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Monday, December 31, 2007

Tired of being Sick and Tired


I'm sick. I've finally accepted that something is wrong and I need to seek out different medical advice. Here is what is going on (Spook, Rae, anyone, help!)

#1. Ok, the last month or so, I've had the worst case of fatigue. I'm talking I get so tired I'll go up to bed and sleep all day. It just will not go away. I'm on B12 shots monthly but I experienced something similar before with my hyperthyroid, maybe this is the cause.

#2. I have "warmth" in my abdomen, sometimes so hot it feels like burning. This is accompanied by nausea. If I eat within minutes I feel sick. It's gotten so bad I have to force myself to eat crackers to have something in my system (perhaps adding to the fatigue issues). I also have sharp stabbing pains like I experienced with my gallstones. I'm wondering if something isn't going on from the surgery. That bile has to go somewhere right? And to clarify, I also have heartburn. The burning I'm referring to is lower. Sometimes I have both the heartburn and the "warmth".

#3. The migraines. Lord. Help. Me. I can't take it anymore. I see my Neuro in January and that day just can't come quickly enough. I've had a headache everyday for the last 2 weeks, I'm not joking. Sure they aren't 'migraines' each time but an annoying headache still ruins a great day.

#4. My heart. I can't stand the missed beats and stuttering I feel all the time. I was told this was likely due to my thyroid. They performed an EKG in the office and it read normal. However, those results do little to comfort me late at night if it starts up. It's very scary.

#5. My irritable bowel. I was also told the combination of thyroid and gallbladder surgery could cause problems but I can't stand rushing to the toilet 10 minutes after I eat a few saltines. It drives me batty.

Does anyone have any advice on looking for a internal medicine physician? Any things I should take note of or look for? Does any of these symptoms sound vaguely familiar?

I truly want to say, "I'm too young!" but truth us, I'm not. I hit the big 3-0 this year. I'm not a spring chicken. As scary as it is I can't function under the notion I'm just not feeling well but it must be something minor because I'm too young to have anything seriously wrong with me.

My New Year's resolution is to get this under control. I'm just unsure of how to look for a Doctor that will listen. I truly am tired of that as well. Doctors see me and treat me like a child. I want that to change but I just don't know how to go about it.

5 comments:

Rae said...

wow, that does sound frustrating. it's hard to 'diagnose' through a blog post, but maybe a good place to start is to ask friends/coworkers etc about a thorough doc. Another option that has helped me in the past is to seek board-certified naturopathic care. It can be a little more expensive because most insurance companies won't reimburse reccomended meds/supplements; but I've been happy with the way they really try hard to treat the entire person. They also tend to be better at analyzing and treating sub-clinical problems; meaning if you keep coming up with negatives on diagnoses from a traditional medicine perspective; they can help address those sub-clinical problems from a different perspective. We all know that the traditional medicine approach is often 'wait and see'. The naturopathic approach is not instant results, and visits tend to be longer. Also, I think there's only about8 states or so with licensed naturopaths...so that route presents its own set of problems, too.

You do sound like you have a lot going on, I would try a thorough standard md for certain, and consider a naturopath to bridge the gaps. As always, pick your doc carefully.

Here's to a healthier 2008!

Jaime said...

Hey Rae!! ;)

I'm so glad you responded. This morning I went in and they took blood. The Doctor is running several panels to see if anything is off, including the thryoid. They want to check something with my pancreas as well since my Grandpa died of pancretic cancer.

I will look into naturopathic care, definately. I think it will just require a different doctor who approches my issues head on.

I'll keep you posted! ;)

Katherine said...

I highly recommend http://www.amazon.com/Alternative-Medicine-Definitive-Guide-2nd/dp/1587611414/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199385838&sr=8-1
as a supplement to traditional medical care. Some of the stuff in there it too weird, but some of it makes a lot of sense.

As you get tests and such, ask your techs about a good internist or other doctor. I was sent to the ER by my student health services when I was in college, and the ultrasound tech (they thought I had a blood clot in my leg, really a partially torn muscle) was the one who recommended the practice where I still go today. I love my doctor. She totally listens to me, and isn't afraid to refer to a specialist or ask for time to research and get back to me.

You could always move to San Diego and use her...

Katherine said...

Ok, it cut off my link, but the book is "Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide" by by Burton Goldberg (Author), John W. Anderson (Author), Larry Trivieri (Author).

I don't do a lot of the supplementation they recommend, some of it's too weird. But I use a lot of the logical home remedies!!

Jaime said...

Hey Katherine!

Thank you so much, I'm going to look that up now!