I am a 19 year old female. When I was seven, I was diagnosed and treated for AML (acute myelogenous leukemia) with some chemotherapy, full body radiation, and a bone marrow transplant. I have been in remission for 11 years.
For the past 3 months, I have become increasingly tired. At first, I would only be tired after work. All I would want to do was sleep as soon as I came home. It evolved to where I was tired at work as well, and now is at the point where I feel exhausted 99% of the time and feel weak. About a month ago, I started experiencing other symptoms, including headaches, loss of appetite, nausea, and minor traveling joint pains.
I have been doing the run-around with doctors for the past month. All my blood tests are normal. I had thyroid tested 2 ways, lupus, adrenal gland, and pretty much everything under the sun. At first, my doctor thought it was migraines, but the medication she gave me only made my other symptoms worse, so I stopped taking them. I went to by bone marrow doctors and they tested me for anything they could think of that my treatments might have caused. I even had a bone marrow aspirations test done and a lumbar puncture, but they couldn't find anything. They declared that it had absolutely nothing to do with my leukemia or my treatments for it. I also had a brain MRI done and they couldn't find anything there either. Now my doctor has referred me to a neurologist, but I feel that she's taking guesses.
The neurologist can't get me in until the end of August, and then my classes are already starting. I can't do well like this, and if I drop out now, I lose all my scholarships, my insurance, and my job (which I have through my university). I can't afford college without the scholarships, and would hate to lose my chance. I also hate the fact that my parents are spending all this money on expensive tests that keep coming up without any answers. Is it worth my money to go see the neurologist, or is there something else I should try on my own first? Can a neurologist even help with my problem?
For the past 3 months, I have become increasingly tired. At first, I would only be tired after work. All I would want to do was sleep as soon as I came home. It evolved to where I was tired at work as well, and now is at the point where I feel exhausted 99% of the time and feel weak. About a month ago, I started experiencing other symptoms, including headaches, loss of appetite, nausea, and minor traveling joint pains.
I have been doing the run-around with doctors for the past month. All my blood tests are normal. I had thyroid tested 2 ways, lupus, adrenal gland, and pretty much everything under the sun. At first, my doctor thought it was migraines, but the medication she gave me only made my other symptoms worse, so I stopped taking them. I went to by bone marrow doctors and they tested me for anything they could think of that my treatments might have caused. I even had a bone marrow aspirations test done and a lumbar puncture, but they couldn't find anything. They declared that it had absolutely nothing to do with my leukemia or my treatments for it. I also had a brain MRI done and they couldn't find anything there either. Now my doctor has referred me to a neurologist, but I feel that she's taking guesses.
The neurologist can't get me in until the end of August, and then my classes are already starting. I can't do well like this, and if I drop out now, I lose all my scholarships, my insurance, and my job (which I have through my university). I can't afford college without the scholarships, and would hate to lose my chance. I also hate the fact that my parents are spending all this money on expensive tests that keep coming up without any answers. Is it worth my money to go see the neurologist, or is there something else I should try on my own first? Can a neurologist even help with my problem?
Hi there, I think that going to a neurologist would be worth the time because there are a lot of nerve or brain disorders that you could have that they can test for. It is worth the money even if they don't find something because that would rule out a host of issues. I definitely say go for it. What do you think?