Pam:
I went back and looked for your previous posts. I found August 13, and August 5, a long thread.
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/symptoms/messages/2328.html
I was looking for your list of symptoms.
Fatigue
Migraines
Night sweats, wake 3-4 times per night
Swollen glands (lymph nodes) in neck
Low grade fever (100 F)
Irregular menstrual periods
Sinus pain
Most of your tests come back normal, you seem to "stump the doctor," and nothing seems to help.
I have a possible diagnosis for you, and you probably won't like it. Tick borne disease.
Night sweats are a sign of an infection.
I suspect Babesiosis, one of the infections often found with Lyme Disease.
It is similar to Malaria, in that a parasite infects the red blood cells, and is treated with some of the same meds they use for Malaria.
If the doctor decides to diagnose you with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, that is not a disease.
It is a syndrome, which is a collection of symptoms.
There are different things that might cause CFS, and Lyme is one of them.
I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia for 15 years, trying to raise my sons while suffering poor sleep, muscle aches, fatigue, leg pain, migraines, difficulty thinking and concentrating, memory problems, depression, flash anger.
When we got a computer and went online, I eventually found a support group of others with fibromyalgia.
One of the women there found out that her symptoms were due to Lyme Disease, and she kept posting articles about Lyme.
It eventually occurred to me that my symptoms might be due to Lyme, and I got tested at the specialty lab that she recommended.
Hah, I did have positive markers for Lyme.
Now when I find someone with similar symptoms, I look more closely to see if they may have other symptoms of Lyme.
Here is a site with a good list of symptoms, and lots of other information about Lyme and tick borne disease.
Canadian Lyme Foundation
http://www.canlyme.com/patsymptoms.html
The testing for Lyme is not very accurate.
Because of this, physicians should make the diagnosis based on the patient's symptoms, which is known as a "clinical diagnosis."
Most physicians will not make a clinical diagnosis of Lyme.
They order the tests, and when they come up negative, tell the patient that he doesn't have Lyme.
If you decide to check into this further, you can post a query on the medical questions forum at LymeNet.org.
This support group has the information you'll need to help you find a doctor who can diagnose and treat Lyme, and they are very helpful to newbies looking for information.
http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php
You have been very persistant in trying to find out what's wrong with you.
I hope you will post at LymeNet and get information about Lyme, because I really think that's what your symptoms look like.
Wishing you the best,
Carol
p.s. To Lisa Frankl -- your posts on PGB's previous thread look very much like fibromyalgia syndrome.
One of the hallmarks of fibromyalgia is waking up feeling like you've been "hit by a truck."
This is called "unrefreshing sleep" and is caused by the brain's inability to get into the deepest stage of sleep, which is when the body releases growth hormone.
Growth hormone helps the muscles to heal the "wear and tear" they experience when you move them.
When they don't heal fully each night, you feel tired and achey.
My rheumatologist treated this with Flexeril 5 mg. at bedtime.
I noticed a difference within three days!
However, he completely missed that my pattern of symptoms was due to Lyme Disease.
If I hadn't gone looking for more information, I would have stayed misdiagnosed forever.
Lisa, I hope you will read the info I suggested to Pam.
If you think your symptoms resemble Lyme, please post at LymeNet.org.
Best,
Carol