[BlueJay49]

Hi everyone

For about a year, I have had something going on. I'm not sure what it is but it seems to hit me a few times each month and then go into remission again. When it hits me, I feel pretty miserable. When it goes into remission, it's almost as if it was never there in the first place and I feel just fine.

The symptoms always seem to hit me in the following order...

1) I start out feeling kind of hot and under the weather.
2) Temperature rises to (99.3 to 99.7 - often seems to happen shortly after eating). I should add that I've had this temperature thing for years.
3) "Allergy" type feeling comes over me. One or two sneezes, nose runs very breifly but nothing more than that.
4) Eyes feel puffy, sticky, moist, unfocused, "buggy" (usually affects my left eye more for some reason). Sometimes they water.
5) Random aches and pains, The last time it was on the right side of my body with severe burning in the stomach. This time it's in the back of my head (upper-right side where the occipital nerve is) all the way down through my right shoulder blade and in my arms and under the chin.
6) Icy-hot sensation in my neck, shoulders, upper back and arms.
7) Mild sensitivity to cold/heat which comes and goes. Sometimes I sweat more doing housework.

Here is what I've been diagnosed with over the years...

1) Cervical arthritis at C-4/C-5 level with bone spur (ostreophyte).
2) GERD
3) Gastritis
4) IBS
5) Lactose Intolerance
6) Allergic Rhinitis
7) Chronic Sinusitis
8) Deviated Septum (left side)
9) Tourettes (with head/neck jerks)
10) Generalized Anxiety Disorder
11) OCD
12) Panic Disorder

Over the years I've seen many different specialists and have had many different tests and much to my amazement, most of the test results come back normal so I'm always asking myself "if everything is normal, why do I feel so bad?". Most recently I've seen a Neurologist who ordered lots of tests (all normal), an Opthamologist who also did lots of tests (all normal), had an MRI of my brain and neck (all normal except for cervical arthritis with bone spur) and been to other doctors and specialist who did other tests (all of which came back normal). I also had a CT scan with contrast of the area from my groin to my chest done at the ER the other day and everything was normal.

I'm just baffled. This thing creeps up on me, sticks around for a few weeks and then disappears as if it was never there only to strike again a few weeks later. Can anyone relate to this?. I went to bed last night just miserable, depressed and with a feeling of gloom and doom. I just don't know what to do anymore.

- Thanks so much for your time and help, BlueJay

[Travelinglady]

So sorry, BlueJay. I don't know what to tell you either. It is a baffling list of symptoms. What medications are you taking?

[BlueJay49]

I've only been taking Atarax for the last few weeks for anxiety and to help me sleep. I'm not taking anything for allergies at the moment but I used to use Astelin nasal spray which had side affects and so I discontinued use of it several months ago. Hope this helps and thanks for your reply!.

- Steve

[missbelle]

Sounds like allergies and believe me they can make you feel bad some days. People used to tell me about their allergies and I would laugh at them re: their symptoms. Yes, I had my own but never respiratory. Since I have moved to Virginia from Florida I have experienced these in the Spring. You literally feel sick or have almost flu like symptoms some days. I was taking a good med for allergies but some days they were worse.
Hope you feel better. I do know the older I get that I realize you always can't feel perfect some days. Try to keep your mind on something else so you don't obsess about your physical self. That might help as well.

[missbelle]

[ I went to bed last night just miserable, depressed and with a feeling of gloom and doom. I just don't know what to do anymore.

Anxiety works that way as well as depression. We obsess about stuff whether its our physical self or other people or situations. My suggestion and remember its only mine, is to try and get out as much as possible with people or doing some volunteer work to get your mind off yourself. I know this helps me. Thats why I say this to you. I find the more I help others and get out of myself the better I do feel. Also I hope you have a good therapist that can help you
Thinking of you and hope you feel better

[BlueJay49]

Thank you and your definitely right about the allergy/sinus thing. Sinus issues can make you very sick and drive you nuts sometimes (especially us anxiety types). As you might imagine, I've already had some pretty scary thoughts about various symptoms. A few times, I've even felt like I was doomed and that I'd better start picking out a casket...thinking about how nice life was "while it lasted" and I've had thoughts about how sad it was to be leaving my family behind, etc. Sometimes I end up in the ER expecting them to say "I'm sorry but it doesn't look good" and am flabbergasted when everything comes back normal and leave scratching my head.

Sometimes it's difficult to discern where that fine line is between anxiety and real illness. Always the "what if's" that drive you crazy with a million different thoughts that never seem to end.

[CastlesInTheAir]

hormones too maybe?

are you on birth control?

or am I a fool and you are a dude...