Fat To Skinny
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Happy2bthin4me on July 24, 2013, 07:28:11 PM
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Hi all, I went to my doctors office yesterday (I've been sick) and finally got a helpful PA who listened to my problems (chronic issues I've had for years) that have been worse as of late and he ordered a bunch of tests. I had basically pleaded my case with my worries about my swelling being something other than just normal swelling. I explained how long it's gone on, how bad it gets and how miserable it makes me. I told them what helps (rest, watching my fluid intake) and what doesn't (drinking more, water pills) and how I've tried to manage with it. I'm finding it difficult to travel anymore and that makes me really concerned. I'm too young to be so swollen in my feet even after an hour sitting. Water pills don't help. He signed me up for many tests to help find out what this is, I'm so tired of it. He is checking to see if it may be my thyroid as I have a family history of hypothyroidism. He says that could be why my cholesterol is a little high too and I've been losing hair. He's also testing me for hormone imbalances and congestive heart failure as some of my symptoms indicate that as well (arrhythmia, shortness of breath when I lie down, a few other things). Ugh. I'll let you guys know when I get my results. I'm home today doing another test that takes 24hrs that tests for kidney function (I think). However I have a terrible headache today and I'm trying to deal with that. All I know is that my three back to back pregnancies in my teens really started it all. My fourth and last pregnancy I almost died in delivery so I think maybe its just too much stress on my body! I just don't know what it's doing anymore and I'm not really that old to be having so many problems like this. I had these problems in my 20's too and always tried to just think it must be normal but now I'm realizing its not. My ankles and feet get so swollen just after a day at work that it hurts to bend at my ankles - it's just so bad and its like my skin is burning because its stretching so much. Ouch. It seems the more I drink the more I swell. :( I avoid sodium which helps very little. I watch my electrolytes closely and make sure I get potassium and magnesium, calcium, etc. and I told them I eat a very low carb diet and its cleared up a lot of my problems and helped with my energy levels (I've always had trouble with my energy). I hope the doctor can help me figure out why. Cross your fingers for me I can find out what's going on and get some help with it. I think the hardest part is not knowing and I've let this go on way too long without insisting we get to the bottom of it. I certainly don't want to end up like my brother - not getting tests done until you collapse from a grand mal seizure on the basketball court, end up with a diagnosis of glioblastoma (stage 3) at age 32. Wasted away and dead by 34. No way. I can't be too careful!
-Michelle
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Hey hun...I replied to you on my "What I Ate Today" thread, so I won't repeat here...I too have lost so much I had a bald spot, then I got pregnant and grew it back...now it's falling out again :( I too swell on trips, and have headaches and feelings of fainting and heart palpitations. Sigh. Let us know what you find out :) add me on FB if you can when you see my PM. God bless you and keep us updated!
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Michelle keep us informed.Your symptoms are severe.What popped into my brain while reading this also was iron deficiency.Ask him about that ;)
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Oh, Michelle... My heart goes out to you! :'(
My wife had many similar symptoms which turned out to be her thyroid medications.
She was even GAINING weight while eating low carb with portion control! :o
About two years ago, when her new doctor changed her dosage several times between blood tests, they hit the right dose.
She no longer gets those symptoms and is doing great! ;D
I hope you and your healthcare providers solve your problem soon!
Tony
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I've let this go on way too long without insisting we get to the bottom of it. I certainly don't want to end up like my brother - not getting tests done until you collapse from a grand mal seizure on the basketball court, end up with a diagnosis of glioblastoma (stage 3) at age 32. Wasted away and dead by 34. No way. I can't be too careful!
Hi Michelle, I' so sad to hear how your your Brother died...such a waste :'( Don't play around with this issue you're having, stay on it till it's resolved.
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Thank you. I intend to. When I get my regular annual blood work done they don't find anything wrong, iron levels good, thyroid technically "normal", but my mother has hypothyroidism, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes and then with my brothers cancer it sort of made me realize I need to watch my health more closely. My brother had always been one of those tall, lanky guys who played basketball in college (he was 6'6.5" tall so it was fitting) and ate copious amounts of anything he wanted and we joked about where he put it all (we were sure he had a hollow leg he needed to fill) and yet he still got cancer. He was so young and vibrant and then bam! Terminal cancer diagnosis.
I have a big family and can't imagine leaving them or being sick or missing out on anything. I don't intend to. I plan to live into my 90's at least! I have my appt. on Monday to go over the results. I'm a little nervous. I'm getting a eval with the ortho for my shoulder problem on Thursday. Next week will be busy. Thank you again for all the positive vibes sent my way. :) It helps me a lot!
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Keep us informed ;)
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So sorry to hear about your brother way to young that is for sure . Your symptoms sound just like mine . It took me almost 6 years to find a doctor that did what he was suppose too and found Hashimotos thyroid which is a autoimmune ,now we now where Tyler got type 1 diabetes from because it is also from a auto immune gene that I passed to him
I could not lose weight (http://www.fattoskinny.com/) was losing hair by the sand which bags full . All the doctors would test for thyroid was TSH and say I was fine
When tis doc did more then that he found the problem I was suffering from for 17 years . If he did not check Free T3 & 4 and antibodies you need to tell him to do so or do it yourself ,
Hope you find the problem
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I may do that. All my tests came back normal to excellent. Ugh. There's still something wrong with me! They even checked crp or inflammation and it was nil. I have to look closer at the more thorough thyroid test to be sure what they tested for on that one. I'll let you guys know. So far Ive been feeling much better this week and I even ran tonight, 2 mi. Go figure. They said it all couldn't have been closer to perfect. Ugh. I guess that's good but frustrating at the same time.
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Maybe fts has worked really quick on you :D: but seriously - it's great that everything is normal, but a pain when you know something is amiss and nothing is showing up in tests. You will need more indepth tests :(
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Hey girl...sorry you don't have any answers. That has been the story of my life...abnormal symptoms, great blood work. I am convinced that you and I both just aren't having the right tests being run. Hope you get some answers soon hun!
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Yep that's what they told me for for 4-5 years :o
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You need a DO, doctor of osteopath ;)
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A DO huh? I had one years ago when I lived in San Diego. I have found it's hard to find decent medical care here in rural Nevada. :( This was supposed to be a very thorough round of tests too. I'll look over the printouts again and see if they were the right tests. Some had to be fasted, some I had to be lying down for, another made me collect my urine for an entire 24 hrs (yuck). Sorry if that's tmi. I don't know at this point! I'll check later this evening.
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They look at the body as a whole.Not just individual symptoms. ;)
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My doctor has a holistic view of the body.
When he sees symptoms, he considers the obvious and also how different elements (including psychological) interact.
Tony
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Thats the way it should be Tony ;) Our brains can convince the body its ill even when its not.
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Psychosomatic symptoms are a beast!!! Not that that is what I think is going on with you Michelle because I too was told it was psychosomatic and it wasn't :\
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I don't think thats Michelles problem either.D.O doctors take a holistic approach and look at the body as a whole.Not individual symptoms. :)
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I don't think thats Michelles problem either.D.O doctors take a holistic approach and look at the body as a whole.Not individual symptoms. :)
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Thanks guys. I had a DO when I lived in San Diego but now it's much harder where I live now to find good healthcare. In CA I had no problem finding a doctor but here in rural Nevada it is quite a chore! :( I've been here since '04 and still just have to make do or u have to travel 87 miles to Reno (which I do for one of my doctors!).
So to bring everyone up to speed, I am feeling much better and have found something that helps with the swelling...avoid salt, avoid eating out if possible (tell the cook to hold the salt if I am eating out) and I have to moderate my fluid intake during the day and drink quite a bit more in the evenings. It's tough but most if the time I do okay. At least I know that I am salt sensitive. Irritating and u would like to know why my body responds this way.
On another issue, I got a shot in my shoulder on the 2nd of Aug and two days later I was sick. Like flu with body aches and no energy. I felt just exhausted and didn't hardly get out of bed for three days. I went to the doctor and the theory was that I had a reaction to something in the shot. It did feel different than the one I'd had 10 years prior. I think I'm sensitive to anesthesia (I almost died from anesthesia in child birth) and they put some of that type of stuff in the shot! I found out what when I got the statement/bill. :( I am only now starting to feel my energy come back! Strange experience. On the bright side, it seems to have resolved a lot of my shoulder problem because it feels sooo much better and I shouldn't need surgery. Yay! I also know I will swell more right now too because the Ortho put me on NSAIDs for the next month. Ugh.
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Yay :) for shoulder ugh :'( for more meds.
It's a pain when the govt tells you they limiting numbers of registered Drs when you can't find one when you need them ( that's in Australia).
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Hey girl, sorry to hear you are still having problems. The NSAIDs shouldn't make you swell more, quite the opposite, they should keep you from swelling. I am supposed to live on them for my swelling, but I can't because of only having one kidney, which by the way my doctor confirmed I am in some degree of kidney failure :( anyhow thanks for the update and keep posting them! If NSAIDS cause you to swell it has to be an allergic reaction because NSAID stands for Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, I'm sure you know that though, but it's used to treat inflammation. Hope all goes well girl! Oh, also, you don't have kidney problems do you? NSAIDS are killer on the kidneys.
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Hi, Michelle! :)
I'm happy to hear that you're doing better. :) :) :)
Sometime before you had that shot, did you complete a health form that lists allergies?
If you put that anesthetic on the list, it should not have been administered to you!
For some of us, just looking at salt can cause fluid retention.
Sadly, it's added in most prepackaged foods such as ham and other lunchmeats.
When you read labels, check the sodium content BEFORE you eat the food.
NSAIDs can be very dangerous to kidney health (even as far as renal failure).
For other folks out there, unless they're prescribed, use them only occasionally!!!
Tony
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I hope all turns out well for you too ;)
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Hey Tony, good questions. I didn't put the anesthetic on the list because I didn't realize it was a sensitivity to it that almost killed me. We all assumed the anesthesiologist had just given me too much or the pump overdid it as my blood pressure went dangerously low so much so they pumped me full of epinephrine at the time to counteract it. It was supposed to be an epidural and when it went to all of my body it was bad. It never occurred to me until I visited my current general practitioner that I could have sensitivity to anesthetics. He had to point it out to me and suddenly it all made sense. Of course this was all after the fact. Now I know to list it in the future! My problem I think is I always have to take much less medicine than they prescribe for someone else of the same weight. I'm a lightweight when it comes to meds lol. Who knows but a reaction or sensitivity makes sense when I stopped to think about what the dr was saying.
TabyTaby - I don't have kidney problems according to the tests I had done at least. So as far as I know I'm good there. I'll keep you posted!
Thanks again everyone for responding to me. :)
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Michelle, so sorry to hear of all your troubles, sending love and prayers your way.
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Thank you! :D Everyone here is just so amazingly sweet and supportive. I wish I could get on here more often.
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I am glad you figured it out. If you are allergic to anesthesia you should have a medical alert bracelet with your allergies on it ;)
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I am glad you figured it out. If you are allergic to anesthesia you should have a medical alert bracelet with your allergies on it ;)
Oh my goodness what a great idea! I never thought of that! Thank you! I will look into it!
-Michelle
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Please do ;)