I don't know where to go from here......

[foxinsocks]

not a whinge but more of a general questions about health services

I have had numerous health problems since the birth of ds (my last child). Had very very little wrong with me before then other than minor eczema/sinus niggles.

I'm not going to go into detail but I'm running out of people to go and speak to. I got referred to a gastroenterologist 2 years ago because my reflux had worsened substantially. He found inflammation all over the place and prescribed medication to bring it under control.

I was also referred to an ENT for my sinus problems - he was utterly hopeless, said there was nothing wrong with me (and wrote a letter to my doctor to tell him so) and said he thought it was my eyes causing the pain .

Problem is that my nose is still pouring every day, this used to be controlled by inhaled steroids but now the doctor won't prescribe the strength i need as the ENT says there is nothing wrong. My nose pours clear stuff then filled with lumps of god knows what, is almost always blood in it too.

IN addition to this, I have almost permanent laryngitis, I am coughing up blood from my throat and have a constant croupy cough. I am guessing this is from a combination of the reflux and the sinus issues but tbh, I really don't know. I also get achy joints and rashes on my joints that flares up every couple of months.

But I am working full time and rarely take a day off work though I can, hand on heart, say I have not had a day when I've felt 100% for almost 9 years now.

I've stopped going to the GP as I don't know what to say any more. The gastroent says he is concerned about the state of my general health but he also has no suggestions as he has done numerous blood tests himself and can't come up with anything.

So where do I go from here? Should I try and see a private ENT and just go and pay? Or should I try the GP one more time?

I am absolutely convinced they have me down as a middle class moaner now but I'm really not and the throat thing is a pain and is stopping me from exercising. More than that though, I am concerned this is something more serious - I would be quite happy if they said 'oh it's just minor ailments all mixing up causing you issues' but I feel I now need to be told it isn't anything sinister iyswim.

Foxinsocks, have you been allergy tested? Some of your symptoms sound very like dairy/lactose intolerance. Sorry to hear you've been feeling so rough for so long, can't be easy.

no I haven't and I come from a family with lots of allergies . I was allergy tested as a child as I have quite severe allergies to grass pollen, horses and dogs.

I have thought of allergies tbh but what I find strange is that whatever it is has worsened substantially over the last 12 months.

I have been tested for coeliac disease and it came back negative. The gastroent was absolutely convinced I had IBD but when they did a colonoscopy, it came back that I didn't. He was genuinely surprised as my symptoms fit but with a healthy looking bowel, that wasn't it!

I would try lots of alternative routes. A friend of mine had terrible problems with a veruuca (which was actually much more painful and disabling that you may think!) and he went to someone who put some sort of marigold poultice on it which CURED him. He was completely sceptical but is very thankful for going now!!

the other weird thing is that despite all this inflammation that they find when they do the scopes, there is none showing in my blood when they test it. Only regular thing that comes up is anaemia and sometimes slightly low B12 but not hugely so.

thanks for answering owls. Yes it is starting to really annoy me now. I just want to be well ffs!

I think the problem Helium is that I don't know what was wrong. If someone said to me 'right you have lupus' for example, then I would go out and seek proper treatment for it. The problem I have at the moment is that everyone is shrugging their shoulders and trying to treat symptoms as they arise rather than adding everything together. It may be that they aren't connected but I'm sure they must be. And I'm also not so ill that I can't function which is making the doctors sort of shrug even more iyswim. Not that I've been back for a while as I'm so fed up of it all!

I think I need House.

My first thought was allergies too.

You could start by cutting out all dairy. Just see if it makes a difference. Allergies can get suddenly worse. And they can make you feel dreadfully run down and exhausted.

maybe I should go and get proper allergy testing done

I suppose it can't hurt can it

would an ENT be able to do that or would I need to see someone else?

I am living next to a building site at work and at home which has made me wonder if it's dust

Maybe go back to doctors and ask for allergy testing. Particularly given your family history. My mum is waiting for allergy testing as she has had two bad reactions fairly recently. Looks like fish may be a culprit. But she's 82yo and eaten fish all her life! Why react now?! Strange.

thanks everyone btw, I hate health stuff and am really useless about talking about it

Have you tried taking antihistamines? If dust is a factor then they should help.

I get hayfever and am slightly asthmatic and I know that dust will effect me a little but then when hayfever season starts I seem to get supersensitive and everything really effects me.

I take them every now and then. Hayfever season is a nightmare for me which is what concerns me because if my throat is bad now, it is going to get 100 times worse and I'm already struggling with stridor now. It is v rare that I am this bad going into the hayfever season iyswim.

What made a difference was the steroid inhaler I was on before but the ENT was horrified as he said it was too strong. Beconase/flixonase used to work but do nothing now which is a real shame. The ENT also said that I couldn't be on those permanently, which is fine, I understand they do damage if I take them all the time, but as soon as I came off them, all the symptoms have come back. I wasn't taking them permanently before anyway.

Normally I start taking the sedating antihistamines in hayfever season otherwise I can't sleep (get too itchy and swollen) but nothing really sorts it out 100% and I still get the sore joints/rashes on my joints.

The best thing I ever found for hayfever was acupuncture. Haven't managed to find an English speaking one here in Hungary unfortunately but am planning on going to one in the summer when we come back to UK.

thanks buda. I have made an appointment on Monday to get properly allergy tested Hooray!