Hello -
I’ll start by saying, I am on the pathway to seeking professional medical help. I have a face to face appointment booked for next week with my GP. But curious if this community could provide any informative insight of these symptoms I’m experiencing.
Im a 33/F and I’m 12 months post partum, although some of these symptoms span back to my late teens, however naively I was young and silly and ignored and dismissed many for a long time.
Now I’m a mum, I feel I need to start taking charge of my health better for my child and also because of the effect it’s having on being the best mum I can be.
I’ve listed them below:
Almost constant unexplained joint pain throughout my body. Causes a burning sensation within the joint. - mainly hips, knees, chest, feet, hands and elbows
I Will literally wake up with a new pain.
Unexplained swelling of limbs - especially my feet and hands.
As a teen I used to get this quiet badly in my legs too, they’re randomly swell and go rock solid, it would last a couple of hours and then go down, so Everytime I would make a GP appointment I couldn’t actually show them.
Unexplainable Itchy skin especially in my lower legs (often so intense to the extent I make them bleed) but also over my arms and face and chest.
Feeling of a all over body rash but no visible rash
Burning sensation in my muscles.
Repeated episodes of sharp chest pain, especially worse with deep breaths/coughing. It can sometimes just be painful to move of straighten up.
Heart palpitations/pains. when I say pains, the best way I can explain it is as if my heart has a cramp, I feel I have to sit still for a moment and hunch.
Have been known to get randomly very out of breath with just a brisk walk which will cause heart pains and sweating, but this is very occasional, not always.
Extreme fatigue even with 8-9 hours sleep (my baby is a great nighttime sleeper - thank god!) - but I feel like I could sleep all day.
Almost nightly Night sweats - I wake up soaking and then I’m freezing. This will happen several times throughout the night.
Constant dry watery eyes and can be quiet puffy/swollen eyes when first wake. (am using eye drops)
Reoccurring Mouth ulcers, they’re more like tiny sore spots all along the sides, tip and bottom of my tounge. I don’t really get them on my gums.
Frequent bouts diarrhoea
Pretty bad Hair loss/thinning - scalp can feel quite randomly irritated, as if I’ve had some form of treatment put on my head but haven’t.
Dizziness
Constant swollen glands in right side neck.
Flu like symptoms that will pass quite quickly.
Elevated white blood cell count a few times with no explanation.
Queries about previous blood tests concerning liver - non drinker (haven’t had a drop of alcohol since December 2023 and even that was the first time in a year) - GP queried my drinking and I very much felt like they didn’t actually believe I was a non drinker.
Lots of broken capillaries with no obvious cause (have had them previously treated, came straight back) specifically on my chest and on my face and arms.
in recent years, (maybe the last 5-6) a sudden sensitivity to sun. I have olive skin, and would very very rarely burn, and would always turn brown pretty quickly in the sun. However recently I seem to burn very quickly.
Very curved toenails - frequent ingrown toenails.
Often feel very cold. (Husband comments on that frequently) especially my hands, feet and nose.
I apologise that list is quite extensive. Some may not be in any way relevant but I thought it was impostant to write it all down. I will also go to my GP with this list. I’m feeling a little irritated they haven’t booked me in for a blood test now as I feel like whatever is going on currently I’m right in the midst of it and feeling awful, so the blood work will hopefully give a pretty clear picture. The appointment next week is just a face to face consultation. I have requested blood work and ANA testing.
Bascially hoping for any helpful advice to go armed to my GP with. Anything specifically to request. Anything to focus in on?
and also, any ideas as to what could be going on… does this auto immune to you guys?
thank you in advance!