Swollen glands, Fatigue, Low energy levels, constant viral infection, muscle pain and stiffness

I have the same symptoms from Jan this year. I had all the blood tests and everything seems to be ok, except one test: ANA test. Mine was slightly positive, so I was sent to a rheumatologist, but he said everything it's ok. I don't know what to do anymore. I had some massage and I tried some homeopathic remedies and I feel a little bit better. TIA

I hear you with all of the symptoms. I've had various ones to varying degrees over years too. I was finally diagnosed as being hypothyroid. I work with an integrative/holistic doctor. "Traditional" doctors all previously gave me the run around and dismissed my thyroid numbers saying there were normal and even suggested I have depression and anxiety and prescribed me medication for those. My cholesterol was high too and I had PCOS. High cholesterol is a symptom of an underactive thyroid and PCOS is linked to all of that too - with the sensitive and interconnected endocrine system. Anyway, one thing I want to say is not to give up. Eventually you will find someone that will help and you can trust. I would suggest the holistic/integrative route. They will work with you on the thyroid numbers and probably even recommend certain vitamins, herbs, minerals and/or homeopathic treatments. One thing I want to mention is that there's a new scale for thyroid numbers that most "traditional" doctors don't follow! It's 0.3-3.0!! See here: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/testsforthyroid/a/newrange.htm. I feel best when my TSH is around 1.0. Good luck.

Hi all,

I had a real bad virus/infection in december 07. I had a burning temperature of 41oC and severe muscle pain (I was not able to move) I was so poorly my doctor started treating me for Rheumatic Fever (Very unheard of these days!).. Anyway I had blood tests done and all it shown was high platelet count but nothing to be worried about apparently! Anyway it took me weeks to recover, that then turned into months. I went back to work in Feb 08 after 2 months off being sick. I still was not right, I had periods of pain especially tops of my arms, swollen glands (especially right side under jaw), severe fatigue and headaches everyday. So after a few visits back with my GP he suspected I had ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and gave me another months sick note. He then refered me to an endocrineologist/ME specialist. They have done further blood tests that now reveal I have a Folic Acid deficiency and a viral infection! He wrote me a prescription of the highest dose of folic acid and Vitamin B compound in case I have B12 involvement. Could this be the same infection I had at christmas if so I am so worried as it is chronic and not going away. I am also having weird goosebumps just on my lower left arm.. they come up in patches, it happens nowhere else on my body. My consultant has asked me to go back on Tuesday next week 16th Sept 08 for further investigation to find out what type of virus I have. He has also tested me for Coeliac Disease and I get the results back on tuesday when i see him. I am still very ill, it has no been 10 months I have consequently lost my job from time off sick and my husband has had to take time off work to look after me and the children. I so need to be well, I want to be well.. after 10 months you would think they know what it is huh! Anyway let me know how you all get on will leave an update later next week. Take care all and don't give up.. XXX

I'm 23 years old. I've had all these symptoms you des(ribed for a very long time. Ask your do(tor about (hroni( fatigue syndrome and fybromyalgia. These are treatable. Even though i was diagnosed with these last year, I hadn't been to a do(tor that was any help at all. I re(ently have been to see a woman named dr. sylvato who seems to really know what shes talking about. I have a severe glutathione defi(ien(y. I'm re(eiving inje(tions of this glutathione in order to boost my levels. I'm having 1 every week for 6 weeks. I've just had my se(ond inje(tion. Also, she gave me a rule, for every i spend doing something that requires energy, I must spend 2 hours resting. I don't know if this is what you have, but it won't hurt to ask your do(tor to test for low glutathione levels.

Oh my. I no longer feel alone. I read your post the whole time going "thats me!". I too am 20. I too have EVERY health issue you named. and more. I too have a doctor that has done all sorts of blood tests and sonograms etc and cannot find out what is wrong with me. I have a mother, grandmother, sister and 2 aunts that have fibromyalgia. My doctor refuses to test me for it because of my age ( my sister was diagnosed at age 20.) I personally think she is profiling me? Possibly thinks i just want pain pills? She has tested my blood and knows there is nothing there. I have NEVER used any drugs. I do not drink, and i occasianlly smoke a cigarette (in the process of trying to quit). I dont wanty the pain meds i just want to know what the hell is going on with me. I have always been a very healthy person. I got pregnant with my son the beginning of 07. I gave birth and initially lost half of what i gained, but now i have gained back all of my pregnancy weight and some meaning i weigh more than i did at 9 months pregnant. I have a 1 year old son. I am a very busy person and it's as if my body wont keep up, its truly frustrating...i have actually found myself falling asleep at random points throughout the day from pure exhaustion, but that is dangerous considering i have a 1 year old in my care. I am horrified i am going to leave my son without a mother. They wanted to do a sleep apnea test on me too...have yet to do that. Did you do yours? If you could possibly e-mail me and we could discuss further our symptoms and testing? or anyone else that has any advice or etc? My e-mail is _[removed]_, thanks u soo much i wish you the best and i hope they can find out what is causing you these symptoms, i know first hand what it feels like.

I have many of the same symptoms you all speak of... and I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you all (especially ones with recurring problems who can't seem to figure it out) need to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. The majority of these symptoms go hand in hand with HIV. This isn't to scare anybody because I too have these symptoms and my doctor is pretty sure I have mono, I have a blood test scheduled for tomorrow. But it is always good to be on the safe side. Especially those of you who listed symptoms that correlate with symptoms of the flu, a weakened immune system, weight loss, appetite loss, fatigue, diarrhea, dry cough, shortness of breath, depression, vaginal infection, rash, etc. Again, not to scare anyone, but just to inform, these are ALL symptoms of HIV. I don't believe any of you have it, but like i said, it never hurts to get tested. I for one know that I am going to get tested even if I turn out to have mono... better safe than sorry.


FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HIV/AIDS:
http://aids.about.com/od/themostcommonquestions/Signs_Symptoms.htm

Oh my gosh, it is so nice to know I am not alone in this. I have been battling all these symptoms for years and have had numerous blood work done to no avail and feel sometimes like Im going crazy because I never feel well! Iam not yet 30 and have 3 beautiful daughters but feel like I am 70 and cheating them out of a young vibrant mother because I am always tired and have migranes, achiness and swollen glands. Im just so sick of feeling sick! LOL! If any of you want to ever talk my email is _[removed]_!

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism this time last year. Tired, weight gain, brittle hair, depression. Lab tests finally showed the abnormal thyroid levels. My Dr. put my on synthroid, currently taking with normal levels. I have consistent hair loss, weight gain, depression, and now muscle fatigue. I currently have increased thirst, increased urination, and eye pressure, what is going on with me? Am I borderline diabetic. I worked out at the gym, came home and used a neighbors blood glucose monitor and it revealed my blood sugar was 4mg. Isn't that fatal? I was the most healthiest person you would of ever met, until last year. My body is falling apart. And my fiance probably thinks I'm a hyperchondriac. I know my body and something is not right. Any suggestions?

so i am slightly terrified. i missed my period, have shoulder pain, nausa, diarhhea, yesterday i had lower abomadial pain, and to top it all off i have symptoms of a yeast infection. i read up on some of these and ive gotten it could be aids could be ovarian cyct could be gallbladder i really dnt know what to do. i pray i dnt have aids and i dnt think i do but the fact still remains that i have symptoms. can someone give me some comfort and help explain better what this all could be.

Try looking up lupus, its a rare autoimmune disease but you pretty much fit the description. Its hard to detect by a blood test so you going to need to bug your doctor to look into it

You're not crazy or a hypochondriac, and you're not alone.
Things you need to be tested for ASAP:
1. Mono
2. Thyroid nodules/goiter
3. Celiac disease (blood test, not the scope if you can avoid it)

I suffered ongoing abdominal, glandular and viral symptoms for years, and got many doctor's reactions with the affected sympathy while they look at you like you just want attention. Yes, I want attention, I want your attention on my VERY REAL medical problem. I got the usual "too much stress" nonsense (my life is pretty normal) and one doctor said I was probably giving myself food poisoning. I when he couldn't find a virus to explain my bout of "flu", he actually said, "We don't know what's wrong with you, but it probably won't kill you." Within the year I was diagnosed with Celiac disease, an intolerance to the gluten in my "healthy" diet. There was no family history, and it's considered rare because it is vastly underdiagnosed, especially since symptoms usually are vague and don't show up for 1 - 24 hours after ingestion. It had caused weight gain (you tend to either overeat to compensate for the vitamins your body isn't absorbing, or undereat because you're always naseous) and frequent bouts of "flu." I started to feel much better on the gluten-free diet, but I recommend taking daily magnesium supplements for the heavy periods - it has helped me and several other people I know.

Unfortunately, I believe that I suffered from Celiac disease for most of my life, and that the lack of vitamins contributed to my thyroid malfunctioning. There is a family history of poor thyroid function, which I did not know. I developed a bad throat infection one Christmas where I lost my voice for pretty much 2 weeks (try working retail when you can't make a sound!). After several months I still had lumps I could feel when I swallowed a large mouthful of food, and it felt like it was interfering with my breathing. My new doctor agreed that he could feel them and sent me to an ENT specialist, who booked an ultrasound and biopsy. The results were unclear, but since I had a 2.5cm goiter on the one side interfering with eating and breathing, he wanted to remove at least that one side. I agreed, and when I was on the operating table they did another slide from the part he removed, and again the results were unclear but he didn't like the way the other side looked so he elected to remove it anyways. I was kind of freaked out when I came to and heard I didn't have a thyroid anymore, but it turns out that he was absolutely right to do it, since further tests found 2 kinds of cancer in my thyroid. I'm much better now, I only had to do one round of radioactive iodine since my surgeon did such a good job removing it. I'm pretty normal now, that is I work 2 jobs and have lots of energy when I remember to take my vitamins: calcium + magnesium, + other supplements when I remember.

The symptoms you describe sound absolutely like low thyroid, so you must insist that this be checked out thoroughly. I was lucky. There are 4 kinds of thyroid cancer, I had 2 of the slow-growing kind. One of the others isn't so kind. Take your mom or a supportive friend with you to the doctor's if you need to, I think doctors are less likely to be condescending with a witness in the room, and it's really hard to think straight when you're dead tired all the time, so write down a list and take it with you. Don't accept "I don't know" as an answer, keep asking, "Is there anything else we can test for?", that's how I got my Celiac diagnosis. When people ask what it's like living with the disease, I tell them it's better than not knowing why you're sick all the time. Hang in there, no matter what, there's always SOMETHING you can do.

I know how you feel I have alot of the same symptoms that you are describing. Joint pain, muscle pain,headaches,dizziness, fatigue, sleepy in the middle of the day. I have been dealing with this for four years. It all started right after I was bitten by a tick. Now I have problems with my immune system. My immune system attacked my joints in my knees and this past summer I had both knees replaced. My doctor had me tested for lyme disease and the test came back negative. I'm still having the same symptoms so I'm going to be tested again Western Blot test this time. Check out the symptoms of Lyme disease and let me know what you think. I hope this helps you.

Hi, Try to google Fybromyalgia, I think that is how it is spelled. I also know your pain and that is what I finally diagnosed myself with and had a specialist confirm it after hundreds of doctor visits to numerous doctors. Give it a try. The glands may be related to what I seem to have which is a very weak immune system. Hope this helps.

I am interested in hearing an update on whats going on! I too, have had the same symptoms, and I have been told several times it is depression, but, i know I'm not depressed, If anything, I'm overly happy! lol. Anyway, if you find out what it is, let me know please, so i too, can mention it to my doc!



-Bryar

I completely understand your frustration. I've had exactly the same symptoms for 20 years now, they went away for a few months and now they're back again. I have hardly any sick leave left and I should have a lot, but sometimes I just can't make it in to work. I've had thousands of blood tests, some MRI's, a spinal tap, and other tests. I've been to specialists and done a lot of research, but doctors don't want to be bothered. They will try to blame it on you if they can. My last doctor did say that she thought it was real, but if they can't find anything in the blood tests (and they never can), they assume you're fine and won't do anything. The last rheumatologist I went to, about 6 months ago, told me I may never find out what's wrong with me. After all my research, I've decided it's Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (look it up, you'll see), but good luck finding a doctor who will take that seriously, even today. If you can find someone who specializes in Chronic Fatigue, they will help you. There's a clinic in South Carolina especially for CF, where they'll test you and treat you. (Run by Dr. Lapp) . Or try the Mayo Clinic, I know they treat it there.

Whatever the case, good luck! If you do have any luck with this, please let me know!