Actively seeking a diagnosis

[kris_tin29]

Recently my Doctors have ruled out Lupus, MS, thyroid issues, diabetes.  My symptoms are:
Headache that pretty well never goes away
Cognitive issues (concentration, focus, memeory, finding/forming words)
Random aches and pains
Tingling/numbness, "buzzing" in spine, legs, hands
shooting pains/burning pains (severe enough to wake me up)
poor sleep
wake up in pain
stomach/Gi issues such as constipation, heartburn, bloating
dry eyes to the point of being painful and red
fatigue
pain is seeming to get worse/last longer
recurring sore throat
I was found to have stenosis in my cervical spine on an MRI caused by a bulging disc.  My neurologist suggested this was the source of most of problems including headaches, pain, tingling.  She sent me to an ortho surgeon who said the bulge was minor and likely causing NONE of my symptoms.  He wants the neuro to rule out carpal tunnel and possibly have a conversation about "a condition that causes  chronic aches" that he would not name because "I don't have the qualifications to give this dx", so he is sending the neuro a note about this and I have an appt next month.  I assume he is referring to fibromyalgia, but I am not certain.

I have been treated for anxiety twice and do not feel this is the cause of my symptoms.  I also had another Dr. try to treat me with adderall for ADD.  I switched drs and none of my current ones feel this is the problem.
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my worst symptom is probably the cognitive issues.  However, I am having difficulty in expressing this to my Drs who tend to write it off as anxiety or a "distracted" feeling because I hurt.  I feel it is more than that.  I feel it is an actual symptom, a strong feeling that I have a hard time putting into words.  It is really affecting my daily life.  I wish i could figure out a good way to describe this feeling so my Drs would get it.

[Garth L Nicolson, PhD]

The fatigue, pain, cognitive problems, headaches, GI issues, sore throat, etc. might be consistent with a dx of chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia syndrome (if the muscle/skin pain is widespread).  Such systemic problems are often caused by systemic, chronic infections.  (You might gain some insight into this by taking the sign/symptom survey on our website, immed.org).  Usually patients with many signs/symptoms (20 or more) have such widespread chronic infections.

[snuffle]

The cognitive issues would be, and were, my biggest concern too. I'm not a doctor, but I have been diagnosed with  PACNS. If you have the resources, a neuropsyche exam is a great place to start. Then you will have proof for both yourself and your doctor about the presence, or absence, of cognitive issues.