Unexplained symptoms, getting a diagnosis

[Moggo]

Hi all,

This is very off topic but you are a knowledgeable and varied bunch so thought I’d ask.

I’ve had a load of unexplained health issues on and off for a few years now and am gradually feeling worse, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, numbness etc

Back and for to my doctor who runs basic bloods and says I’m fine, I’m clearly not feeling fine at all.

Anyone have experience of trying to get answers when feeling unwell?

Really struggling with this. Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks all.


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[City74]

While I’m not a doc and no where close to knowing a ton about health, I’d say maybe try another doctor. Sometimes the diagnosis is due to ruling other things out. For instance Chronic Fatique Sydrome or Fibromyalgia doesn’t have a test to verify a diagnosis but it’s a diagnosis given once other things are ruled out

[SpeakWithMichael]

Try seeing a naturopathic doctor. Or a non-western-medicine doctor.

[Black_5]

Originally Posted by City74

While I’m not a doc and no where close to knowing a ton about health, I’d say maybe try another doctor. Sometimes the diagnosis is due to ruling other things out. For instance Chronic Fatique Sydrome or Fibromyalgia doesn’t have a test to verify a diagnosis but it’s a diagnosis given once other things are ruled out

This.

You need to find a doctor that will actually listen to your concerns and keep chasing alternative causes rather than blowing you off.

An internet forum is a risky place for a diagnosis so please don't depend on anything you get from here.

Your health is too important...

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[Moggo]

Originally Posted by Black_5

This.

You need to find a doctor that will actually listen to your concerns and keep chasing alternative causes rather than blowing you off.

An internet forum is a risky place for a diagnosis so please don't depend on anything you get from here.

Your health is too important...

Sent from my SM-G960F using DeX

Thank you.

I’m not after an internet diagnosis honestly, just some advice, suffering daily with no help at the moment.......

I’ve been told it’s not going to kill me and that’s about it.......in the UK we can’t really shop around for help as we have a certain doctors surgery and everything is referral based after that.


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[codecow]

Hope you figure it out. A guy I used to work with has been ill for a couple years having every type of test possible and they’re still not sure what’s wrong with him.

[uscmatt99]

Not sure about the situation in the UK but in the US there are some internists who do concierge medicine and will see patients with similar conditions. They usually only charge a negotiated fee direct to the patient, rather than dealing with insurance companies, but in my experience do an excellent job with very complete work-ups. Rare diseases with nonspecific symptoms are difficult to diagnose and at least our health care system does not sufficiently compensate the time and effort to solve these types of problems.

Side note, this can be lucrative so big medical centers like Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic do similar mega-workups. They have the resources with innumerable specialists to refer out to as well.

[beshannon]

Originally Posted by Moggo

Hi all,

This is very off topic but you are a knowledgeable and varied bunch so thought I’d ask.

I’ve had a load of unexplained health issues on and off for a few years now and am gradually feeling worse, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, numbness etc

Back and for to my doctor who runs basic bloods and says I’m fine, I’m clearly not feeling fine at all.

Anyone have experience of trying to get answers when feeling unwell?

Really struggling with this. Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks all.


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Do you exercise?
How is your weight?
Do you drink enough water?
Do you get enough sleep?
What is your diet?
How much time do you spend staring at screens?

Lots of issues plaguing people that cannot be tested for.

[jpsmoove]

Make sure they check for lyme disease

[Moggo]

Originally Posted by beshannon

Do you exercise?

How is your weight?

Do you drink enough water?

Do you get enough sleep?

What is your diet?

How much time do you spend staring at screens?



Lots of issues plaguing people that cannot be tested for.

Exercise is lacking due to these horrible symptoms.
Weight is 81KG, 6 feet 2 ins tall
Drink plenty of water
Sleep 8hrs plus a night on and off
Diet pretty good, mostly salad, veg, fish and chicken
Never smoked, don’t drink alcohol
Not too much time on screen as it causes more of the symptoms, as does concentrating on anything for a period of time.


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[Moggo]

Originally Posted by uscmatt99

Not sure about the situation in the UK but in the US there are some internists who do concierge medicine and will see patients with similar conditions. They usually only charge a negotiated fee direct to the patient, rather than dealing with insurance companies, but in my experience do an excellent job with very complete work-ups. Rare diseases with nonspecific symptoms are difficult to diagnose and at least our health care system does not sufficiently compensate the time and effort to solve these types of problems.



Side note, this can be lucrative so big medical centers like Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic do similar mega-workups. They have the resources with innumerable specialists to refer out to as well.

Unfortunately in the UK we don’t have anywhere like this unless someone else knows of a place?

These places sound ideal.


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[onemany]

Originally Posted by Moggo

Hi all,

This is very off topic but you are a knowledgeable and varied bunch so thought I’d ask.

I’ve had a load of unexplained health issues on and off for a few years now and am gradually feeling worse, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, numbness etc

Back and for to my doctor who runs basic bloods and says I’m fine, I’m clearly not feeling fine at all.

Anyone have experience of trying to get answers when feeling unwell?

Really struggling with this. Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't know how healthcare works in Wales but if you were in the states I'd recommend you get a second opinion from another primary care physician. If you are able go directly to a specialist and have a specialist try to diagnose you.

The most important thing is you have to be your own advocate and keep pushing until you start to get answers.

Good luck.

[Peter99]

I have some of your symptoms and I suffer from a degree of Vertigo.
This is a balance problem associated with the ears. Vertical height is not an undue problem.
It gives be dizziness, sickness, tiredness and weakness.
I am not inactive. I jog 3 x one hour per week and do pull ups and chin-ups in the gym 3 times a week.
Am 5ft 9in and weigh just under 10 stone.
But I find it difficult, particularly the jogging as the Vertigo effects my balance and stability.
Getting up in the morning or getting up from the bench in the gym after carrying out bench presses is when my balance is not so good.
I suppress the problem by carrying out exercises everyday in order to re-position the fluid in the ear canals.
There are various exercises which are useful and these are on YouTube.
This could be your problem and if it is, it can be mastered!
I wish you well!

[Moggo]

Originally Posted by onemany

I don't know how healthcare works in Wales but if you were in the states I'd recommend you get a second opinion from another primary care physician. If you are able go directly to a specialist and have a specialist try to diagnose you.



The most important thing is you have to be your own advocate and keep pushing until you start to get answers.



Good luck.

Thanks for the reply, we have the good old NHS who are then the gatekeepers to everything. If you have diabetes, want to stop smoking etc you are treated like royalty, anything ‘unexplained’ is too much like hard work and you are left to fend for yourself after a few blood tests.....

YMMV.


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[Art 1]

Originally Posted by Moggo

Hi all,

This is very off topic but you are a knowledgeable and varied bunch so thought I’d ask.

I’ve had a load of unexplained health issues on and off for a few years now and am gradually feeling worse, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, numbness etc

Back and for to my doctor who runs basic bloods and says I’m fine, I’m clearly not feeling fine at all.

Anyone have experience of trying to get answers when feeling unwell?

Really struggling with this. Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Best of luck, all I can add is to be thankful you aren't in the US with the same thing.

[GoingPlaces]

Sometimes it can be the most obvious thing, however difficult to find. Don't give up, listen to your body. It's telling you something.

[Dyim]

Originally Posted by Moggo

Hi all,

This is very off topic but you are a knowledgeable and varied bunch so thought I’d ask.

I’ve had a load of unexplained health issues on and off for a few years now and am gradually feeling worse, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, numbness etc

Back and for to my doctor who runs basic bloods and says I’m fine, I’m clearly not feeling fine at all.

Anyone have experience of trying to get answers when feeling unwell?

Really struggling with this. Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Neurologist?

[cdmorenot]

You stressed out ? I had every imaginable symptom. I thought I was dead. No doubt.

I started getting rid of the stress. Haven't felt anything weird since a major lifestyle change.

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[bayerische]

Originally Posted by Moggo

Never smoked, don’t drink alcohol

There's your problem.

[TC94]

Originally Posted by Peter99

I have some of your symptoms and I suffer from a degree of Vertigo.
This is a balance problem associated with the ears. Vertical height is not an undue problem.
It gives be dizziness, sickness, tiredness and weakness.
I am not inactive. I jog 3 x one hour per week and do pull ups and chin-ups in the gym 3 times a week.
Am 5ft 9in and weigh just under 10 stone.
But I find it difficult, particularly the jogging as the Vertigo effects my balance and stability.
Getting up in the morning or getting up from the bench in the gym after carrying out bench presses is when my balance is not so good.
I suppress the problem by carrying out exercises everyday in order to re-position the fluid in the ear canals.
There are various exercises which are useful and these are on YouTube.
This could be your problem and if it is, it can be mastered!
I wish you well!

See a qualified doctor and have the Epley maneuver tried. Benign positional vertigo can be eliminated with careful expert completion of this. Some ENTs use a special tilt table, but that isn’t mandatory.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/art...epley-maneuver

[MILGAUSS88]

If you really want to find out at all costs, Mayo Clinic is the place to go for diagnosis.

[LitzDoc]

I didn’t read all the responses.
I would get checked for all tick born diseases like Lyme,anaplasmosis, powassen and a bunch of others. Most of the rare ones need to be ordered separately. Tick born disease give vague symptoms and become chronic.


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[joeychitwood]

Originally Posted by jpsmoove

Make sure they check for lyme disease

This. A tick disease profile may provide an answer. We frequently diagnosed Anaplasmosis or Lyme Disease in the ER on people who had seen multiple physicians for somewhat vague but debilitating symptoms.

[Moggo]

Thanks for the responses, I’m in the UK and we are somewhat in denial of Lyme and it’s variants.

If anyone knows of a forward thinking doctor in the UK who is willing to look into my symptoms I would be forever grateful. Quality of life is really suffering and the mental aspect of it is getting to me now.


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[THC]

My wife had a lot of these symptoms, they did blood work and her Vitamin D levels were severely low. Amazing what they can find in blood work. D deficiency can affect a ton of things apparently

Good luck Moggo and hope they find out.

[Terrakot]

Originally Posted by cdmorenot

You stressed out ? I had every imaginable symptom. I thought I was dead. No doubt.

I started getting rid of the stress. Haven't felt anything weird since a major lifestyle change.

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Yes, the stress can cause this
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysautonomia
(in Russia it called Vegetative-vascular dystonia)
especially if you a choleric

[DARK_KNIGHT]

Sigh...............I see this every week and all the time at my medical practice. The infinite possibilities. We have read it all on this thread.

1.Eastern Medicine.

2.Differential Diagnosis.

2.Labs.

3.Tests.

4. Naturopathy.

5. Vertigo.

6. Parasitic infection.

7. You are fine, go home.

How do we make sense of all of the different and endless possibilities? How do we do it within reason and budget?


Due to liability issues and so many other red tape and legal hassles, I would throw my hat into the ring and offer the following , general opinion, to any member of the public.

a. If you are obligated by insurance protocols to return to the same doctor, that is "brushing off your concerns", then do it. But - keep a journal of your signs (if any) and symptoms (what you subjectively feel). Make it as detailed as possible. Keep a record of everything you are feeling - what makes it better and what makes it worse (if any). What were you doing at the time? What did you eat? Where did you go? For example were you out recently hunting in the woods? Did you go fishing? A swim in some old pond?

Tell your doctor that although your lab work and his clinical findings - come back negative - you truly are miserable, be emphatic. Be firm. Make sure he or she knows you are expecting a follow up.


b. Request a complete hormonal panel on the sensitive scale. Check thyroid. Check your Testosterone. Check DHEA. Check your E2. Check your DHT. Check your cortisol. Check serial glucose levels. Check PSA. Complete lipid panel. Request C- Reactive Protein test.


Let your doctor know, to you this is serious. Tell him or her that your quality of life is not optimal.

[rootbeer7]

Originally Posted by Moggo

Thanks for the responses, I’m in the UK and we are somewhat in denial of Lyme and it’s variants.

If anyone knows of a forward thinking doctor in the UK who is willing to look into my symptoms I would be forever grateful. Quality of life is really suffering and the mental aspect of it is getting to me now.


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Hi fella, I’m so sorry you’re still feeling under the weather. Have you thought of dropping into a ‘Bupa’ style private health clinic?

[Moggo]

Originally Posted by rootbeer7

Hi fella, I’m so sorry you’re still feeling under the weather. Have you thought of dropping into a ‘Bupa’ style private health clinic?

Thanks, still suffering, wake up terrified, feeling severely unwell, pace all day and dread the next day.

Seems cyclical on a monthly basis, a week or so tolerable then a few weeks of a huge crash.

Will look into Bupa, I will try anything.


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[Moggo]

Originally Posted by DARK_KNIGHT

Sigh...............I see this every week and all the time at my medical practice. The infinite possibilities. We have read it all on this thread.



1.Eastern Medicine.



2.Differential Diagnosis.



2.Labs.



3.Tests.



4. Naturopathy.



5. Vertigo.



6. Parasitic infection.



7. You are fine, go home.



How do we make sense of all of the different and endless possibilities? How do we do it within reason and budget?





Due to liability issues and so many other red tape and legal hassles, I would throw my hat into the ring and offer the following , general opinion, to any member of the public.



a. If you are obligated by insurance protocols to return to the same doctor, that is "brushing off your concerns", then do it. But - keep a journal of your signs (if any) and symptoms (what you subjectively feel). Make it as detailed as possible. Keep a record of everything you are feeling - what makes it better and what makes it worse (if any). What were you doing at the time? What did you eat? Where did you go? For example were you out recently hunting in the woods? Did you go fishing? A swim in some old pond?



Tell your doctor that although your lab work and his clinical findings - come back negative - you truly are miserable, be emphatic. Be firm. Make sure he or she knows you are expecting a follow up.





b. Request a complete hormonal panel on the sensitive scale. Check thyroid. Check your Testosterone. Check DHEA. Check your E2. Check your DHT. Check your cortisol. Check serial glucose levels. Check PSA. Complete lipid panel. Request C- Reactive Protein test.





Let your doctor know, to you this is serious. Tell him or her that your quality of life is not optimal.

Thank you for the reply.

I’ve gone in with detailed notes but the doctor says they don’t point to anything specific.

Asks if I’m depressed, who wouldn’t be! Was running daily, half marathons etc now fatigued climbing the stairs along with nausea, dizziness, shakes, sensitivity to light, sound, smells etc

It’s a vicious circle at the moment. In the US I think it’s easier to shop around for a doctor whereas in the UK we are tied to one practice.


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