unkown illness

[luke3777]

26yo Fire Fighter exposed to lots of known/unknown substances on a daily basis. for the last 4 months have been experiencing dizzy spells, fatigue, poor co-ordination, becoming shakey and a constant foul taste in mouth. Doctors have so far come up with nothing. If this is work related or not im unsure. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[Philip D Parks, MD, MPH, MOccH, FACOEM]

Dear Luke:

What type of physicians have you seen? Primary care (internal medicine or family practice), neurologists, etc.?

What tests have been performed and what were the results? Testing for heavy metals (lead, etc)? Imaging?

What type of "foul taste" to you have? Metallic taste?

Do you have any complaints of weakness or sensory problems (numbness and tingling of extremities)?

Are you a "full-time" fire fighter? How long have been performing this type of work?
Prior to the beginning of your symptoms, was there any memorable event(s) where you may have had a particularly significant exposure to smoke, solvents, pesticides, chemicals, fumes?

Do you have another job (painting, welding, construction)? Do you have hobbies were you may be exposed to pesticides, solvents, heavy metals (lead)?

I hope this is a helpful start to addressing your questions and concerns.

~•~ Dr. Parks

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice. The information presented in this posting is for patients’ education only. As always, I encourage you to see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

[Philip D Parks, MD, MPH, MOccH, FACOEM]

Dear Luke:

Is there any relationship between your symptoms and when you are performing either one of your jobs? I am particularly interested in any temporal relationship between your symptoms and the use of solvents, etc. with your "2nd job."

Have there been periods of time when you don't have symptoms or have significantly less symptoms? If so, do those periods of less or no symptoms correlate with times when you are not installing floors?

~•~ Dr. Parks

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice. The information presented in this posting is for patients’ education only. As always, I encourage you to see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

[luke3777]

Dr Parks

Thank you for the reply.

Yes i am a Full time Fire Fighter and have been for 3 1/2 years. I was also a volunteer for 5 yrs before that, but there is no significant exposure that really stands out.

I also have a second job which is a Timber floor installer. The adhesive which we use most days is a solvent based poly - urethane containing xylene and isocyanates.

The foul taste is hard to describe but it does not appear to be metallic.
But yes i do have tingling sensations in the face and over the top of the head. When this tingling happens it makes me become dizzy and i get the feeling that im going to faint. This is accompanied with a burning sensation inside the ears. I also get a loud ring noise in the ears.

I am seeing a family gp as well as a general physician-speacialist.
I have had many blood tests, just standard types and a couple looking for viruses and diabetes etc. all came back clear. I have also had ct scans of the brain, back and abdomen - all clear. The only abnormal results i am aware of is a low white blood cell count and a elevated liver function both of which the doctors dont seem concerned and believe it may be caused be a previous condition - heamachromatosis which is under control.