Sorry this is long but I am at a loss right now.
I know that no one on MN is able to diagnose me but I have been back and forth to the GP surgery for years and am still getting nowhere with my health issues. I have struggled for years with ongoing physical issues and they are not getting any better. I am getting more frustrated and am not sure what to do next. At the start of every new year I tell myself I will get this sorted once and for all yet despite being very proactive with a healthy lifestyle I am still experiencing the same daily issues and quite frankly they are fucking up my quality of life, I am miserable.
Not helped that my GP surgery (like most I expect) have a 'One appointment, one problem' policy so if I go with a list of my issues they won't even look at it and will ask which is the most pressing issue and deal only with that. It would take my months of going back and forth to deal with each issue separately and I am pretty sure most are connected.
I was convinced for a long time that my issues could be related to a B12 deficiency or thyroid issues but my latest panel of bloods taken this summer have all come back as normal. I feel I am going round in circles feeling more dreadful each day.
Here is a list my issues and wonder if anyone can relate and maybe offer up some advice how to feel better, maybe suggest something that I haven't yet tried?
I have dealt with decades of gut issues:- bloating, nausea, burping, acid, excessive gurgling. Daily loose stool with urgency in the morning, bloating in the evening, lots of flatulence, rectal discomfort and a feeling of pressure which makes me feel as though I need to go.
Issues are made worse by eating, my gut seems to hate food.
Over the years I have seen 5 gastroenterologists and 3 deititians. (paid privately for many of these).
I follow a personalised low fodmap plan, I avoid my known trigger foods which for me is dairy, eggs, chicken, onion, garlic, wheat, caffeine, sweeteners, too much sugar, too much fat, certain fruits & veg, high fibre (and several other foods).
I keep my weight low I exercise daily and practise gut directed hypnotherapy and yoga yet still I suffer from the gut issues daily.
Over the last 5 years I have had 2 colonoscopies, 2 gastroscopes, a pill camera endoscopy, a bile acid malabssorption scan and various scans. I am clear for IBD, BAM, h pylori and coeliac etc. I tested positive for hydrogen SIBO but the antibiotics (rifaximin) made me feel worse, gastro says to ignore the sibo diagnosis as in her opinion there isn't enough research on sibo yet?!
I take immodium when needed and other IBS meds but they have little positive impact.
SSRI's make the diarrhoea worse, TCA antidepressants leave me zombie-like.
I have truly had enough of these digestive issues, I have just had to race home from taking my dd to work as I suddenly needed the loo. This is my life now. Completely dominated by my bowel.
I have also struggled with decades of gynae issues, with very heavy bleeding and uterine polyps which left me anaemic for years (ferritin levels of 3 which the GP did nothing about).
Decades of painful ovulation. Endless gynae visits and procedures for polyp removal. I have had 5 hysteroscopies and in 2022 I had iron infusions due to the low iron stores followed by a uterine ablation op. The ablation has failed as I now suffer from excessive pain during each period because the trapped blood can not escape (big regret opting for this procedure).
I requested a MRI late 2023 and it was discovered I actually have endometriosis and adenomyosis (throughly pissed off it has taken 20 years to discover this). I am now on a waiting list for a laparoscopy (god knows when that will be).
I am 51 and in perimenopause which is certainly not helping issues. I have tried various HRT's but they make the post ablation failure pain worse. I am also on a waiting list to see a NHS menopause specialist as my gynae has no knowledge or interest in HRT so again God knows then this appointment will come through.
Other daily issues (may or may not be related but I will list them all):-
Regular mild headaches and aura migraines (I have suffered with the aura migraines since I was pregnant 20 years ago and now them during each period so hormonal for me). My mum, sister and ds all experience these too
I always have a blocked nostril and post nasal drip after I eat
Sore/raspy throat (often on the same side as the blocked nostril)
Tinnitus (had mri for this, nothing found)
TMJ disorder and tight jaw (also grind my teeth at night). My teeth are also wrecked maybe due to the night grinding (I have gone through loads of mouth guards but end up biting through them)
Sore tongue a lot of the time too
Thinning hair
Itchy scalp (nothing on scalp though)
Itchy skin in general and sensitive skin (skin will mark with just a plaster on it and I often experience petechia and have done so for years)
'Off' vision eg lots of floaters, slightly blurry vision and blobs in vision. I have regular eye tests and all ok (last one 2 days ago)
Tired a lot of the time even though I get around 8 hours per night
Cold all the time, I carry a hot water bottle with me 24/7 (also have this for the gut/gynae issues)
Cold hands and feet and mild raynauds during the winter months
Most of these issues have been with me for years but perimenopause has exacerbated it all, a bit like a fire has always been slowly burning away and peri has been like a shit load of gasoline poured over it all.
I can't afford to go privately for anything anymore as I am not working atm.
What can I do to try to get my health back on track? What have I missed? I keep slim, exercise, I only drink water, I have never smoked or taken drugs. I am at a loss and going back and forth to the GP surgery is really getting me nowhere.
I want to get these issues under control but how can I when I don't know what is causing them? It goes without saying that my mental health is shot to pieces with this.
Any ideas?