, & Lyme 2x. autoimmune? HELP PLEASE.

[RWebster]

Hi,
  i'm sorry to hear you feel as crappy as i do!  i've been reading varrious books on autoimmunity, including the very disturbing, and most recently released, "The Autoimmune Epidemic"  it's available on amazon.com.  i suggest it to anyone  who's dealing with an autoimmune disorder of any kind.  the statistics show that 1 in 9 women will be be stricken with one of the approx. 100 autoimmune diseases that the dr's are aware of, sometime in their life.. usually in their prime.  that's more that cardiovascular disease and cancer combined.  yet, no one is giving it public attention and advocating it like cancer and heard disease.  when's the last time you saw someone wearing an "autoimmune disease awareness ribbon"?  here is one website someone gave me a link to, and also, try Googling the "Marshall Protocol"

http://bacteriality.com/about-2/

best wishes, and email me any time.  if you want, i have aim, gmail, and myspace if you wanna chat sometime.  just lemme kow.

-Becky

-Becky

[babblingfool]

WOW!! I have similar symptoms minus the joint/muscle pain. I am 32yr old female who got sick on/off as a child, nothing to stand out.  Chicken Pox x2, frequent cold sores on lips, nose, face.  Seemed pretty healthy until the day after my daughter was born 8-1/2 yrs ago. Had rash dev, long story short, I've had about 7 skin biopsies (all neg, only shows eczema), patch skin tested (pos for formaldehye allergy), been seeing a Rheum for 7 yrs (WACKY labs, but no diagnosis), Thyroid issues (off meds for 5yrs & fine now), lost libido (finally got it back thank goodness), suffer with depression, anxiety, OCD, ADD, Neg workup for Celiac (although I have all the symoptoms), adult onset asthma, frequent palpitations (was told was normal), Multiple sinus infections, CHRONIC FATIGUE is my ongoing battle.  I've tried tons of meds, herbs, treatments without success. Very costly to go to Duke/Emory/Mayo (though I'm sure I'll end up there). I saw your other post about website info you have, what are the sites?

[Kevin Pho, MD]

This certainly sounds like a difficult case, and many of the tests that I would have thought of have already been done.  It is also unlikely that I can come up with something new over the internet that hasn't already been thought of.

To ensure that obvious causes haven't been missed, a blood count, TSH, ANA and metabolic panel with liver tests should be done, if not already.

The cardiac workup has been extensive.  A negative EP study would make an arrythmia less likely.  I would continue to monitor the heart to ensure the ejection fraction does not decrease further.

Referrals to a rheumatologist and neurologist can be considered for a second opinion. This should preferably done at a major academic medical center, where they may be more familiar with uncommon cases.

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

Kevin, M.D.
www.kevinmd.com