AIBU (and pathetic) to think I'm dying?

[EmeraldScorn]

I know how this will sound, that I'm a hypochondriac and/or an attention seeker (I am neither of those things) but I am feeling quite worried at present.

The background and I apologise for the length, I haven't felt "right" since around September (2016), it was nothing that I could really put my finger on as such but extreme tiredness, excessive face sweating, a lot of random shooting pains in my chest/back/shoulder and pins and needles in my hands.

I went to my GP, she checked my blood pressure, my oxygen levels etc and all looked alright. I continued to feel shit though!

Mid October time I got an abscess on my inner thigh (I shower daily and practice good hygiene etc), I was in agony with it but after a course of antibiotics it went away.

November time I started feeling really congested (for no apparent reason) which very quickly descended into coughing and VERY LOUD wheezing. It hasn't gone away and the wheezing especially is really intense. I did book a doctor's appointment but I had to cancel it last minute and to be honest I just didn't bother rebooking. (I should have)

The wheezing, coughing, pains and general feeling of illness has stayed with me and on New Year's day I woke up with a severely painful throat and shooting pains in my shoulder. My throat has since eased! I then started getting highly excruciating pain in my mouth, that I put down to an impacted wisdow tooth but having been unable to bring my dentist appointment forward I went to the emergency dental hospital and the dentist agreed that my gums were inflamed but didn't think it was from my wisdom tooth and he couldn't detect any signs of other dental issues.

I can't do much without sweat literally running down my face, a simple task and my face/hair will be soaked in sweat. I am excessively thirsty (I drink a lot of water but it's never enough), I feel as if there is some thing restricting my breathing, sometimes I will feel this dead weight pressure between my shoulder blades and coughing is really sore. I was checked for diabetes at the start of 2016 (just as a precaution as I have a family history) and I was clear of it just incase the "excessive thirst" symptom made anyone think of it.

Yesterday (Wednesday) I managed to get an emergency appointment with my GP for the afternoon. I went and had quite a thorough check up (as far as is possible in a doctor's surgery).

Blood pressure.
Peak flow.
Oxygen levels.

She is going to put me on a monitor on Monday for my blood pressure to be recorded for a 24 hour period. My peak flow results were indicative of airway narrowing but she said it would need to be monitored weekly for comparison, etc.

Then I was told to come back on Monday morning for blood tests and given a prescription, a 7 day course of antibiotics and an inhaler!!

She couldn't tell me what is actually wrong with me but she did say that because I was obviously sweating/coughing and my temperature was raised she was putting me on the Amoxicillin to clear any infection and she wanted me to start using the inhaler because she said she could clearly see that I was struggling to breathe. She then said we would wait for the blood results and take it from there. Bloods take WEEKS to come back at my doctor's, that's if they don't lose the sample first which happens often there.

I am so tired to the actual point of abnormality; Washing the dishes has become an effort, I get so tired and sweaty I have to sit down. Trying to put my make up on in the mornings is a living nightmare because as quick as I put it on, the quicker it all sweats off again. It's just my face though, I'm not excessively sweating elsewhere.

I have this feeling that I am dying (pathetic I know) but I just don't feel like myself, I seem to have been sick and feeling weak for months. I have a family history of breast cancer and the thought of it is petrifying me, it never bothered me before I started feeling sick though.

Would I seem like a complete nutjob if I was to go to A&E in the morning? AIBU to basically ask for a second opinion? I mean my GP was lovely but she didn't give me an actual diagnosis and I know I have to wait for the bloods etc but it's a drawn out process and I don't want to wait.

I don't normally behave like this, usually I'm quite care free and live for today but I don't feel myself at all and my mind is racing with an assortment of life threatening diseases.

I've tried to use the inhaler a couple of times tonight and I'm not doing it properly at all. Would I be unreasonable (and a dick) to go to the hospital tomorrow for a quicker assessment?

OP you must be very worried and I hope you get to the bottom of this.

I actually think that what your GP has done is entirely reasonable. You have been given a short course of antibiotics for infection and your GP has taken bloods to investigate your symptoms further.

You need to go back in a week and ask for the test results and discuss how you are feeling after the antibiotics. The test results should be available and if not your GP can and will chase them.

Work with your GP, some conditions might need to be ruled out to work out what is happening. This will be far more reliable than an internet diagnosis. You don't need a second opinion - you need to work together to resolve this.

Good Luck.

I'm sorry you are feeling unwell Emerald. I wonder if maybe there are a couple of things going on. If your body has been fighting a chest infection for a few months that could account for a lot of your symptoms such as tiredness. Your bloodwork and antibiotics will show if this is the case.
The other parts of your illness which have been around since September could be something more underlying - perhaps thyroid or menopause as PP have said.
I will just say that anxiety and tiredness can make you more prone to having a run of infections - when I worked in my stressful old job I was ill for months with one thing after another - chest infection, tonsillitis which lasted for weeks. Since leaving I have hardly been ill. I just wanted to say that in case it is reassuring, as when I was going through it I was convinced it was something much more sinister.

Lots of this sounds like anxiety which is real and horrible - I have to dash out now but will check back
Later and pm you. Best x

Trust your judgement. If you get worried, phone 111 - you know yourself best. There's nothing wrong with going to a and e if your symptoms get worse, but going there for a second opinion probably won't be helpful. They are unlikely to diagnose you with anything. I don't like this new attitude of not going to a and e unless you are dying - yes, some people do go unnecessarily, but if you have genuinely worrying symptoms and there's no available doctor, then I think it's better to go.

I was having similar symptoms to you OP, plus hair falling out.
I started off with getting tired from doing simple little jobs....then one day i couldn't hold my arms up long enough to wash my hair.
My muscles/bones just felt so weak.
It felt like i didn't have enough strength to even hold my head up - it was too heavy.
The dr made me feel like a hypochondriac, basic bloods came back ok so therefore it must all be in my head

On my way to work one morning, my legs gave way beneath me. it took me 30 minutes to get back home - normally a ten minute walk.

Got an emergency app with gp, luckily i saw a locum dr....who straight away suggested Vit D testing.
My results came back as severely deficient in Vit D, left any longer it would have turned into osteomalacia.
I'm now on lifelong Vit D cos my levels keep dropping if i stop taking it.
My anxiety and stress has a big impact on my levels.

Funny isn't it?
Apparently, although it's called a Vitamin it's actually more of a Hormone.

Vit B12 deficiency also has similar symptoms to ask them to check both levels.

Have you had your vitamin d checked? I was catching infection after infection and feeling awful, it turned out i was vit d deficient - have been fine since i started supplements

How about doing a private blood test by post? A number of companies do them and they seem to be pretty quick. Have a look here and here.

Sympathies, OP, it sounds like you are having a very tough time. I don't think you should be too worried about the fact that the GP hasn't given you an "actual diagnosis" - she needs more information, which the bloods and the monitoring will help to provide. The GP is clearly taking your problems seriously and a course of antibiotics plus an inhaler, followed by blood test and blood pressure monitoring could provide a lot of information. If you have any specific suspicions (and other posters have given quite a few suggestions!), you might be able to ask if that will be included in the tests that are carried out on your blood. It would be sensible to ask when they expect the blood results back (which will somewhat depend on what tests are planned) and then you can phone the surgery on that day and ask them to chase up if necessary.

Obviously if you suddenly feel much worse before Monday, you should seek further help, but it sounds like taking the antibiotics, using the inhaler and going for the tests on Monday would be a good approach.

Take care of yourself - hope your GP ca help you get to the bottom of this soon.

Another vote for vitamin d deficiency here. I had severe sweating and thought I was menopausal but the mega supplements prescribed knocked it on the head. Hope you get test results back soon.

I wouldn't discount diabetes regardless of your previous result. My mum's diabetes was discovered after unexplained weight loss, profuse sweating and a cut on her lower leg that turned into infection and wouldn't/couldn't heal. Subsequent damage to her body whilst having diabetes includes narrowing of arteries (heart problems) and very poor circulation. Also a side effect of the heart trouble is fluid retention which results in difficulties breathing because the lungs are almost drowning.

Go and kick arse over the blood tests - here we get them back after a couple of days and the GP rings us with them. Weeks is not acceptable.

There is no reason for you to think you are dying - we all are, at different speeds. But you are unwell and you need to become the world's biggest nagger to get some diagnosis here. Your quality of life is poor and you must kick up a fuss till you get an answer.

Private GP's don't think about saving the NHS money, they think about the patient.

That's bollocks, and highly insulting to the many, many dedicated NHS GPs I've met over the years.

And OP, most blood tests such as Fbc and U&Es would be back within a couple of days, dependant on the area and how the labs/Go surgeries interact.
It's often a good idea to chase them up.

At age 55 I had a six-month 'cold' with chest infections and several courses of antibiotics and was eventually diagnosed with asthma. The nurse said that the oldest person she had diagnosed with it had been 72. It's not a complete explanation for all your symptoms but could be behind some of them.

Have you been checked for TB, op? you must be really worried. Hope you get sone help soon

Could it be gallstones? Symptoms sound familiar.

Typical symptoms
steady pain in the upper abdomen that worsens rapidly and lasts as long as several hours
pain in the back between the shoulder blades
pain under the right shoulder
nausea or vomiting
abdominal bloating
recurring intolerance of fatty foods
colic
belching
gas
indigestion
sweating
chills
low-grade fever
yellowish color of the skin or whites of the eyes
clay-colored stools

www.thedoctorwillseeyounow.com/content/nutrition/art2047.html

Sharp shooting pains like electric shocks are also a sign of a b12 deficiency. Has that been tested and is it high enough?

extreme tiredness, excessive face sweating, a lot of random shooting pains in my chest/back/shoulder and pins and needles in my hands.

Unlike the rest of the thread, I'm going to say something alarmist: if this is on the left side of your body, call the doctoror go to A&Eand tell them about this and the shortness of breath. They are classic signs of a heart problem.

HOWEVER.

Since you're still standing, I'd call up a GP and tell them those symptoms and say you're concerned about your heart. That will get you in faster--as it should with those symptoms.

HOWEVER AGAIN.

I think the people saying a vitamin deficiency or anxiety/panic are probably right. I've been to those places myself! Shortness of breath, tightness in my chest (the "outside," from muscles tensing), pain in the lower back sufficient enough it was hard to walk. So very not pleasant. And the lack of certain vitamins can do strange things to you.

Asthma is also a definite possibility; mine wasn't diagnosed until my 30's. But I bet that's an ongoing infection and the antibiotics will blast it outta there.

Also talk to your doctor about having your thyroid tested. Those are also symptoms of a naughty thyroid, but that's easily treated and nothing to fear, as long as you take care of it.

TL;DR version: If you match the symptoms for a heart problem, ring the big red bell ASAP, either by going in to A&E or calling your GP and letting them do it. Otherwise, hang in there. Find any way you can to relax. Take a multi-vitamin until you can get in, too, and talk to your doc about what's going on, and ask about testing your thyroid to get that covered. I hope you're right as rain in no time!

Not sure how seeing gp having full examination treatment of possible cause and investigation of possible other causes is being 'fobbed off' ??? As someone else said you have felt ill for months have only been to the docs twice max and on the second time having not previously told anyone you didn't feel better got extensively investigated - not really a failing is it ? As for demand this demand that why not politely ask if it might be possible to test for something - probably more effective.

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for all of the replies.

I didn't go to A&E (although I really wanted to) instead I have ordered online a home testing kit for essential blood work and a separate one for thyroid testing.

I have not had unprotected sex (and my jaw dropped at the suggestion on here that I might have HIV) but then I remembered that I did have unprotected sex ONCE about 12 years ago (with the man who then became my current partner) he isn't sick in any way but I've ordered a home testing kit for STDs (The price of it!!!!) and now I'm in panic mode that I might have HIV/AIDS but I'm not asking my GP to test me for that, hence why I've bought a home kit.

I'm too young for the menopause (unless it is very early onset) but I have had irregular bleeding between my periods since last Summer (It's mostly been just small amounts of blood or blood whilst wiping after a pee) but to be honest I hadn't even considered that it might be relevant.

I'll just see how the blood testing kits work out. I need to go back to the GP anyway for the monitor and peak flow test again etc, I just didn't really want to wait for the bloods. I'm still using the inhaler incorrectly (and I have watched a few tutorials) but the vapour keeps hitting my tongue, which obviously it shouldn't be. I'll try until I get it right.

Thanks everyone.

If you're having problems using the inhaler, ask the surgery for a spacer. Or ask the practice nurse for a demo.
I'm not sure why you're arranging private blood tests though.

Didiplantis - Who said anything about demanding or failing????

I did not say I would demand anything, nor did I say anyone had failed in their care of me. Whatever you're reading certainly isn't anything that I have said.

I asked for genuine advice RE whether I would be unreasonable to present myself to A&E. How is that me being demanding?? I also said that getting bloods done at my GP surgery can be laborious, that's a fact but I wasn't being critical of my GP or her medical credentials.

I am polite, I don't see any reason for you to think otherwise.

OP, you don't have HIV. I'd put money on it!! But there may be something amiss with your immune system.

A&e aren't there to give you "answers" they will do whatever it takes to stop you dying immediately and then discharge you. You admitted you have been having these symptoms for several months, and the gp has assessed you and decided your condition is not life threatening and is investigating appropriately. You have waited this long to even see a doctor, I am sure you can wait for some blood tests. Based on the results of these and other investigations they will then refer you to specialists if they think it is appropriate.

Kept persisting with the gp op - If you think something is amiss it probably is. Get checked for cancer too in bloods.

Oh and next time you get chest pain do go to the a and e - this is appropriate as they can check your heart over but you can't go if symptoms aren't there at the time you go