Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Fucking fed up of feeling like shit

141 replies

geezoh · 28/05/2023 01:50

Just wondering if anyone can help at all. My life is absolutely ruined now

im in my early 20s and really struggling with my health.

it started around Christmas time with being permanently exhausted. No matter how much I sleep, I’m shattered. The other day I had a good quality 10 hour sleep, and went out with my friends for 2 hours and was to tired I had to come home and sleep for 3 hours. It’s like that but all the time, no matter how much or little sleep I get. I feel like I’m permanently drained. That started around Christmas- I went to my GP back then and had a blood test and it was all normal. No low iron/folate/b12/vitamins- I saw all the results with my own eyes and they were well within normal. I was advised it was likely stress so I tried to destress my life but it’s made no difference.

im now getting other symptoms- horrendously itchy skin (to the extent I’ve scratched all my skin off on my neck overnight because it’s so, so itchy- I’ve had allergen testing done at the hospital which was all negative too), I’ve had random blotching on my skin but NOT from itching, it started happening out of the blue and NOT just after I had scratched it. It was like lots of little tiny red spots all up one arm- it was like red pen dots. They didn’t disappear under a glass. They went away after a week or so. I’ve also had leg weakness- it started as a weird tightness and ache in my knee and got worse until it was an ache all down my lower leg bone. I get pins and needles in my feet too. It was only on one leg but now it’s happening in the other too. I can’t fully straighten my legs because of the aching but I also can’t completely bend them without getting aching too. The best position is almost straight but slightly bend but even then I still get on and off aches. It gets really weak easily too- if I sit down even just for 5 minutes my legs are completely weak and will give way if I try and walk on them.

I’ve also had excruciating headaches that have left me physically sobbing and howling in pain

I’ve been to physio who tried several things and it has made no difference. I’ve been back to the doctor with all the symptoms I’m having and they have no suggestions other than it’s stress which I suppose it could be but I don’t feel stressed nor do I have a stressful life. Since Christmas my life has gone to complete shit and I’m fed up of it all. I’ve been back so many times and they said my age means it’s nothing serious which is a relief and also my blood test when all this started was fine, but also I feel like something just isn’t right.

does anyone have any ideas of what I should or could do? I just want to feel like I used to before this all started x

OP posts:
adrem · 28/05/2023 11:23

After reading your update I would definitely get an estrogen levels test.
They aren’t given as standard at your age but the hot flushes etc could point to something hormonal.

Sadless · 28/05/2023 11:30

I have been similar for years but since last year started having night sweats. Told the Dr about night sweats when I found a lump in my armpit. I am 41 and Dr said if sheets aren't soaked it's not menopause. But not said what might be causing it or suggesting having any tests. I have not be able to go a day without falling sleep at some point for at least 15 years. Had a few blood test done been put on ferrin tablets for a while. Went back Dr's in December full bloods again Dr said all fine and given anti depressants.
Think you need to push your Dr to actually find out what's causing it don't want to end up my age and wasted years being knackered and feeling ill constantly.

Sal

Jourdain11 · 28/05/2023 11:32

Not sure it's so helpful telling OP she may have bowel cancer, lupus, liver failure and MS. If OP did not have anxiety before, she sure will do now!

In a lot of cases (not all, but most) you can feel when something is really and seriously wrong.

tt9 · 28/05/2023 12:02

EliflurtleTripanInfinite · 28/05/2023 03:39

I’ve been back so many times and they said my age means it’s nothing serious.. This is such BS. I was diagnosed with a life altering chronic illness out of the blue at 19. The result of my bodies over reaction to a minor virus. I'd been perfectly healthy up till then. There's no such thing as too young and I would have no confidence in a doctor that dismissed serious symptoms as stress and too young for it to be anything serious.

exactly this. I was dismissed by various doctors misdiagnosed and treated for the wrong thing (which made my actual condition worse) for almost a year until I almost died. I was 22.

Maia77 · 28/05/2023 12:37

Jourdain11 · 28/05/2023 11:32

Not sure it's so helpful telling OP she may have bowel cancer, lupus, liver failure and MS. If OP did not have anxiety before, she sure will do now!

In a lot of cases (not all, but most) you can feel when something is really and seriously wrong.

Exactly.

Hollyppp · 28/05/2023 17:00

Anoooshka · 28/05/2023 04:32

Have you been tested for coeliac disease? Fatigue, muscle and joint pain, headaches, rashes and numbness and tingling are all symptoms. Not everyone gets gastrointestinal symptoms.

I’ve got coeliac (diagnosed aged 28) and this doesn’t like like it matches to me.

FoggyDew · 28/05/2023 17:45

Look more into M.E and also fibromyalgia. I have both (developed one than the other). I have itching/aching/rashes that don’t blanch/weakness/headaches. If it’s either of those it’s common for all test results to come back normal.

potsandpots79 · 28/05/2023 18:18

What was your ferritin

Hankunamatata · 28/05/2023 18:22

I skimmed. R u having regular periods?

aloris · 28/05/2023 21:42

People are kind of throwing you random ideas of things this could be, and I don't think doctors really work that way. The initial blood tests should have answered questions on most of the big stuff, that's probably why the doctor is a bit more relaxed now. At the same time, it's not crazy to ask for a thyroid function test or an ANA titre or to think about other autoimmune diseases. One thing I would point out is that sometimes autoimmune diseases take some time to show up in bloodwork or other objective tests. I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune hypothyroid) and my first thyroid function test was normal. I kept having symptoms (some of them similar to yours) and a re-test a year later showed altered thyroid function. This was confirmed by another re-test a couple months later.

Once again, a number of your symptoms are fairly nonspecific. This isn't a criticism of you - it's just how many of these conditions show up. But you do have a few specific things in there that I think you should be trying to follow up on.

The first is the red dots. There is no mental or psychological cause I can think of, that causes little red dots on your skin that don't blanch when you press on them. There is likely a biological cause for these dots. I think it would be fair for you to ask your doctor: what is causing these dots? One thing with the dots, I think it would really be best if your blood was taken WHEN you actually have the dots. The physical process that causes the dots might only be happening when you see the dots, if you see what I mean. Normal bloodwork when there are no red dots, might be because your blood is normal at that time. But something caused the dots. Being seen by a doctor when you actually have the dots, will also confirm that these are a particular type of red dot rather than just, I don't know, heat rash, or something.

The second is the lump on your neck. Has your doctor palpated this lump? I have had neck lumps and been told a few things to distinguish an alarming lump that should be seen by a doctor, from a normal lump that I can ignore. But I'm not a doctor, so I would direct you to your doctor to evaluate this.

The third thing is the weakness and pins and needles in your legs. If you have extreme weakness that makes you unable to stand, or that makes your legs crumple beneath you at times, this affects your ability to do self-care in your daily life. I think this is unlikely to result from "stress" but even if it did, it's something that needs to be followed up on, because you are a young woman who needs to be able to work and go through her daily life.

Same thing for the headache. It's debilitating and prevents you living your normal life. The usual recommendation I've heard as a person with migraine is that any headache that is (a) outside of your own usual pattern (i.e. that is a new pattern for you), or that is (b) the worst headache of your life, or that (c) wakes you from sleep, should be seen by Neurology. It sounds like you have (a) and (b) so if this were me I would push for a Neurology consult. It doesn't necessarily mean you need an MRI or have MS. You could have migraines. But migraines are treatable!

The thing about stress is that stress (mental, physical, viruses, etc) can exacerbate autoimmune diseases and cause flares. So even if your symptoms correlate with stressful events or start after an illness, or come and go, that doesn't mean there isn't a biological cause. On the other hand, doctors are not God and cannot diagnose diseases by magic, so if none of the tests show a clear disease process, you have to decide how much to keep looking. However for now I think you have some specific things to follow up so if those have not yet been investigated then you can at least ask about them.

IntoDeepBlueSea · 29/05/2023 04:57

@Jourdain11 - but that doesn't mean you should ignore things that don't feel sinister.

I has 6 years of being told it was stress, hormones, being a mum, perimeno, meno, anything to avoid investigating further.

The cause was found by chance, and resulted in surgery, 3 tumours and 4 glands being removed.

Meantime, I've become osteoporotic, and could've had a stroke at any time.

There are A LOT of people with parathyroid issues, and it's considered rare and takes on average 8 years to be diagnosed. The average mortality is 55. It's not actually very rare, it's just ignored.

Exhausted61 · 08/07/2023 08:45

I am wondering if anyone else has tyramine intolerance that really impacts their sleep as the primary symptom. I try to avoid high tyramine foods especially at night but still get problems at times. I understand is a "bucket" thing and cumulative. Sometimes I am awake with that tired but wired feeling until 4/ 5am. I am generally healthy, do intermittent fasting (16:8), follow glucose goddess principles and get regular exercise. I have an underactive thyroid that is currently managed well. I feel that I try so hard to be well. I don't know anyone else who has this issue and feel very alone with it. I am 61 and post menopausal, not on HRT as reacted really badly to the progesterone.

Hollyppp · 08/07/2023 08:47

Have you been checked for coeliac disease??

Exhausted61 · 08/07/2023 08:47

Sorry put this in the wrong place!

Badbudgeter · 08/07/2023 08:54

someoneisalwaysintheloo · 28/05/2023 02:59

Can you get tested for Lyme disease?

I was going to suggest this as well. Mines was picked up after Bell’s palsy (one sided facial paralysis) headaches, tingling / numbness sounds very familiar though.

Even if not a low dose of a tryptin can really help with nerve pain. A decent anti inflammatory too.

Persiana · 08/07/2023 08:55

Long covid?

New posts on this thread. Refresh page