Doctor keeps fobbing me off! Symptoms, anyone else?

[Ironmansmyhero]

I'm posting here for traffic,

I'm a regular poster, but name change for fear of outing.

I'm literally at my wits end, I'm backwards and forwards from the doctors all of the time. I have a long history including multiple open heart surgeries. All of that is stable atm.
Anyway, I have these symtoms:
Heavy sweating with the slightest of activities, can't even clean the house without excessive sweating.
Red patches that itch on my heads with change of temperature.
Aches In joints.
Nausea.
Memory fog.
Spotty back and face, mostly white spots.
Extreme fatigue and low mood.

That's just a few, but by far the worst. Now I have servere anxiety, but have for a while and I've lived with that, tried medication and nothing works for me. I've had regular blood tests and all fine.

That doctor just keeps telling me they are all symptoms of anxiety and to try mindfulness. I have and I still struggle, the symptoms never get better.
I go back and it's the same thing every time.

Does anyone have a clue, or had any of these symptoms and received a diagnosis?

I just want to cry, I'm a full time student have a part time job and a mum to four kids. I have a burst of energy every so often, but most of the time I struggle to cope and keep up to the house. Oh and I'm a single parent so I get seldom help.

Advice please

So with the bloods I have all the regular done, including infection and vitamin levels, iron is something that's hit and miss with me but manageable. Not heard of FSH, so that's something I could ask about. I have regular heart scans so anything on that front, would be picked up on quite quickly.
I really hope its just exhaustion. But I've been so miserable for so long. Literally all the little pleasantries like, say, just nipping to the supermarket having a cooked chicken with fresh bread and a nice pudding followed by a film and snuggle. All these things I used to love, I'm disinterested In now, the enjoyment in life has gone because doing anything causes horrible symptoms that just wont F* OFF.

I think it's a case of having a Frank chat with my doctor (they seem to be different every time which doesn't help!). Then asking them to really look into it and consider even the minor ranges on my blood results are causing problems.

It is a possibility that I could be starting menopause early or even have thyroid problems, I totally agree, because all of my symptoms are consistent with hormones. But getting them to listen is hard.

Can you buy thyroid treatments so that I can try them even if they dont listen? Or is it prescription only?

Also I'm on no other medication, the surgery I had was designed specifically to prevent that.
I was under the knife the last time for 12 hours and it was very successful. Thankfully! I can live a relatively normal life now.

Aside from all this!

As others have said here ,perhaps try a different GP?.Sometimes they can have a different viewpoint .Alternatively esp in view of your medical history try 111?.Explain your symptoms ,and usually a Nurse or Doctor will call you back with some advice .

My surgery puts you with a different doctor every time, but given my history, they rule it as anxiety. I'm not sure about ranges, because they never actually tell me. I have all iron tests done. It was my reserves that was the issues last time. But I know when they're low because I have awful itchiness. They keep an eye on those. So that's ruled out and I regularly take iron to sort that.
I'll ask tomorrow about my ranges and see if I can get some answers.
My hb was fine
White cell fine
Those are the major ones.
They said my thyroid was normal. But given some of the responses on here, I wouldn't be surprised if it's not.
All vitimans they said was fine.
The list goes on. They literally test every thing. Had liver and kidney scans recently they were all fine.
Not sure what else it could be.

Apart from well exhausted! Which would be annoying because it just doesn't feel like that.

I wouldn't recommend buying thyroid medication without a diagnosis. Hyperthyroidism can cause excessive sweating, often accompanied with tremors and weight loss (but not always). A Free T4 and Free T3 test is usually needed to diagnose.

Has your cortisol been tested? How is your weight? Do you pee excessively?

Fibromyalgia www.nhs.uk/conditions/fibromyalgia/

Or chronic fatigue syndrome www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-cfs/symptoms/

It does sound like GAD (Generalised Anxiety Disorder) with severe Health Anxiety.

I think you've had all the tests necessary, from what you say. If you've had your thyroid checked, FSH would have part of that.

Maybe it's because of the previous heart problem (which was undiagnosed for a year) that you're hyper-anxious about your health.

The only other thing I can think of is early menopause, but I'm guessing that this has been checked.

Honestly, I think they are all symptoms of anxiety and you need to address that as the underlying cause, as your doctor has suggested. Which won't happen overnight. And is hard, because of course you are worrying about your health because of all the symptoms. I really would be pushing for CBT and also any other possible anxiety medication to give that a proper go. Your doctor is not fobbing you off. It's not in their interests to do that. They have made a diagnosis, and I think you need to take it seriously.

I hope it's not just anxiety! That would be awful, because living like this is dreadful!
I do tend to pee alot, up twice a night and during the day, I can't go longer than 45 mins.
I do seem to have had all the necessary tests.

@chickhonhoneybabe
Thanks for those links, I did take a look and the symptoms are similar, however the pain doesn't get extreme. Either that or I've just learn to deal with it and I compare pain to heart surgery now, so I can usually deal with a few paracetamol and rest.

I'm also the kind of person that likes to be active so this is very frustrating because I genuinely just cba anymore. I used to be really good a sports and dancing. I'm still good but need to rest alot during now.

@bridgetreilly
When you live with it, it feels like being fobbed off, that's just me expressing my emotions.
I've lived with anxiety for years now so I've addressed that significantly. I have a psychologist and we work through it. However the physically symptoms are much worse than before and are actually a bit much to bare atm.
Heart patients can only take certain medications, so my doctors can't prescribe much that doesn't make my night PTSD worse because of vivid nightmares.

When you are back and forth and are told the same thing time after time and you are doing everything that is being told, but nothing gets better. Its very frustrating.

I don't let it run my life, I still get on with things and I am bettering myself for my children.
This is a dark cloud hanging over me.

Not sure about the rest of it but aching joints, fatigue and low mood is a symptom of Lyme's disease.

Have you been anywhere where you may have been bitten by a tick? Noticed any red rashes?

@TellItLikeItReallyIs
Not that I know of,
But that would show on bloods wouldn't it?

Pneumonia?

Those are all symptoms of anxiety.

Being anxious means you sleep less, so you're constantly exhausted and fatigued. In turn this leads to things like poor diet and poor general health, which leads to bad skin, aching joints, sweating (due to poor diet, lack of sleep and the anxiety itself), poor memory and nausea. It's all interlinked.

Anxiety isn't just a mental disorder - it has loads of physical characteristics that are exceedingly unpleasant too. But treating the individual symptoms won't help you in the long run - you need to deal with the cause of your anxiety.

I'd be a little uncertain of all the remote diagnoses certain it's anxiety.

Did the red patches and spotty back and face present around the same time as the other symptoms? It so, it might be worth emphasising these the next time you meet a clinician and ask them to explain how they'd tie into their diagnosis of anxiety.

You mentioned they said 'all the vitamins are fine'. Ask specifically about B12 and Vitamin D.

You mentioned thyroid is fine. Have they checked the secondary hormones/T3/T4? Have you had weight gain or loss since the symptoms presented/got worse?

As some PPs have suggested, note the levels of each blood test when they talk you through them so you can try and tie any change in symptoms to any significant movement in blood test results, if relevant.

Good luck.

I’d get the doctor to check your levels again and run through them with you. I’m only ‘just’ classed as vit D difficient (level 73 and the ‘norm’ is 75 and above) but flipping heck do I know it. Fortunately my GP has listened an given me 3 months of tablets to up my levels.

It is TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) which is tested with thyroid blood tests, not FSH (follicle stimulating hormone).

There is a type of diabetes which leads to peeing a lot, diabetes insipidus. It can also lead to an electrolyte imbalance which leaves you feeling very fatigued.

Can I ask, are the spotty areas itchy?

There is a thing - a kind of odd eczema related to stress, and I get this too. Also after lots of emergency surgery (not heart but abdo) in fact have also lots of odd things since then e.g. fatigue anxiety and the docs think it all linked

Our mental and physical health are so like and sometimes things flare up when stressed. I'm guess they have done some tests to rule things out and maybe it it related to the past surgery and anxiety...coming out in various ways in the body.

nationaleczema.org/eczema/types-of-eczema/dyshidrotic-eczema

Also- I came out in shingles for a while they said was related to the stress. and the other things sound like fibro which i had after as well.

I have awful anxiety that’s got worse as I’ve got older, with panic attacks, palpitations etc... but it’s never given me spots, red patches or sweat.

As some PP I would think it could be to do with vitamin or mineral imbalance or a thyroid issue.

You are entitled to ask for a print out of your results so you can see for yourself if you are close to the bottom (or top depending on test) of the range. Even better, it is not widely publicised but you can have online access to your results - showing everything you have tested back to when they first went digital AND you can also have access to your medical record summary, which is what they can share, with your permission, with other HCP etc.

Unfortunately acceptable ranges vary from region to region, sometimes this is due to different testing methods but often due to the ranges they see. Generally for vitamins their ranges cover the averages in the area and only the top or bottom 5% are considered abnormal. In some areas you will be critically low before it is picked up and even then often not taken seriously because they are only vitamins and minerals.

I guess it could also be an idea to discuss with your heart consultant if you still see them for follow up in case anything related to that?

It is quite easy to do online access, you just ask at the reception in the GP. We use ours all the time, DH also has a chronic condition, so easy to order meds and see results etc. Ours is called System One

Have you had a specific glandular fever test?
I got GF for the second time in my 40's, was just like you for a year before I found out, then got a massive rash all over my body one day. Confirmed a few days later as GF. I had been beyond exhausted. Went for acupuncture to help my immune system and I gradually got better.

This is the problem, because some of my symptoms relate to anxiety and the range of symptoms vary from person to person. It's hard for the GP to say for certain they are all related.
I'm not sure about eczema. The spots are all different, some are white, some are painful without pus (sorry for the visionary) the spots on my back are mostly dry, if that makes sense. More annoying than anything and usually on my hair line and chin.
Sweats are just irritating and I'm soaked after most activities. However they fluctuate and sometimes it's worse than others. I am sensitive to temperature, if it's really cold I feel it, then anything over 14 degrees and I'm hot and bothered.

Can't explains the red itchy patches on my hands, they come and go and aren't painfull.
I have Resting Leg syndrome, sometimes it's worse than others.
I sleep well apart from the occasional night of PTSD and toilet trips, but have vivid dreams that was made worse with medication. When I wake, I feel like I haven't slept and I'm exhausted. Once I'm awake usually 6am, I can't get back to sleep, at all, not even when I'm over exhausted.
I'll ask about diabetes, that was an interesting read and everything said on there is true. I always need a drink in my hand.
I just want an answer and help getting better. I absolutely hate it!
Thanks so much for all the comments and insight. It's helped just talk about it and have people advise me! You don't know how much.
I'm going to the GP tomorrow to will have a long conversation with him and not leave until I'm happy I'm at least marginally moving forward.

Sorry if I missed it, OP. Did you have a FBC/complete blood count to see what's happening.

Finally, when did you last see your cardio consultant?