Feeling very unwell, In need of some advice

Other conditions
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Hi this is my first post here so please bare with me, some of what is written may not seem completely relevant but I really don't want to miss anything out.

Well I suppose I'll start by saying Im a 25 year old Male from the UK. Two years ago just before this all started I really found a passion for sports, exercise, nutrition etc, I felt great, without question the healthiest I'd felt my whole life.One weekend I was out at friends having a BBQ, I'd had a few drinks and I started to get a terrible stomach ache, thought at the time it may be the food but everybody else was fine and it very rapidly became agonising, the ache had spread all over my abdomen, into my back.The pain became so bad I urged my friend to call an ambulance before passing out from the pain. Now when I came round in the ambulance, the pain had subsided and they put it down to a thinning of my stomach lining and said it was probably best to not drink for a while.On their recommendation I went to see my GP who prescribed me with Lansoprazole 30g, to this day If I stop taking these or run out I start to feel exremely sick(I guess from the acid build up in my stomach). I've barely drunk since because I either wake up with a similar but more bareable stomach ache or with incredible nausea. Unfortunately its been all downhill from then. A few months later I awoke one morning and my heart felt like it was beating incredibly hard, when I went to the gym the pressure when lifting weights became unbearable and I'd have to stop a few reps into every exercise. I went to the doctor they gave me an ECG but found nothing, they said I was fine and to try not to worry, but the sensation and pressure never went away and everyday the gym became less and less enjoyable. I went back to the doctor this time they decided to give me a 24 hour ECG, I'd also started getting palpations by this point, I went to the gym with the monitor on but still they found nothing. Nothing changed for me though and in the end I decided to stop going until I could figure out for myself why this was happening. 

A few months after this I started getting terrible body/muscle aches, it was winter, I felt far more sensitive to the cold, my whole body would seize up and ache tremedously. The only thing that seemed to help was a warm bath and even then the relief was only temporary, I still get these aches, not as severely at the moment but maybe thats just because its summer?

Next a month or so later the aches seemed to move down to my legs, but rather this time it the pain seemed to be more emphasised on my joints and bones rather than muscular, if I'm walking around for more than 1-2 hours the pain becomes pretty severe in the lower legs/feet.

I went back to the doctor, all these different problems was getting quite overwhelming and they seemed convinced that I had health anxiety, I think this is partly down to me not relaying my symptoms very well/finding it hard to put them all into words, I'd been looking around on forums for people seeming to randomly accumalate these issues like I had been but I never really found anything that seemed to similar.

Shortly after I found a lump just off my testicle, Its very tender to touch and when I do sends an aching feeling all the way up into my abdomen thought I better get it checked out, It turned out not to be cancerous but to this day I'm still not sure what it is.

within the 6 months that followed I started to get terrible head pressure which near enough every day develops into a very strange headache. I really cant focus on anything at all, at times I feel like I'm getting awful motion sickness, For me this is the worst symptom, some days i'll have a terrible headache, feel incredibly "out of it", other days will be better but never normal. That started a few months ago now and since then I've also developed bad constipation and what seems like an aching in my coxics/rectum, lowered sex drive, weak flow whilst urinating and a numbing sensation around my penis.

this has all started in the last 2 years, my outlook on life is a positive one but this is something thats really taken over, I can't remember the last time I felt "normal" or really managed to enjoy myself. It's hard to explain to a doctor whats happening to me when its so relentless and I really dont feel like I'm being taken seriously. for these to be isolated problems it seems extremely unlikely or that I am just very very unlucky. Could it be that this stems from a bigger issue affecting my whole body? All the symptoms I described are still very much present today, none have gone and it seems only more develop the longer it goes on. has anyone ever experienced anything similar? Could this be a problem with my immune system? I rarely get colds or flu etc. My diet continues to be pretty good as I feel like now more than ever its important for me to be eating the right things. Any advice or responses would be more than appreciated. Thanks in advance

Tom

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PS I also have very very little energy day to day despite my diet and always feel extremely achey and fatigued.

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PPS I also forgot to mention that whenever I tense my muscles / pick up something slightly heavy my muscles start to shake pretty severely, a few days ago I could barely hold my phone steady with one hand

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How's your stool and digestive system?

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My bad I just read what you said so have you had stool cultures and such tests to check the reasons for constipation?

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Hi Thomas,

I have a condition called cfs/me and am wondering if you've looked into this for yourself yet? The exhausted feeling is a major, the shaking when doing thing's and palpitations are common too. Give it a google.

Hope that helps

Beverley

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Hi Thomas, 

Have you had your vitamin D checked as part of any blood tests? Only mention it because deficiency is now so common and the more severe end of the spectrum (osteomalacia) can cause symptoms like fatigue, aching, weakness confusion, depression and brain fog. If you haven't had it looked at, perhaps you could have it included next time you get bloods done. All best wishes.   

All best wishes. 

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Hi Beverley, thanks for the response. this was something I thought it could be, I just feel like some of my symptoms don't completely match up. How do you deal with this day to day? have you found anything that helps you? Thanks in advance! 

Tom

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Hi Bob, thanks for posting. The only test I've really had done was a Ultrasound of the abdomen. this was probably a year or so ago now before I really started getting constipation however it didn't flag anything up. my stool seems pretty solid sometimes partially darker. I know dark/black stool can be a sign of bleeding in the intestines but  I've heard its usually the whole stool thats dark if thats the case? I also take multi vitamins which contain iron, I believe that can affect the colour to?

Tom

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Hi Jaybelle, appreciate the response, I had bloodwork done before I had an ECG, a while ago now though, I believe it was just a general test, I'm not sure what that shows? I didn't need to fast or anything though. I mentioned more recently to the doctor about having another blood test and he said that its very unlikely anything would have changed. I also bought some vitamin D supplements. Maybe this wouldnt help anyway? if the vitamin isnt being absorbed properly? the symptoms certainly match up though so its something I'll ask next time I go. Thanks again

Tom

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Sorry I wasnt taking Vitamin D! thats completely untrue. It was B12 I was taking, I'll look into trying some D supplements.

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No problem understand the difficulty in staying positive. Yes stools can vary in colour especially with iron supplements and normally bloody stools are more of a glistening look(sorry for the descriptions) so are extremely dark and will leave you in no doubt that they're 'too dark' so to speak. I'm having headaches such as the one you're describing atm with abdominal pains and troubles in the digestive system and it was suggested to me on one of my posts I discussed that a parasite may be an issue? It's probably a long shot but it's worth getting stool samples given to the lab because parasites could lead to the vitamin difficiencies, the joint pain you've been describing and I came across an article explaining how parasites cause sinus-like headaches which give you the whirling motion sickness headaches and constipation, if you want I can send you the link to the article. If it's getting worse chances are it could be the problem. As for the lump im short on suggestions but personally it's not something to mess about with and if you're still unsure you should go and get it checked out again. I may be wrong about it but it was suggested to me and after doing some research on them I realised that they can cause issues so worth giving in some stool samples

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P.S just did a bit of digging and may I also add that parasites can cause palpations too and heart palpations also which could describe the morning when you woke up with Your heart beating hard.

-Bob

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I share so many of your symptoms, but most came on all at once, it seems. I have been sick since January, had gallbladder out, diagnosed with Gerd, have kidney stones, and a fluid filled cyst or deposit in my uterus. Some of my symptoms are: headaches, nausea, no appetite, weight loss, severs dry eyes, digestive issues, weakness in extremities, tremors, muscle pains, back pain, left rib area pain, fatigue, can hardly walk or stand for long, and, just recently, sore throat with mucus. I'm sure I'm forgetting some...oh yeah, brain fog too! Going to research the parasite thing, ya never know. Hope we find answers, good luck. 

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Hi Thomas,

For me, like many with this, my days fluctuate. Energy levels are constantly depleted and thus I need to rest to recharge. Do you get the slurry speech and memory problems? I find on bad days I look and sound drunk to others. The hard part is resting when you have some energy because the temptation is to do things. I was very active before all this so, it's taken time to adjust. I tend to do things in small amounts if I can and then rest. Also, laying down to do things such as emailing etc on my phone is less demanding than sitting at the computer. I guess the key concepts for me are learning to adapt, asking for help (something I still struggle with) resting and doing things a little at a time. I take extra vitamins too (when I remember lol)

Just curious, which things don't fit for you with cfs/me? and what are you doing at the moment to deal with things yourself?

Beverley

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Hi Debbie,

Has anyone mentioned to you about cfs/me? It can start after having surgery.

Best wishes

Beverley

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Yeah please send me a link to the article, worst case It rules something else out, best case I find out what the problem is. I'll definitely try and get a stool sample into the doctors and see what they say. I always thought it was more likely to be something of this nature due to the range of symptoms. Thanks in advance 

Tom

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Hi Debbie, sorry to hear you have to deal with this day to day to! It really has consumed my life and although I wouldn't want anybody to go through the same thing it is slighly comforting to know that somebody else understands! Please let me know if you find anything. Thanks for the response.

Tom

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My days completely fluctuate to, I recently started trying to go back to the gym, the effect this has on me completely varies, sometimes I feel much better for it, other days I feel terrible afterwards, at the moment I'm only working 1 day a week until I start my new job in september so I have alot of time to rest, I think I'll really struggle unless I can find something that helps though. I don't feel like my speech really slurs but I certainly forget things and feel really "out of it" most of the time. By what am I doing to deal with things do you mean what do I do to help myself cope? or what steps am I taking for medical advice etc? I try to make sure that my diet is as good as it can be, I supplement for vitamins and oils I dont get through food etc, I feel like thats really all I can do. And the things that don't fit, I just feel like the constipation and digestive issues could mean its something else? Who knows, Cfs is definitely something I'm not ruling out at the moment though.

Tom

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I was feeling bad before the surgery, and have also had extensive blood work. I have a positive ANA, and am pre diabetic, but not bad enough to warrant treatment. I am having a pelvic/abdomen ct this Friday, and D&C next week.