I’m sick of being not quite right, what tests do I go for?

[bettybiggestballs]

I’ve been feeling under the weather now for 18 months. Very low energy, really aching muscles from minor excertion, joint pain, headaches and brain fog. My gp has been shit over four visits. It’s just life according to them. I need a hive mind to understand what the problem could be, I KNOW I’m not quite right even if my GP doesn’t buy it. I’ve been looking today at private blood tests but overwhelmed by the choice. Any ideas what I can do to help myself outside the NHS? I eat quite well, am fairly active and on the face of it healthy but something isn’t working properly.

Google B12 deficiency or pernicious anemia.
People can often be wrongly tested for MS because symptoms are similar. All of your symptoms match.

There is a FB group if you need help I can point you that way.

Have you had a look at your diet OP? If I have a diet too high in starchy carbs then I get symptoms similar to yours. Also do you drink fizzy drinks? Might be aspartame affecting you

My advice would be to see a nutritionist if you can

Could be B12/folic anemia. They don’t usually test for it unless you’re elderly, but it matches a few of your symptoms.

Also, look up fibromyalgia. It matches the symptoms of joint pain and brain fog.

I thought coeliac when I read your symptoms. These are the exact same symptoms I have with my recently diagnosed CD. Just because you're not having issues with your gut, don't rule it out. Do you get itchy at all? That's another of my symptoms - itchy all over but especially my inner forearms and behind my knees.

It's a simple blood test and worth checking out.

Kidney function. My symptoms turned out to be chronic kidney disease but they only tested for it after a million other tests

Those are similar to my symptoms.

I found it helped the GPs to take it seriously when I told them I was too ill to work, or care for my children.

Those are the kind of vague symptoms that can be difficult to unravel.

After about a year of constant to and fro with the GP, I’ve had

• full blood count
• checks of B12 and vitamin D
• thyroid checks
• diabetes checks
• checks for auto-immune diseases - the GP can do a basic check, but a rheumatologist needs to refer you for the full checks.

It could be fibromyalgia, lupus, B12 deficiency, vitamin D, thyroid, etc etc.

You really have to persevere with The GPs. At one point I was making appointments for every week and going back to say I couldn’t cope and they had to do something.

Thanks for everyone’s responses, I appreciate it and also find comfort in being not the only one.
I’m going to book a private gp appt and go from there with all the suggestions on here.

To answer questions, I haven’t one test, I can’t get anything out of the gps other than get more sleep and excercise. (I have insomnia and go to the gym three times a week) but I have in the past had issues with anxiety and stress and I think my current symptoms are being written off as part of that - but I know it’s not.

faez - from what you’ve written, I’d say you should push for a referral to haematology

Glandular Fever?

I da the same last year during winter and vitamin D has been a miracle worker!

I thought possible coeliac too.
The blood tests aren't conclusive though and only a biopsy can tell for sure.
Could be gluten intolerance anyway if the blood test fails

Rather than any random blood tests I’d second a private doctor - I’d actually recommend the BUPA wellbeing check although I don’t know the cost as I (luckily) had it through my employer benefits. However, I felt like you do for about a year, all the same symptoms with a few other things in the mix and had been putting it down to age and possibly peri menopause - turned out, after this very thorough check up and tests, that I was diabetic and whilst it’s not the cause of all of what I was experienc8ng, I’m definitely feeling better now it’s being treated.

I find my GPs are clueless about generic symptoms but at least they run routine tests when I go there! I have to push for anything not routine which is annoying but at least they do something. Mind I have had a lot of private tests done based on what I feel it's more likely to be related to, lo and behold mine flag up stuff that I asked them to test in the first place.

The fact they haven't done a single blood test after 18 months of symptoms is mind boggling.

Private doctor sounds like a plan to me OP, let us know how you go. Wouldn't it be great if we could all have a health check every year, surely it would save a lot of money in treatment in the long run.