20th November 2007
Let me start by listing conditions I HAVE been diagnosed with, even mental things:
Depression - 2003
Anxiety - 2003
RSD (Left foot) - 2003/Remission until/2005
Osteoarthritis (Chest cavity) - 2003
TMJ - Always had this problem
I am currently being tested for:
Cushing's Syndrome
or some kind of Thyroid disorder and Hormone problems
I also have:
Very poor circulation to lower extremities
Very susceptible to getting sick
Sleeping trouble
Fatigue/Lack of energy
Pain in my lower back/buttocks/thighs
Nightmares and vivid dreams
Extreme weight gain (Around 50 pounds in two years... may be due to my sedentary lifestyle since the RSD)
Swollen lymph node on right side of neck (Had MRI's and CT scans done, and doctors say my gland is too small to biopsy.. probably nothing to worry about. Been swollen since August 2006)
Very late menstrual periods, or none at all.
Last winter I had a severe case of migraines that lasted about a week, then went away.
Horrible short-term memory, which I never used to have a problem with.
I'm going for blood tests today, to get a lipid panel done.. and a bunch of other things. When I had my blood tested at the Gyno last year, she found that my hormone levels were as high as a pregnant womans. (I am definitely not, nor have I ever been, pregnant) (I am also not sexually active for almost two years now). The doctor wants to check to see if I have Cushings Syndrome, so I am also doing a 24 hour urine test.
Friday night I began getting a horrible headache. I thought it was just because of my TMJ (I had my wisdom teeth pulled out last month, and one gave me such a problem.. the root broke off and it took 45 minutes of surgery to get it out.. leaving my TMJ 10000 times worse than it was originally)... Then it kind of went away. I remember having extremely bad and vivid dreams that night, actually.
Then Saturday night, a migraine struck with such intensity that I thought I was maybe dying, or having a stroke or something. I've had migraines before, and I also deal with chronic pain every day, but I have never experienced anything like this. The slightest movement/sound/light made me want to throw up. My right temple was just pounding and it felt like someone was stabbing me (When pressure was applied to it, it actually felt a bit better). I almost made my father bring me to the ER, and if I was able to move, I would have probably gone there too. I took 3 Extra Strength Excedrin, tried to eat a few bites of food (I kept gagging though.. I even had to take out my Night Guard/Splint/Bite Plate because even THAT was making me gag), and after about an hour, the headache went away and I fell asleep for a few hours.
When I woke up, I still felt strange. I felt.. disoriented, kind of. My stomach was still very upset, but my head was not throbbing. When I touched my right temple, it hurt very badly though.. and it still does.
Then last night I started to get another headache followed by nausea, I immediately took Excedrin and it went away. But then my throat began to get really sore. I thought I was thirsty, I kept on drinking water so many times.. I felt I couldn't get UN-thirsty. I decided to go downstairs to have a look into my throat.
(Let me bring up now that when I was younger, I had about 5-7 tonsillitis infections a year.. sometimes more. My doctor told me he wouldn't recommend a Tonsillectomy because my tonsils are very tiny (VERY TINY) and the surgeon would not be able to get them out properly. But after I turned, maybe, 16 I never had tonsillitis again. I was always getting sick though. Like I said before, I have a weak immune system, I guess, and being at school around sick kids meant that I was sick all winter long pretty much. I had strep throat back in August 2006.. around the same time I noticed my lymph node getting swollen, but no other throat problems since then.)
I look into my throat (The left side is the side that is extremely sore) and I notice that my left tonsil has this white thing on it. I know it's not good to exactly go in your mouth and start picking around, but I was hoping maybe it was just food or something stuck to it. I kept trying to get it out, but it's literally STUCK to my tonsil. It's kind of stringy... A white mucus string thats attached to my tonsil somewhere I can not see. It also does not hurt at all when I touch it or that tonsil.
I also now have at least two canker sores in my mouth (I haven't gotten any of those in years.. I only had a few after my teeth were pulled last month, but that always happens after I have teeth pulled.. For some reason I will grow a mound of sores right around the extraction site). One on the side of my tongue (the left) and one on the inside of my cheek (the left).
I also feel flushed.. or warm. I can not find our thermometer to take my temperature, but I had my father feel my head and he said I felt a bit warm to him. My eyes are kind of stinging/burning, like when you have a fever.
The left side of my buttock (Strange, I know) has a cramp in it. I mentioned above that I have these mysterious pains in my lower back, buttock and thigh (Usually just on the left side). I don't know what that is from.. I know I had a test done a year ago that said I had a pinched nerve in my lower back, but the doctors didn't think much of it, I guess, since it was never talked about again.
To anyone who has read through this all? Thank you so much. And don't worry, I am going to see my doctor about this.. the timing is just really bad. I've been out of work for a while, and I'm not receiving pay because my Workers Comp case is in Appeals. I also have no health insurance (Been trying to get Medicaid... but Social Services is a joke), and just had to spend $2500 on 4 tooth extractions and a bite plate... So I REALLY don't want to have to go to the doctor, the appointment itself costs a lot.. and I know he'll want me to have tests done, blah. I really wanted to write everything out for my own benefit too, since I may forget a lot of this later on.
And also, to add, I am on the following medications:
Effexor XR since 2003
Ativan since 2003
Tylenol 4 with Codeine since 2005
I also do not drink alcohol, and I gave up smoking.. but still have a cigarette every now and then. I do not do any drugs either. I'm a 6'1" 22 year old girl.
Any input you have, would be great.. and thank you again for reading all of this. I hope you all have a great day... and I would love to hear any advice or anything anyone has to say! I'm only 22 years old and I feel like I'm falling apart, ahh!
Depression - 2003
Anxiety - 2003
RSD (Left foot) - 2003/Remission until/2005
Osteoarthritis (Chest cavity) - 2003
TMJ - Always had this problem
I am currently being tested for:
Cushing's Syndrome
or some kind of Thyroid disorder and Hormone problems
I also have:
Very poor circulation to lower extremities
Very susceptible to getting sick
Sleeping trouble
Fatigue/Lack of energy
Pain in my lower back/buttocks/thighs
Nightmares and vivid dreams
Extreme weight gain (Around 50 pounds in two years... may be due to my sedentary lifestyle since the RSD)
Swollen lymph node on right side of neck (Had MRI's and CT scans done, and doctors say my gland is too small to biopsy.. probably nothing to worry about. Been swollen since August 2006)
Very late menstrual periods, or none at all.
Last winter I had a severe case of migraines that lasted about a week, then went away.
Horrible short-term memory, which I never used to have a problem with.
I'm going for blood tests today, to get a lipid panel done.. and a bunch of other things. When I had my blood tested at the Gyno last year, she found that my hormone levels were as high as a pregnant womans. (I am definitely not, nor have I ever been, pregnant) (I am also not sexually active for almost two years now). The doctor wants to check to see if I have Cushings Syndrome, so I am also doing a 24 hour urine test.
Friday night I began getting a horrible headache. I thought it was just because of my TMJ (I had my wisdom teeth pulled out last month, and one gave me such a problem.. the root broke off and it took 45 minutes of surgery to get it out.. leaving my TMJ 10000 times worse than it was originally)... Then it kind of went away. I remember having extremely bad and vivid dreams that night, actually.
Then Saturday night, a migraine struck with such intensity that I thought I was maybe dying, or having a stroke or something. I've had migraines before, and I also deal with chronic pain every day, but I have never experienced anything like this. The slightest movement/sound/light made me want to throw up. My right temple was just pounding and it felt like someone was stabbing me (When pressure was applied to it, it actually felt a bit better). I almost made my father bring me to the ER, and if I was able to move, I would have probably gone there too. I took 3 Extra Strength Excedrin, tried to eat a few bites of food (I kept gagging though.. I even had to take out my Night Guard/Splint/Bite Plate because even THAT was making me gag), and after about an hour, the headache went away and I fell asleep for a few hours.
When I woke up, I still felt strange. I felt.. disoriented, kind of. My stomach was still very upset, but my head was not throbbing. When I touched my right temple, it hurt very badly though.. and it still does.
Then last night I started to get another headache followed by nausea, I immediately took Excedrin and it went away. But then my throat began to get really sore. I thought I was thirsty, I kept on drinking water so many times.. I felt I couldn't get UN-thirsty. I decided to go downstairs to have a look into my throat.
(Let me bring up now that when I was younger, I had about 5-7 tonsillitis infections a year.. sometimes more. My doctor told me he wouldn't recommend a Tonsillectomy because my tonsils are very tiny (VERY TINY) and the surgeon would not be able to get them out properly. But after I turned, maybe, 16 I never had tonsillitis again. I was always getting sick though. Like I said before, I have a weak immune system, I guess, and being at school around sick kids meant that I was sick all winter long pretty much. I had strep throat back in August 2006.. around the same time I noticed my lymph node getting swollen, but no other throat problems since then.)
I look into my throat (The left side is the side that is extremely sore) and I notice that my left tonsil has this white thing on it. I know it's not good to exactly go in your mouth and start picking around, but I was hoping maybe it was just food or something stuck to it. I kept trying to get it out, but it's literally STUCK to my tonsil. It's kind of stringy... A white mucus string thats attached to my tonsil somewhere I can not see. It also does not hurt at all when I touch it or that tonsil.
I also now have at least two canker sores in my mouth (I haven't gotten any of those in years.. I only had a few after my teeth were pulled last month, but that always happens after I have teeth pulled.. For some reason I will grow a mound of sores right around the extraction site). One on the side of my tongue (the left) and one on the inside of my cheek (the left).
I also feel flushed.. or warm. I can not find our thermometer to take my temperature, but I had my father feel my head and he said I felt a bit warm to him. My eyes are kind of stinging/burning, like when you have a fever.
The left side of my buttock (Strange, I know) has a cramp in it. I mentioned above that I have these mysterious pains in my lower back, buttock and thigh (Usually just on the left side). I don't know what that is from.. I know I had a test done a year ago that said I had a pinched nerve in my lower back, but the doctors didn't think much of it, I guess, since it was never talked about again.
To anyone who has read through this all? Thank you so much. And don't worry, I am going to see my doctor about this.. the timing is just really bad. I've been out of work for a while, and I'm not receiving pay because my Workers Comp case is in Appeals. I also have no health insurance (Been trying to get Medicaid... but Social Services is a joke), and just had to spend $2500 on 4 tooth extractions and a bite plate... So I REALLY don't want to have to go to the doctor, the appointment itself costs a lot.. and I know he'll want me to have tests done, blah. I really wanted to write everything out for my own benefit too, since I may forget a lot of this later on.
And also, to add, I am on the following medications:
Effexor XR since 2003
Ativan since 2003
Tylenol 4 with Codeine since 2005
I also do not drink alcohol, and I gave up smoking.. but still have a cigarette every now and then. I do not do any drugs either. I'm a 6'1" 22 year old girl.
Any input you have, would be great.. and thank you again for reading all of this. I hope you all have a great day... and I would love to hear any advice or anything anyone has to say! I'm only 22 years old and I feel like I'm falling apart, ahh!