Re: Too young to feel so sluggish!
For 15+ years I had a list of strange symptoms that my doctors did little to address. I was "fortunate" that I broke my leg--snapped like a piece of chalk while just playing non contact sports with little nieces!!! Endocrinologist found that I had a bone density problem for no known reason--long list of med tests were negative. However none of my 6 doctors even mentioned heavy metals.
The bone density problem was the tip that led me to consider the possible involvement of heavy metals (HMs) It turned out to be a problem with lead, cadmium, probably with some mercury too. Hair tests while chelating out the HMs reported lead and cadmium in the red. I had exposure for decades since my youth in my family's business.
If you check out my other posts, I'll often suggest to people that they not overlook the possible involvement of heavy metals, especially if they've not had much luck with various doctor and treatments over many years.
I've been a member of online chelation groups for over two years. I've seen many people with your symptoms. There is too good a chance that this is due in large part to chronic mercury exposure.
This might sound like
Science fiction to you but I have plenty of information for you from a couple of guys with PhDs in chemistry who have been studying HMs. When I was at your stage I found the guys with PhDs in chemistry to be much more helpful than MDs. I think the MDs are limited by insurance companies, medical boards and maybe some greed. In fairness to them, they were not trained to treat chronic mercury exposure. It is new for them too.
I used Cutler's detox protocol. In this discussion Cutler and Dr Dan Pompa discuss their own heavy metal problems, the challenges they faced in getting diagnosed and how they got much better.
http://www.healthcentersofthefuture.com/DrCutler/
http://web.archive.org/web/20130806020626/http://www.healthcentersofthefuture.com/DrCutler/
Many folks start with a hair test. There are 600+ here along with symptom lists.
http://livingnetwork.co.za/chelationnetwork/hairtest/hairtest22/
Check out the symptom lists! Although you probably think you are so strange to have such a list of symptoms, you will feel quite at home with a majority of the folks who have submitted their hair tests. You will see your symptoms time and time again.
For example this teen had/has many of your symptoms. His hair test is #389. He posted his 1 year update in this large chelation group.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/frequent-dose-chelation/message/64260
Also check out the work of Boyd Haley, former chair of the chem dept at the U of KY.
RE the tiny amount of mercury required to affect one's health
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnfBhdT7uU0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WM1c7VSP70
Video from U of Calgary of neuron cell membrane damage esp @ 2 min.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDnfeIwd0wI
This long video by B. Haley explains more of the related biochemistry.
http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/7383821
http://web.archive.org/web/20101121004625/http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/7383821
I encourage you to check out the chelation groups here and at yahoo. Just make sure you really read and listen to various view points before jumping in. People as sick as you usually need to start with very low doses of chelator and need plenty of supplement support. Often a little endocrine related medication is helpful too. Endocrine and related systems get hammered by mercury.
This 40-something female had many of your symptoms and others. She was nearly bed ridden but over the course of years of treatment she reported that she got close to 100% recovered.
http://whatidontknow.net/blog/how-do-you-tell-your-story/
http://web.archive.org/web/20120326040445/http://whatidontknow.net/blog/how-do-you-tell-your-story/
She has been a member of the yahoo groups for many years.
I don't want to freak you out but I've seen cases where people as sick as you were not careful and were probably lost. The 40ish year old woman who posted this hair test stopped taking night doses. She seemed to go nuts--bipolar. I think we lost her.
http://www.livingnetwork.co.za/files/hairtest_275.pdf
This young guy is still here at curezone but he also had a rough time with bipolar symptoms when he skipped night doses. He also had the kidney problems (I had those too in the beginning--more on that if requested)
//www.curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=1007420#i
Best wishes to you & God bless,
Joe