Mysterious chronic illness
Hi everyone,
I am so desperate for answers as I have been sick for 3 YEARS and am not getting any better! I can't stand living like this :( PLEASE HELP!!!
About Me:
-Female
-27 years old
-Caucasian
-Never smoked, 1 drink of wine every 3 months? No drugs
-Normal Weight
-No major health issues before a trip to Thailand (except i had lots of minor colds/strep/dental surgeries etc. when i was a kid so lots of
Antibiotics ; still felt very healthy 99.9% of the time and had tons of energy); was in good fitness.
-C-Section, premature, breastfed 3 months only
History:
3 years ago I went backpacking in Thailand/Laos for 6 weeks and did lots of things that I probably shouldn't have…. (drank smoothies (ice) and ate at street vendors, played with stray dogs/cats/other animals, ate at questionable establishments, walked barefoot, etc. and partied a lot!). About a week after trekking in Northern Thailand, I got sick with a respiratory illness:
- Severe cough (felt like i'd break a rib) – green stuff comes up *had bronchitis several times when i was younger so i didn't think much of this
- Chills
- Fever
- Aches/Weakness
- Runny nose & congestion
- Hives
- Nausea
- Headache
- Stomach pain
I used OTC cold medicine which I got at a pharmacy there for about 5 days but my cough stuck around. I felt ok otherwise. After 3 weeks of this, I went to see my family doc in Canada and was put on
Antibiotics for bronchitis. No change. Then put on steroid inhalers which I used for about 2 months and still no difference. Cough wasn't as bad anymore but it was still there and I developed post-nasal drip which bugged me all day every day. I also kept feeling like I just couldn't expand my lungs to get in enough air and I couldn't run anymore which was a HUGE passion for me before my trip :(
About a month after I got back, I started having tons of weird problems that all started around the same time:
Digestive:
-LOTS of gas every day to the point I would look pregnant, constipation (I go 1-2x per week, only a tiny bit), stomach cramps, malabsorption, bloating, weight gain esp in legs of 15lbs, occasional mucous in stool, random stabbing pains throughout my intestines every day lasting 1-3 seconds, occasional diarrhea, feeling like stuff is moving around my intestines (bubbles moving up??), sometimes undigested food (usually corn). Also got sick again about 1 month after I got back and puked like clockwork every 20 mins for 5 hours, lasted 4-5 days (was puking nothing but green bile by the end). Endoscope/colonoscopy 1 month ago: LYMPHOCYTIC COLITIS (but I don’t match the symptoms of this). INTENSE cravings for sugar/bread – can’t seem to stick to any diets.
Cognitive:
SEVERE brain fog (feel like I'm in a dream every day and just not registering things, forgetting stuff (short and long-term), new anxiety, new mood changes, ADHD (diagnosed about 8 months after i got back), new depression, EXTREME FATIGUE!!!! Weird personality changes (disconnected, moody) that last a month or so if I take Tylenol 3. Sometimes get debilitating tension headaches that usually last 48 hours.
Body:
Intense weakness, pain after minor exercise is extreme and can last 4-5 days, restless legs, tinnitus, dry eyes, random sharp stabbing pains in places all over my body, cannot get fit no matter how hard I try, very dry hair, sometimes get blurry vision
Female Stuff:
Irregular periods that last a week but I only get a tiny bit, blood with clumps, very brown. LEEP Surgery for CIN-II even though I had Gardasil 3x.
TESTS DONE
- Ear/Nose/Throat scope – saw the mucous stuff in my throat, which is what I cough up daily (it’s clear now). Doc said its gastric reflux, antacids for 6 months did nothing
- 2 bad lung function tests that were not diagnostic; POSITIVE METHACOLINE TEST FOR ASTHMA (inhalers do nothing)
- Normal Chest X-Ray
- High CRP (fluctuates though)
- Low Neutrophils, slightly Low RBC, slightly high WBC, anemic
- 5-6 stool
parasite tests and stool culture – negative
- Negative Lyme, rickettsia, stronglyiodes
- Negative celiac, lactose intolerance
- Normal TSH, liver function, pancreas function, kidneys OK
- spit test thing was normal for lung bugs (was sent to lab)
- Estrogen normal
SEEN:
Infectious Disease Dr (doesn’t know what it could be)
4-5 general practice Dr’s who just shrug it off
Respirologist
Gastroenterologist
Ear Nose Throat Specialist
Naturopath (hence leaky gut/candida treatment that did nothing)
** Waiting on referral to see an Internist, who knows when - Canada healthcare system at work here :)
NO IMPROVEMENT
- 1 week of metronidazole 500mg, three times daily (doc gave in case Giardia was hiding – never came up on any tests though)
- Inhaler for asthma; steroids for asthma
- Candida diet (1 month); Adrenal Fatigue treatment; Leaky Gut Treatment
- Anti-ADHD, anti-depressants did nothing to improve energy or mood
- Humaworm
parasite cleanse (2x)
- Juice cleanse (5 days)
- Gluten free for 1 month
- Probiotics (lots!)
- Fibre supplements
I take multivitamins (high B vita's), omega 3, 3000-4000 ius Vit D, CoQ10, calcium, Iron (only recently), 5000mg glutamine to help gut. Have a copper IUD (put in past month) so no more BCP.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME! ANY SUGGESTIONS AT ALL WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!
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