Seems like something new every day...

[Hazelnut]

Since the 27th of July I've been a mess. I have had a whole host of symptoms; some come and go - others go only to be replaced with something new. :weep:

I wrote my woes on my introduction post titled "Anxiety & Fibromyalgia ?" but to sum it up:

I have had 2 blood tests done, several EKG's, a chest x-ray, and an endoscopy which biopsied for H. pylori. All have come back clear. Yet I seem to keep having all these weird symptoms. So what gives??

Here are my symptoms from oldest to newest:



- Palpitations, checked out last year by a cardiologist, benign
- Deep chest twinges, left of breastbone, sometimes feels as though it's in my back (comes and goes, feels less intense lately)
- Twinges in left elbow (mostly resolved)
- Dizziness (resolved)
- Malaise (resolved)
- Coffee ground stools (resolved)
- Loss of appetite (slowly resolving)
- Clammy/sweaty hands and feet (mostly resolved)
- Difficulty sleeping (currently drinking chamomile and taking Benadryl before bed)
- Dry heaves (resolved)
- Strange pressure-like sensations in shins (resolved)
- Random aches around chest, ribs, upper back, neck, abdomen, they seem to disappear if I change positions (comes and goes)
- Growing pain sensations in left elbow/arm (resolved)
- Numbness in left pinky/ring finger (resolved)
- Tiny bleeding sore on tongue (resolved)
- And my newest issue: petechiae, so far have noticed it on my ankle, breast, temple and scattered here and there on both arms


At the point that I was feeling malaise/loss of appetite I was struggling to get more than 500 calories a day, if that. It lasted about a week to 10 days. I realise that some of the symptoms listed above may have been attributed to being malnourished.

I also feel as though my veins are much darker/prominent, but I have lost around 10 lbs over the span of a couple of weeks, so my husband thought it may have been the weight loss attributing to this.

I have been taking several supplements, some recommended by my GP:



- B12
- Magnesium
- D3
- Co-Q 10
- Natural clove capsules
- Probiotics capsules


My GP seemed a little fed up with me the last time I saw her, and wrote me off with anxiety and fibromyalgia. While I don't dispute that this could be a possibility, I still have my doubts. Is this just health anxiety talking?

I have had a test for Lyme, which came back negative, but the tests are far from accurate so it makes me wonder... I have heard that Lyme often has co-infections of other bacteria and viruses, including babesiosis which appears to cause petechiae. My husband had also been seen by our GP earlier in the year as he has petechiae on his upper thighs.

I also had a cellulitis abscess last year prior to being seen for palpitations; it was drained at an urgent care clinic and I was prescribed antibiotics (failed to finish the last few days as it was so harsh on my stomach). Don't know if these things could be related. :wacko:

I know I shouldn't attempt to self-diagnose, but I feel as though I haven't really had any clear explanations as to why I am having these symptoms, and it makes me second guess everything. With so many different symptoms that may or may not be related to each other, I feel like my doctor will be even more fed up if I approach her to keep looking. Should I consider a second opinion elsewhere? :unsure:

Can anxiety cause all of the above??

[Cusper]

I know i always tell people who have dizziness because I had it as well along with the whole other slew of problems you've been having. But have you checked out intestinal candida overgrowth. It's a brutal diet at first but it works. Look it up. Try doing a candida cleanse. It really takes about 6 months but it really helped me.

[lofwyr]

I have had almost everything you mentioned happen to me at some stage in my last 25 years of living with anxiety. Once I really accept it as anxiety the symptom usually resolves. Then something new comes along.

[missgatsby]

I've had quite a few of those, as well. And there is ALWAYS something. It's a rare day that I feel totally healthy.

How is your Vitamin D? A deficiency can cause some feelings of general malaise.
Do you exercise regularly? I've found that helps with anxiety related pains. I've recently started dancing, which is fun and challenging for both the brain and body.

[Hazelnut]

Cusper: The thought crossed my mind that I could have some gut bacteria overgrowth, as I have been told that I probably have fibromyalgia, and there seems to be links there. I haven't had many stomach issues, but I have been taking the probiotics to try and balance my system. Apparently 80% of the immune system relies on gut health!

lofwyr: Thank you; that is somewhat reassuring. :) Unlucky for me, I've had almost all symptoms since the end of July! I probably just became hyper-sensitive to my anxiety when no one could seem to discern what was causing my chest twinges.

missgatsby: I haven't had my vitamins tested, although I would have liked to. I guess my GP really isn't too concerned. She recommended I take a vitamin D, B12 and GABA aminobutyric acid supplement (the last I have yet to get my hands on). I haven't really exercised too much - my chest twinges started about an hour after a 30 minute moderate/brisk walk, and since then I've just been trying to rest the aches and pains away. You're right; it would probably be a good idea to go for a daily walk to try and burn off some of the anxiety.

She gave me a muscle relaxant called metaxalone to see if it would help me sleep, and I just happened to Google side effects - one of the "rare" side effects is petechiae. :unsure:

[missgatsby]

Oh, I was prescribed metaxalone once for an injury! It was the first and last time I took a muscle relaxant. It felt weird. I felt all weak and then I fell asleep halfway through a movie. I felt all groggy the next day. :P I decided not to take it again because I just didn't like the way it felt.

Yeah, I think vitamins might be a useful thing to check, and they're relatively easy imbalances to fix. With the exercise, I would start off pretty small at first. As you said, a daily walk is probably good. :)

[Hazelnut]

I agree about the metaxalone. I kind of just felt like my breathing was shallow when falling asleep - don't know if this was just in my head. In any case, Benadryl helps me sleep much better so I'm not going to bother taking any more of the metaxalone! Hopefully the little red spots clear up. :)

[sial72]

Can I ask which antibiotics you took?

[Hazelnut]

sial - I'm sorry, I don't remember exactly which one it was. I threw it out after I had healed. I just remember it irritating my stomach a lot. It was prescribed alongside naproxen (painkiller). It's somewhat embarrassing, the abscess was on my buttock and was terribly painful when the doctor was draining it. It continued to bleed for a few days. Daily Epsom salt soaks did wonders. That was about a year ago, and I wasn't having any real issues up until the end of July so doubt they are related, but you never know... :shrug:

[sial72]

I'm just asking because there is a certain kind of antibiotic (fluoroquinolones) that has a lot of side effects and some of them are delayed and that is why a lot of times it is not easy to put 2 and 2 together x

---------- Post added at 20:40 ---------- Previous post was at 20:39 ----------

I'm just asking because there is a certain kind of antibiotic (fluoroquinolones) that has a lot of side effects and some of them are delayed and that is why a lot of times it is not easy to put 2 and 2 together and often this goes wrongly diagnosed as fibro xx

[Hazelnut]

Oh, that's interesting! What kind of effects did the antibiotics have? Was it considerably delayed?

[MyNameIsTerry]

Antibiotics also kill bacteria in the gut too where we tend to think our good flora is but remember that our good bacteria starts in the mouth and ends at the rear exit :blush: but in women it also re enters the vagina after that. So, multiple rounds of strong Antibiotics can kill them off allowing the Candida to run unchecked.

Good gut bacteria also influence mood as it is being shown in some emerging studies.

The NHS have even recommended use of probiotics alongside when under supervision of a GP. So, whilst they don't recognise proof of probiotics they are coming around to it if they are willing to offer guidance to use them.

Why has your GP recommended GABA? As far as I've read it's a myth that GABA crosses the blood-brain barrier so won't impact on mental health. The weird thing is though, I used to take it when weight training years ago and I felt good very quickly after taking it. I didn't have anxiety back then. Be aware that it can cause your face to flush and some slight breathing change for a few minutes when they take it.

[Hazelnut]

I feel so naive that I didn't consider that antibiotics would kill off the good gut bacteria also. I suspect that I may have been able to tolerate the antibiotics had I been supplementing with probiotics. It wasn't until after quitting them that I decided to do some research...then realised why my stomach was so agitated. Since then I have been taking probiotics on and off, but solidly since these symptoms started.

I'm not entirely sure regarding the GABA - I had never even heard of it until I saw my GP earlier this week. I actually did read the same thing as you regarding the blood-brain barrier today, and yet the customer reviews on some of the products on Amazon seem to attest to GABA's ability to change their mood and help them sleep. And of course, the handful of the studies I have read which tested GABA against a placebo. But of course the studies were very small. Perhaps she thinks it wouldn't hurt to try it?

Still unsure about the fibromyalgia diagnosis as I've barely had any aches today, but have lined up a rheumatologist appointment anyway. Can you believe the earliest appointment they had was November?! :doh:

[MyNameIsTerry]

I could believe it easily over here, we can wait months for most referrals but I would expect more from a private system.

When I wax looking at probiotics I found a fair few reviews from people saying antibiotics were how it started and how the supplements had helped them. Caprylic acid from coconuts can help too as it pokes holes in the Candida allowing the good bacteria to more easily deal with them.

GABA is calming, Benzodiazapenes work on these receptors. If GABA doesn't cross the barrier, Taurine can and it is a precursor of GABA. But Taurine is used throughout the body so can mean experimenting with the dose a bit.

If you post me a link, I wouldn't mind having a look at that study and then I will look at some others to see what the opposition theory is over the barrier issue. I know GABA made me feel better back then, it happened within minutes before I when got to my weights.

[Hazelnut]

Here we go again...

Don't want to panic, but I feel like my veins keep getting darker. Or at least I am noticing new ones. I am seeing more and more veins in my hands and legs. Don't really want to look anywhere else in case I freak out more.

Has anyone had this before? I'm terrified to consult Dr Google.