|
|
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 19
Sophmore Member
|
Forgive me if this post gets a bit lengthy, but my health has been deteriorating for the last 11 years and I'm seeking answers from kind, open-minded people, and this forum looks to fit those requirements!
I'm just gonna give you all the facts and let those of you who care to help draw your own conclusions. I'll start by saying that mercury toxicity isn't the only causal agent I've researched...I'm a regular at various autism, autoimmune, allergy, and candida forums all over the net. I've read books and spent many a night reading these health-related things until the sun comes up in search of what's wrong with me. I've been to so many doctors for things like menstrual cramps, chronic fatigue, and other such things, only to be given psychiatric meds and fake tests (yes, I had one doctor examine me in a way that another dr. said could NOT possibly have been sufficient to make a judgment on my condition). I was committed to a mental institution when I was 16 for my extreme phobia of vomit that caused a near breakdown when numerous people got sick at once and then took psychiatric meds for the following 6 years. Prozac, Cymbalta, Luvox, Anafranil, Elavil, Risperdal, Effexor, Wellbutrin, Lexapro, Modafinil, you name it, I've taken it.
Anyway, here goes the flow of personal information about me: I'm a 23 year-old Caucasian female from Oklahoma. I am 5'1 and weigh about 115 lbs. My symptoms are as follows:
PHYSICAL *Constant fatigue *Swollen knees *Food sensitivities (delayed reactions to egg whites, yeast, milk, wheat, gluten, coconut, and yogurt on ELISA test) *Bloating *Extreme menstrual cramps, fainting, numbness in hands/feet *Joints that periodically make a "popping" sound upon movt. *Allergies, worst with mold *Constipation, w/diarrhea during period *Need to "pop" neck frequently/headache in lower back of head *Scoliosis in lower spine *Cold hands and feet *Near-sightedness (contact Rx is -7.50) *Low blood calcium/magnesium levels *Acidic body Ph *Consistently high lymphocyte count *Low-grade fever at doctor's office every time (99.--101 degrees) *"Sluggish" liver, trouble converting T4 to T3 (or whatever)
MENTAL: *Extreme fear of illness/vomit (runs in family) *Intense fascinations or obsessions with people, things, etc. lasting up to 2 years *Inability to maintain eye contact with others or remember faces of those I've met *Anxiety about death, cancer, going out in public, etc. *Stay up all night, sleep all day *PMS and mood swings *Feeling like nothing is worth doing, hopelessness *Need to plan everything out on paper, make lists of daily activities and subsequent anger when plans change *Vivid long-term memory, inability to be "in the moment" *Need for alone time, music, and writing everyday/avoidance of social contact *Feeling like sounds, smells, textures, tastes, and lights are too strong/loud/bright, etc. *Limited diet (never tasted a hamburger or piece of fruit!)
I gave a history to the people on the autism/pdd boards, and they said across the board that I most likely have Aspergers/High functioning autism, though I've never been diagnosed. I was a hyper, shy child who never spoke in school but would come home and raise hell. I memorized books and was very advanced in vocabulary skills by the age of 2 and was a good student who had friends all through grade school. My baby book says I got a fever of 104 the evening of my MMR shot, and I had all the normal viruses growing up, nothing remarkable in the way of infections, illnesses, etc.
My real problems didn't start until I was 12. I'd always had a tendency to obsess over things and have repetitive thoughts; I'd always been a bit high strung and socially anxious; I'd always felt "different", but something changed when I was 12.
It was gradual, but life started to go downhill noticeably. I went through puberty and started my period. I started having pronounced obsessive thoughts (albeit enjoyable ones) about various people, TV shows, etc. I became extremely myopic and was told I had scoliosis. I started having multiple illnesses in my lungs and having a constant sore throat. I went from grade school to high school in a year's time (how my town was set up...no middle school) and lost my friends for various reasons and never recovered my self-esteem fully. My sleep cycles got completely screwed up. I lost all coloring in my skin and became pale and sickly looking. The list goes on. Today, my main complaint is fatigue. It's so bad I can't even exercise. Because of this and the fact that I'm only 23 and feel the best years of my life are dwindling away, I feel depressed. My thoughts are slow and I feel lazy. My periods are hell, and so is my PMS. Unlike people with traditional depression, I KNOW what's causing it, and it's my fatigue. Anyway, I've tried so hard to remember all the things that happened around the time I started feeling bad at age 12 and have drudged up a few memories that may or may not have any significance. No one should have to dwell on health so much, but every single dr. I've seen has treated me in a condescending manner and thrown drugs at me, all of which I put my faith in and all of which failed. Here's what I can remember about the time in my life that this started and the possible causes of my poor health: *got my first flu shot and continued getting them for 3 years in a row *had multiple amalgams fall out in food and gum, probably even swallowed some *Got sick multiple times with respiratory illnesses *Stress started at school and worsened at home *Went through puberty *Head trauma (dropped in cheerleading, hit with bat in softball) *Hurt my neck and pinched a nerve *Got Hep A and B shots (in about the 10th-11th grade) *Took birth control pills and antibiotics on and off *Drank tap water despite high nitrate warning *Exposed to mold in basement and house
Because I don't know what's wrong with me and am not excluding psychosomatic illnesses, I cannot leave out the many stresses I endured on a mental level. When I get nervous, I get instant diarrhea, nausea, and adrenaline rushes. My heart pounds and my breathing speeds up. I sometimes sit over the toilet with dry heaves after an attack of anxiety...it's pretty severe, especially when my phobia is provoked (someone around me is sick).
Anyway, I guess what I'm after here is, I just want to know what you guys think the possibilities are. What could be wrong? What can I do to help myself feel better physically so I can improve mentally? Please, if you feel I'm just overly sensitive or am being a hypochondriac, tell me so. It won't hurt my feelings, because that's all I've been told in the past. I don't think it's normal for a 23 year old who's graduated college, fallen in love, and obtained the perfect job to feel so tired and miserable all the time, but maybe it is. Maybe everyone feels this way and I'm just overly alert about it. I honestly don't know anymore.
Thanks so much for listening. I usually don't ramble on so, but feel the need to get it all out so maybe someone can help. Thanks again!
|
|
|
|
|