Aa
Something wrong or Psychosomatic??
Hi, I am now 33 and I have been dealing with unexplained symptoms for a long while now. When I was in my early to mid 20s I started having mood disturbances (I did a LOT of mood altering drugs so thought that could have been damage from that). I don't seem to suffer from depression or anxiety but had a problem with nasty irritability and agression off and on. I went on and off antidepressants for a couple years through my pcp but to be honest the ones that didn't give me bad side effects seemed to just make me worse? Fast forward to about a year or so ago and I have not been on any medications for about 3 years. My boyfriend and I started really paying attention and tracking all of this and we started noticing more physical symptoms that were going along with the mood disturbances it so I figured Endocrine because of the way it seemed to cycle on me...I'd be fine then I went on the pill...after one week (yes one week) BOOM I am a nasty monster...go off it and after two months settle down again..then I ended up going to the hospital because I woke up middle of the night to an embarrasing gastro problem and severe lower body pain..ct said had a possible ruptured ovarian cyst..BOOM a mess again...took my mood and other symptoms a while to settle again...then in July of 08 I go on prednisone for what the ER termed brionchial spazams and wheezing and everything blew up! I stopped after three days of the prednisone because I got that moon face, couldn't sleep. terrible symptoms. Well my cortisol when tested 3 weeks after stopping the pred. jumped up to 4xs what it should have been so went through many more cortisol tests for cushings. It finally leveled out about three months ago and hormone panel looked fine. I have a tiny nodule on my thyroid and it seems like it takes a bit more of an effort to swallow but they said that can not be causing it because it is so small and thyroid hormone is fine. And it is not bad..just a bit noticeable. But these new symptoms have not stopped...I feel like my equilibrium is off sometimes..like off balance (almost like vertigo I had when I was pregnant but not nearly as bad..no spinning) feel like my vision is worse somedays than others...my fatigue is horrendous. When I feel off balance my legs feel a bit wobbly. Sexual issues...sometimes no libido but sometimes I have less sensitivity which is completely odd. Gastro issues...switch from constipation to the other direction. My memory is TERRIBLE. I can't remember much at all from long ago or even yesterday for breakfast. I repeat myself constantly and have to start every conversation with, "I probably told you this already" because I get sick of everyone telling me I already told them. Sometimes I can't remember if I did something 5 minutes after. Forget phone numbers all the time that I have dialed for years. Anyway I went to an internal medicine doctor this past monday...had a cbc done...results normal. They gave me a memory/mental test and I did fine with that because I know what city and state I live in and that a faucet is a faucet He did a physical neuro workup and my reflexes and such seem to be fine I guess. Said if my tests come back normal we will discuss seeing a psych. I said I am fine with that if that is what's needed. With ALL that said lol...can all this be psychosomatic? Is the brain THAT powerful that I could not have depression, fears, or emotional problems that I know of and cause me all these symptoms? Or is there a direction that I am failing to persue? Could all this be due to past drug use? Can this still be a lingering reaction to the prednisone? Or am I just crazy lol?
Any guidance is so appreciated! I am too young to be feeling and acting like I am 95!
Any guidance is so appreciated! I am too young to be feeling and acting like I am 95!
Thank you too for your response! I don't know if I am responding right with these posts and if either of you will see these but I hope :)
I have requested copies of all of my workups since this testing has all started back in August. Was able to nab an old cbc and thyroid from 07 as well. Everything seems to be normal for the most part. Here are my Thyroid levels:
TSH (back in 07): 1.247 (0.350 - 5.500)
TSH (august 08): 0.778 (0.350 - 5.500)
T4 (august 08): 7.4 (4.5 - 12.0)
T3 (august 08): 153 (85 - 205)
So all looks good with thyroid on two separate years. I was also tested for testosterone, and every other hormone...all good except DHEA which was high but DHEAS was normal. Cortisol was very high but after extensive Cortisol testing (2 or so months) it evened back out it seems so probably due to the prednisone a couple weeks before the hormone workup. As far as the nodule on my thyroid, I always knew something was there because my mom had one and an ent ( had vertigo while 7 - 8 months preggo) before heard my voice and said there was something there. I am a smoker (need to quit) and my voice has gotten very deep over the years. The swallowing isn't really bad or anything..just notice a bit that there is more effort needed..no biggie though) The nodule is very tiny (and very common apparently) and not causing anything both endo's said. Follow up is ultrasound to check on it every 6 months - year. As far as the cyst on my ovary...the ct said a possible "ruptured cyst" when I went to the ER with pain and everything and then after the fact gyn had me get an ultrasound and I did have another one on the other side...tiny the doc said and not causing any issuses. Said he wasn't concerned that they come and go in every woman. Sooo...lol. That is where I am. SOMETHING is going on but doesn't seem to be endocrine at all...no pcos or thyroid problems, etc. So now they are looking into neuro I guess...sleep disorder? migrane without the pain? I will keep ya'll updated and thanks so much for the responses...any other ideas, please feel free to speak em :) You feel so confused with all this ****!
I have requested copies of all of my workups since this testing has all started back in August. Was able to nab an old cbc and thyroid from 07 as well. Everything seems to be normal for the most part. Here are my Thyroid levels:
TSH (back in 07): 1.247 (0.350 - 5.500)
TSH (august 08): 0.778 (0.350 - 5.500)
T4 (august 08): 7.4 (4.5 - 12.0)
T3 (august 08): 153 (85 - 205)
So all looks good with thyroid on two separate years. I was also tested for testosterone, and every other hormone...all good except DHEA which was high but DHEAS was normal. Cortisol was very high but after extensive Cortisol testing (2 or so months) it evened back out it seems so probably due to the prednisone a couple weeks before the hormone workup. As far as the nodule on my thyroid, I always knew something was there because my mom had one and an ent ( had vertigo while 7 - 8 months preggo) before heard my voice and said there was something there. I am a smoker (need to quit) and my voice has gotten very deep over the years. The swallowing isn't really bad or anything..just notice a bit that there is more effort needed..no biggie though) The nodule is very tiny (and very common apparently) and not causing anything both endo's said. Follow up is ultrasound to check on it every 6 months - year. As far as the cyst on my ovary...the ct said a possible "ruptured cyst" when I went to the ER with pain and everything and then after the fact gyn had me get an ultrasound and I did have another one on the other side...tiny the doc said and not causing any issuses. Said he wasn't concerned that they come and go in every woman. Sooo...lol. That is where I am. SOMETHING is going on but doesn't seem to be endocrine at all...no pcos or thyroid problems, etc. So now they are looking into neuro I guess...sleep disorder? migrane without the pain? I will keep ya'll updated and thanks so much for the responses...any other ideas, please feel free to speak em :) You feel so confused with all this ****!
Thank you very much for responding! Yeah, I have come to the realization that stopping meds abruptly is not good lol! Weird thing is the prednisone was not prescribed as a tapering off. I was just told to take one pill a day for 6 days and they were 50mg. Crazy...anyway. I have been wondering about the sleep disorder myself in the past couple days. I am ALWAYS tired even after a long night's sleep. I fall asleep very easily but just don't think I sleep well. Don't wake up that I know of either...I was also (I didn't even think about it until a day or two ago) diagnosed with Cataplexy because of what I thought was seizures while falling asleep...Happened a couple times about 5 years ago and was in the hospital for 3 days because they saw it on the brain waves test (eeg?) Anyway, upon reading up on Cataplexy, it is normally something suffered by someone with narcolepsy (sp?) It only happend once more like 2 years ago though so just didn't even think about it and as tired as I am, I never just fall asleep like that so I thought it was just due to the heavy recreational drug use. Had an MRI done last night so at least we can rule out anything there too.
Just had a complete hormone workup done because we went the whole endocrine route since beginning of August until I got a second opinion about 3 - 4 weeks ago. Thyroid is perfect (says two endocrinologists).
Thank you again!!!
Just had a complete hormone workup done because we went the whole endocrine route since beginning of August until I got a second opinion about 3 - 4 weeks ago. Thyroid is perfect (says two endocrinologists).
Thank you again!!!
RE: The cyst in your ovary and the lump on your thyroid.
Tell me something... What did your Dr. say your TSH level is? If you don't know -- ask him. Get back to me... And what about the cyst on your ovary? What is he doing to treat it?
I went to three Dr's before I found someone that recognized I had a thyroid problem because they used the old level standards. The thyroid balances everything in the system. When it is off - all the symptoms you mention can certainly be there. If you have a lump on your thyroid but your levels seem to be fine, they need to find out what it is. The swallowing can be caused by serious worry about the lump.
When I had my lump, the more I worried about it -- the more I noticed it was hard to swallow. I had myself in a total anxiety attack one night when I kept feeling it with my hand and then repetively swallowing.
It does not have to be a serious problem with your thyroid. Many of the problems can be simple and remedied by thryoid medication. Many Dr's understand the thyroid by the old measure. More studies in recent years say those standards are wrong and someone can feel crappy at levels that were once thought normal.
I also had a cyst on my ovary which can make someone feel very moody. The thyroid can totally cause memory loss, fatigue and radical changes in mood.
Do a few things.
1) Ask your Dr. what your TSH Level is (tell him to be specific with the number of the level) Get a second opinion.
Ask what he thinks the lump is and find out how he plans to follow up with it.
2) Ask him what he plans to do about the ovarian cyst?
All of your problems could be about your past drug use but it could also be other simple problems with your ovary or thyroid. Let me know how it goes.
Tell me something... What did your Dr. say your TSH level is? If you don't know -- ask him. Get back to me... And what about the cyst on your ovary? What is he doing to treat it?
I went to three Dr's before I found someone that recognized I had a thyroid problem because they used the old level standards. The thyroid balances everything in the system. When it is off - all the symptoms you mention can certainly be there. If you have a lump on your thyroid but your levels seem to be fine, they need to find out what it is. The swallowing can be caused by serious worry about the lump.
When I had my lump, the more I worried about it -- the more I noticed it was hard to swallow. I had myself in a total anxiety attack one night when I kept feeling it with my hand and then repetively swallowing.
It does not have to be a serious problem with your thyroid. Many of the problems can be simple and remedied by thryoid medication. Many Dr's understand the thyroid by the old measure. More studies in recent years say those standards are wrong and someone can feel crappy at levels that were once thought normal.
I also had a cyst on my ovary which can make someone feel very moody. The thyroid can totally cause memory loss, fatigue and radical changes in mood.
Do a few things.
1) Ask your Dr. what your TSH Level is (tell him to be specific with the number of the level) Get a second opinion.
Ask what he thinks the lump is and find out how he plans to follow up with it.
2) Ask him what he plans to do about the ovarian cyst?
All of your problems could be about your past drug use but it could also be other simple problems with your ovary or thyroid. Let me know how it goes.
Yeah, when we KNOW something is wrong but it can't be pinpointed, after a while it can make us wonder about ourselves. Just a couple things I noticed in your post - for future reference, please don't stop taking any med abruptly if it is advised to taper off. The consequences can be worse than the side effects. (Been there, done that.) At any rate, sounds like you have some longstanding problems unrelated to that med.
Can there be residual effects from past abuse of drugs? I would think so, but I doubt that's the whole source of your problems. You may have more than one thing going on, thus making the picture as a whole not make sense. I think it is wise for you to keep an eye on hormone levels, including thyroid, to make sure they stay in balance.
You mention fatigue, memory loss, mood instability, low libido - while each of these can have any number of causes, all can be symptoms of having a sleep disorder. You mentioned poor sleep while on Prednisone, but didn't say what it is like on a regular basis. Either insufficient hours of sleep, excessive hours of sleep, adequate hours but inefficient (not restful) sleep, could be a sign of an underlying sleep disorder. If this could be you, talk to your doctor about it.
I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Restless Leg Syndrome, and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. Before diagnosed and treated, I was a "basket case". .. bone tired, impaired thinking and memory, with inability to control my emotions normally.
May not be your issue at all, but worth mentioning just in case. Best wishes in finding answers.
Can there be residual effects from past abuse of drugs? I would think so, but I doubt that's the whole source of your problems. You may have more than one thing going on, thus making the picture as a whole not make sense. I think it is wise for you to keep an eye on hormone levels, including thyroid, to make sure they stay in balance.
You mention fatigue, memory loss, mood instability, low libido - while each of these can have any number of causes, all can be symptoms of having a sleep disorder. You mentioned poor sleep while on Prednisone, but didn't say what it is like on a regular basis. Either insufficient hours of sleep, excessive hours of sleep, adequate hours but inefficient (not restful) sleep, could be a sign of an underlying sleep disorder. If this could be you, talk to your doctor about it.
I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Restless Leg Syndrome, and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. Before diagnosed and treated, I was a "basket case". .. bone tired, impaired thinking and memory, with inability to control my emotions normally.
May not be your issue at all, but worth mentioning just in case. Best wishes in finding answers.
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