What's wrong with me?

[HyamBarber]

Hi everyone, please bear with me and be patient, i could talk litreally for days and days about the multiple issues wrong with me, but I'll do my best to break it down and keep it as short as possible, i know i need to see specialist docs, and that's underway, in the meantime, i would appreciate some feedback on what the hell is going on with me. Im seeing a rheumatologist in just over 2 weeks, i have been to the docs countless times in the past 15 months, need to get to the bottom of this and fix myself up. Here goes.

I am 19 years old, a male, and from the UK, specifically, England.

It all started in October 2010. In the last week of sepetember, i was away on holiday with some friends in Cyprus, on a 3 week vacation, on the last week, only I feel really ill out there, and i had severe sickness and diarheaa, even when on the beach i had to go to the toilet and make myself sick for litreally 30mins flat. I was told by a pharmacist out there it was due to change in climate.

So, in october 2010, i started working with my father, just doing some painting, i noticed i starting experiencing low back pain, i initally thought this was just me not used to the work and i pushed through expecting it to get better, but it never want away, it was in my sacrum area if you would like specifics.

I used to workout and lift weights and run to keep fit also id like to point out, but never had an injury or trauma to cause any of these events.

In January 2011, whilst i was working out, i noticed my neck started to hurt really bad, deep right in my cervical spine, i took it easy, but again this seemed to get aggravated whenever i tried training and i went to the doctors to get it checked, they ordered x-rays, but they came back normal.

During the couse of the year, my neck started to get progressively, slowly worse, it become weak and i found it difficult at times to look down and read a book, sleeping on the back of my head, and still to this day, i sleep on my side because of it.

In the summer, i was staying away on vacation, the mattress was really old and i woke up with BAD low back pain, so i decided to go for a walk, within 20mins, both my achilles tendons starting aching bad, i rested for the pain to ease up, then made my way back, used anti-inflammatory gels, and this seemed to solve the problem.

So i would occasionally get this problem.

In around july 2011, i tore my lateral meniscus of my right knee, i have no idea how, i got up from a push up position and just could not straighten my knee, i got it MRI scanned in October to get it confirmed. My knees had previously been hurting for years, the tendon in the inner side of my knee, had always been aggravated, even at the age of 15, i got it checked in the past, but apparently it was fine, both knees this was.

I went on holiday in september 2011 to Teneriffe for a week, long walks and all, but nothing too bothersome, i would occasionaly need to rub an anti-inflammatory gel on my heels and knees, but i was pretty muh ok for the whole holiday.

I started further investigating what was wrong with me, researching and going to the docs back and fourth, Ive had blood tests and i can't even remember some of the stuff Ive had tested for. I do remember having 2 blood tests in the past (FBC - Full blood count), one time i was anaemic in iron, so was given iron supps, 420mg daily. My levels raised back up, but what a concern from the doctor was, was a slightly low platelet level (thrombocytopenia), i had it tested twice, the later session, it was better than previous, from research, i know co-infections of lyme - babesia can cause this, yet at the time i had no idea, even what lyme disease was. I was referred to haemotology for investigations, and the consultant diagnosed me with "chronic ITP", and discharged me stating i had nothing to worry about as my platelet level was only just under the normal range.

Now before i went on holiday to Turkey in october 2011, i had been obesessing about what was wrong with me, i was convinced i had AS (Ankloysing spondylitis), 2 doctors, a chiropractor, and an osteopath, all believed this was not the case, it spoiled my holiday, and i developed bad psychomatic issues, such as anxiety and depression. Ive had ESR tested and that was low, Ive even had my lumbar spine MRI'ED but the doctors have no concerns as it came back normal. I eventually got this off my mind and started to wonder what was going on.

I noticed in August, and this was only from thinking about the past, that for about 2 weeks, my eyes were bothering me. They were really watery and i was continously blinking, constantly, i saw an optician and she said they were fine, this was before i went to teneriffe, and the problem went away.

So around novemember-december 2011, i started experiencing more problems, i started getting a dull ache in my left distal bicep tendon, i was referred to an osteopath for the low back issues, the tendon pain started also occuring in my right bicep tendon and progressed to a lot of cracking (crepitus), when i straightened the elbow, the osteo initally thought it was just growing pains along with bad anxiety, but recently advises i get checked out by a rheumatologist, but ultimately, he feels i'll be fine.

Now, in december 2011, i had agonising pain. I woke up one night with severe back pain, 3am, my whole back was hurting badly, i took some pain killers, sprayed deep heat on my back, tried sleeping on a heat pack, but it was too bad to get back to sleep, so i went to A+E. I was given more pain killers but they didn't do a thing, i was seen by a couple of doctors, one said there was some swelling, but couldn't spot anything wrong, as i had good mobility, and nothing seemed obvious to aggravate the pain. The next doctor i saw said she felt it was muscular, gave me a muscle relxant and more pain killers, during my time at A+E i had an uranylisis and an x-ray on my chest (which would show my spine), both came back fine. Within 8 hours the pain started go away. On this day i had severe diarhea and vommitting. I even had diarheaa, litreally 5mins before seeing a doctor, he examined my bowel and back and i told him i had litreally just had diarhea in the toilet and said my bowel was fine, and im just after pain killers to become a drug addict - made me furious!

[HyamBarber]

NOT sure if this is related. Today i haven't been in as much physical pain, except for bad low back pain in the morning. However, i have definitely noticed the thirst/frequent urination a lot more today. I woke up, and didn't even have 1 glass of water, and already felt as though i was urinating a lot, and with this i became thirsty, drink water, it would go right through me.

If im honest, i think it might have something to do with salts, sodium, something like that. Because usually with the dry mouth/thirst i have a bad foul taste in my mouth, and feel i'll need to eat something - not necessarily sugary, as i could eat say a biscuit, to take away some of the bad taste. Again Ive had this for as long as i can remember, only it is a nuiscane and today it has been affecting my life, not sure if related to possible lyme disease, but will try and get a docs appointment to get it checked out for sure.

[HyamBarber]

Back to the guy that suggested DI - i notice that the excessive thirst may be something else. I mean perhaps salt related. Ive just been to MC D's which is fairly salty, and although Ive drank water, i feel no different, often with the excessive thirst, i have a foul taste in my mouth with an incredibly dry mouth. For instance, wheneve i SPIT on the floor, it's real white or i can barely make any spit/slavia.

Should i make a GP appointment about all this and tell them? It is important. I have rheumatology in a month, but there not really designed to deal with this stuff i guess, unless it's all tied into one disease - LD?

[HyamBarber]

How can i get accurate testing for LD in the UK? Surely i don't have to travel to the US just to get testing? There must be some reliable labs here. I want to take action sooner rather than later.

[HyamBarber]

My symptoms seem to come and go and change. For instance, past few days I haven't had much nausea or dizziness, but instead Ive started waking up with back pain again, which i did in the past, but went away, now here it is again, and nothing Ive done which could of caused it. I can't keep up with all these symptoms.

With the thrombocitopenia, nothing. I saw a haemotologist who diagnosed it and she just discharged me as she said the level was only just under normal range. Ive read that co-infections like babesia can cause it too.

[hyenakiss]

yah its best to get it looked at again no one should have to live with so much pain. maybe its something nurological have you ever had any nerve tests or mri's.. as far as the hunger lyme can cause a varity of strange symptoms that very from individual to individual... and can effect mood , appite , pain, almost anything.   how are you being treated for thrombocitopenia? has it been corrected or is it still being monitared.. my mom had that and it could have been a side effect of her lupus.

[HyamBarber]

Now i think back, im not sure when my raynauds started, but the only mole or bite that i do remember, is something i had removed was around my shoulder. Also a couple years back i remember in the summer getting extremely hungry a couple times in the mornings. I remember eating tons of cereal and a whole loaf of bread for breakfast, i thought it was worms or something. It eventually went away.

Don't know what to do int he mean time, but it hink i should get things checked, i don't want to sit about another month feeling helpless and wasting my life.