Update on Me

More doctors... more tests... someday hopefully some answers. not being able to catch your breath is very scary. It has caused me to go to more doctors, more ER trips and offer up more blood then I normally do in years. I just want a definite this is what is causing the breathlessness and this is what we are going to do to fix it.

Medical Doctors:
I have been tested, re-tested, poked and questioned, yet every test says I am okay. There seems to be no definitive reason why someone who is active and healthy just changes in a matter of days to weak and breathless. Yet no doctor seems to really care that I can't seem to catch my breath.... even in conversation. No exertion required. One common thread is that I need to not be stressed... but not being able to breathe seems to cause a significant amount of stress in ones life. Last trip to the ER... maybe it is sleep apnea... need to get a sleep study, if my doctor will approve it.

Chiropractor:
So far my only source of some relief. I am hoping with continued visits that my breathing will return to normal and I will start to feel more and more like myself. Downside - I may never find out what caused this in the first place and the relief for now seems to only be temporary.

Mental Health:
Yep, the doctors tell you long enough that it is all in your head and eventually you start to doubt yourself and think of yourself as a head case. So today a mental health appointment. I went in there basically begging a pleading for them to tell me that it is just stress and anxiety. Nope... no dice!! After five minutes of listening to the life I have been living for 21 days... the therapists asks has anyone said anything to you about chronic fatigue syndrome??? Well, nope, no one has mentioned that. What are the symptoms of chronic fatigue???


word-finding difficulties
inability to comprehend/retain what is read
inability to calculate numbers and impairment of speech and/or reasoning.
visual disturbances (blurring, sensitivity to light, eye pain, need for frequent prescription changes)
psychological problems (depression, irritability, anxiety, panic attacks, personality changes, mood swings)
chills and night sweats
shortness of breath
dizziness and balance problems
sensitivity to heat and/or cold
alcohol intolerance
irregular heartbeat
irritable bowel (abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, intestinal gas)
low-grade fever or low body temperature
numbness
tingling and/or burning sensations in the face or extremities
dryness of the mouth and eyes (sicca syndrome)
gynecological problems including PMS and endometriosis
chest pains
rashes
ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
allergies and sensitivities to noise/sound, odors, chemicals and medications
weight changes without changes in diet
light-headedness
mental fogginess
fainting
muscle twitching
seizures.


I would say... I have quite a few of the symptoms.... plus the excessive fatigue. I haven't slept well in 2 years.  Hmmmm.... now to get a medical doctor to take me seriously. There lies the problem. The doctors can't take a test a diagnose Chronic Fatigue Syndrome... it is diagnosed by exclusion. When everything else has been excluded then the doctor can say, I think you have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I don't even have the energy to put my hair in a ponytail sometimes, my arms are just that weak. Something is wrong and I will keep excluding things until my doctor has no choice but to think well maybe it is chronic fatigue syndrome. One step at a time, next step sleep study, which the thought of causes anxiety because in 18 months Mike and I have never spent a night apart how am I supposed to sleep well enough for them to study me. If the sleep study doesn't give me answers then I seriously want my doctor to investigate Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.