GP is of no help but I don't know that to do anymore, I don't want to keep feeling this way and it's making me so miserable.
I do already suffer from some chronic health issues.
For most of my adult life I have struggled with chronic digestive issues. Despite things getting worse as I age and enduring endless uncomfortable tests the diagnosis remains the same:- IBS. I experience daily gas, nausea, bloating, gurgling, urgency in the mornings with anything from constipation to loose, a feeling of pressure in my rectal area as though I need to pass stool all the time etc. Basically a very unhappy digestive system from stomach through to rectum! Over these 30 years there I feel that I have left no stone unturned, I have tried everything suggested for this condition but nothing helps long term (no medication, removal of certain foods or adding others in, probiotics, off the shelf stuff, exercise, meditation, hypnotherapy...........).
Alongside this I have also suffered from very heavy periods, painful ovulation and basically had to build my life around my cycle. I was also anaemic for years and recently discovered that I had very low ferritin for over 10 years (No GP informed me of this, I found out when I signed up for Patient Access).
After years of having various gynae procedures to ease the bleeding I discovered 18 months ago that I have endometriosis and adenomyosis (still ongoing with treatment due to the very long waiting times).
In 2022 I had iron infusions and an ablation to cure the anaemia. This helped and my iron and ferritin levels are all 'normal'. However, one symptom that I always used to put down to the low iron still continues and is really annoying me because I now my iron levels are normal I have no idea what could be causing it.
It starts with me suddenly feeling really worn out/tired, this just comes on out of the blue. I will feel very weak and shaky, almost to the point of a panic attack. I literally feel as though I am shaking internally and my stomach will hurt, it will bloat and I will start burping. I will then bloat even more, sometimes I will need to empty my bowels and then feel as though I need to go into a deep sleep. This will continue for a few hours. The only way that I can explain it is that it feels what I can only imagine sudden plummeting blood sugar levels would feel like. As though a tap draining all my energy has been turned on. I feel completely washed out after.
What on earth could this be? It happens regardless if I have eaten or not and usually occurs mid afternoon and continue for several hours. I will struggle with this several times a month, often more. I am currently experiencing this as I type.
GP has no idea. All my bloods last year came back as normal and I do not have diabetes or any blood sugar issues, as far as I know. I do have a tiny adrenal gland nodule which was an incidental finding on a ct scan from 6 years ago but no one was concerned about this.
I am 52 and have been on perimenopause for around 7 years. I know peri isn't the cause of any of my issues but it has definitely been like gasoline on an existing burning flame, making things a lot worse but it's not the cause. I have tried hrt but it seemed to make my gut issues worse.
I am so fed up, there are few days a month that I actually feel well and/or symptom free. Without sounding like a drama queen, it's becoming a miserable existence. I don't know where to turn because my GP seems clueless.
Any ideas what this could be?