Sick for 6 months. Doc's can't figure out what's wrong.Any suggestions for next step?

[miamifan84]

Hi there, so here's my story, I'm a healthy, athletic male in mid/late 20's, I work in retail food (manager of a fast food store working 5-6 days a week on my feet for 8-9 hours a day).
I went on a trip with some friends to the USA + Mexico 5 months ago.
3 weeks after returning, I started feeling fatigued and much more tired than usual. Didn't think too much of it.
I then developed a pretty bad case of diarrhea to complement this fatigue.
I then decided to see my doctor and get tested for STDS- because I had an unprotected sex encounter with a girl there (friend of a friend).
I was tested for everything except HIV and chlamydia. ( Was later tested for HIV on 2 occasions at 3 months and then 5 months since sexual contact) and both came back negative.

My doctor said it was very possible I had Giardia and put me on metrogyll 400 on a double course. The second course was 5 tablets at once (each day). But he didn't test me for it for some reason.
* I was then tested for Giardia after taking the course via poo specimen and it came back negative.
My symptoms persisted and then worsened over the next month (about 2 months of symptoms total now) with the following:
*fatigue/tiredness
* diarrhea which was worse
*Developed a serious weakness in my legs... particularly my calf muscles and hamstrings.
*Developed bodily twitching, partcularly in my legs (felt like an insect was running up and down the tendons in my left leg). The twitches were all over my body though, particularly when I lie down to rest or lay on the couch.

*Fatigue became so bad that I had to reduce my work schedule from a 5-6 day week, to a 3 day week, and after 2-3 days of working I was so tired I could sleep for 15 hours and I would wake up and my lower body/legs were extremely stiff and sore, and the muscle twitching was quite severe.


Doc then referred me to a gastroentorlogist and he tested me for celiac disease and gave me a colonoscopy+endoscopy and said everything was okay, and he felt that I probably had some kind of infectious disease, so he put me on doxycyclin for a double course as well.

So My Gastro referred me to an infectious diseases specialist and a neurologist to investigate the twitching.
They both suggested HIV, so went and had another test, but it came up negative (this was 5 months after unprotected sex).
Neuro did tests on brain and spine and did nerve tests but pretty much negative other than some small/benign growths that are very common.
Infectious diseases guy did tests for Lymes disease and other typical infections from the midwest of the USA, because I spent time white water rafting (ticks and mosquitos and lymes disease are quite common there).

So now it's 6 months since I left the USA, and I feel as if I am recovering to an extent, but still experiencing symptoms that are definitely reducing my quality of life quite severely.
One important note is that about 11 days after my sexual contact, and 5 days after white water rafting, I noticed a small red sore/bump on the base of my penis. A doctor in mexico said he was positive it was not an STD upon inspectionm but to get checked when I got home. He said it appeared to be a bump or an irritation.
This is why the infectious diseases doc tested me for Lymes.

*I am still suffering spells of diarrhea
*twitching is still happening, but not as severely (still daily, particularly after work)
*Fatigue is still occurring- not as regularly but still quite severely when it strikes. (every 3rd day or so)
*waking up with extremely sore/stiff legs that are persisting throughout the day. Some days not as sore as others.
*have developed a thick white/yellow lining/coating on my tongue which will not go away with thrush/candida treatment. I even went on a 10 day course of Nizoral to treat this (anti fungal meds), but it hasn't done much to help the problem.

I also am seeing the person that I had sexual contact with, (she is my girlfriend). We talk via skype daily, and she is in good health with no complaints of fatigue, tiredness, sickness or flu- basically nothing. She also works a 50 hour week of school/jobs.

My question is, what should I take as a next step?
Should I talk to doctors about cancer checks?
I have quite persistent pain in my lower abdomen and lower back, as well as sore/sensitive testicles when they are touched. Got a urine test for a UTI 2 days ago and nothing came up.
I also have a weird pain under my left armpit in between my arm pit and left pectoral muscle- quite sore when I push into the area. as well as pains in my lower middle chest/upper abdominal area and upper left chest (not my heart, closer to armpit area)
I don't think I'm a hypochondriac, and I HATE talking about these things with people, because it's been going on for six months and I don't want to be that annoying guy that just complains all the time.
I would just like some recommendations on what to do and what step to take..
I've been tested for all STDS except Chlamydia and Gonnoreah, including 2 HIV tests at 2 and 5 months after the fact- I don't have any night sweats or flu symptoms.
I've had blood tests and everything has come back ok, with a slightly high cholesterol being the only concern.

please help!!!
thankyou so much.

[mkh9]

Hi, do you know which parasites they tested for? Not all bacteria will get killed by Doxycycline and metronidazole. But since you have no fever or high white blood cell count it probably isn't bacterial. It still could be parasitic. It sounds with all the diarrhea and twitching and fatigue and probably low potassium due to fluid loss that have acquired something probably in Mexico but not necessarily. Did anyone actually test you for oral thrush? This could potentially be a result of the antibiotics. They can easily tell if it is really thrush. Sometimes you get an overgrowth of bacteria that is resistant to the antibiotics you were taking and it may not be thrush. It is usually painful and bleeds when they scrape your tongue. Your WBC count should have showed a lowered immune system by the lymphocytes being lowered or your overall white count being low etc. It doesn't sound like you had that. If you still have diarrhea they really need to do more than one parasite test. It can be missed with one test. Usually they do three stool tests. Have you had the lower GI test or something that would be able to determine if you had an intestinal problem? This may also show up a parasite if it is a worm or something like that which wouldn't respond to metronidazole. That is all I can think of at the moment unless you can think of any other specific tests or symtoms. What did the infectious disease doc have to say?
mkh9

[miamifan84]

whoops sorry didn't mean to list your reply as best answer...
just looking for more tests to do with doctors.

[miamifan84]

thanks for the reply. I have been tested once for glandular fever and it came back negative.

I have done a parasites blood test which covered a range of parasites including Lymes disease.

Is there any particular test I should ask my doctors to take?

Thanks so much for your input.

[JGF25]

You obviously have a weakened immune system which is why you have oral thursh.  And while it is a symptom of HIV, you obviously don't have it therefore that is not what is weakening your immune system.  I agree with mkh9, I think you should have a parasitology workup.  

II don't believe it can be E. coli 0157 or Salmonella since these tend to have immediate consequences the first leading to hemolytic uremic syndrome and the other with vomiting, diarrhea and fever.  

[miamifan84]

Hi there,
thankyou so much for the response.
I haven't had any fever symptoms- no flu symptoms either.
I probably did get bitten by mosquitos and I did eat fish and shellfish in Mexico at a 5 star hotel/resort.
I also drank alot of alcohol in Mexico and Miami at night (in the nightclubs) over a 5 night period (dirty ice in drinks?).
The sore/red mark on my penis only lasted for about 6 days and basically disappeared. the doctor in mexico gave me some 'barcamil' cream and it seemed to make it go away- my doctor here at home suggested that I was bitten by a tick in West Virginia while I was white water rafting.
I'm unsure about a bacterial infection because I've taken so many anti biotics (Metrogyl +doxycyclin).
But I doubt it was an STD. My girlfriend suggests that I was extremely tired in Vegas at the end of my holiday (for 5 days before I went back home).
I've had a complete blood test and white count was normal, but this was taken about one month after I got back, then at 4 months my doctor did another blood test for magnesium and 'some other stuff', but I wasn't exactly sure what. He said I had nothing suspicious in the bloods though.

Just had a urinalysis and that came back clear as well.
I really don't know what to do because things like Ecoli and other bacteria, because as I said, I feel the antibiotics would fix this.
I'm wondering if the coating on my tongue/fatigue is due to my immune system being low or something?
Not really sure what to test for..

Thanks again for your input, it really helps with piecing the puzzle together and getting someone else's thoughts/opinions.

[mkh9]

Well, first of all you haven't mentioned if you have a fever?  What did you eat and drink while in Mexico? Did you get bit by any mosquitos there? Eat any fish or shellfish?I am thinking that you acquired a parasite or another bacterial infection that they didn't test for. I would suggest that if they didn't do a full parasitology workup that you have that done. Also, it sounds like they didn't test you for all the bacterial infections that you could have gotten from Mexico especially. Giardia is just one of many parasites that you could have acquried from eating and drinking there. Malaria is endemic in some areas too. They could test you for E. coli 0157 as well as Salmonella and Shigella. Usually, Shigella clears but I have know people to actually have it chronically. You said they tested you for all STD's, did this include Syphyllis? What is the 'sore' you have on the penis is it painful, soft or hard sore or ? Have they done a complete blood count?
thanks,