Hi everyone,
Thanks for taking the time to read this and maybe give some input I appreciate it.
Before being sick I was 143 lbs, about 7% BF 5'8" and im now about 122 lbs and about 4-5% bf.
About 2 years ago ( July 07 ) I came down with an illness that doctors still cannot figure out. It was originally some sort of stomach virus in which I lost 20 pounds, and was having weird symptoms including; Facial flushing after eating, palpitations, nausea, diarrhea, general unwell feeling, low body temperature, however those were the main ones. Over a period of 3 weeks in and out of doctors and the emergency room, I lost 18 or so pounds, and slowly began to feel like I was turning the tide on whatever I had.
I started to feel better for a couple months, but still nowhere near before. I could not put the weight back on, and I became lactose intolerant. The feeling of fog and spaciness after eating along with my face feeling warm didnt go away. In October that year, thanksgiving came around and I got a bad bout of palpitations that felt like an arrhythmia. I went to the ER and they found that my BP was slightly elevated, and did some blood tests. Cardiac enzymes were fine so was the ECG. Let me mention that emotionally or mentally I do not really stress, unless its a huge event and then its only for a short while. I have a good life and great support from my family.
I dropped out of University, and was fatigued all the time. I could not sleep however even if I was tired. After eating the palpitations would always be there, sometimes worse with other foods ( I still get them now ). I started feeling better that next summer and did light exercise and tennis but id get lightheaded and see stars if I tried to run or more too fast. It has since gotten better, but the food symptoms are still there.
It has now got to the point that I dont eat sugar foods ( juices, fruit, high GI meals ) because I will feel horrible and later get shakes. My blood sugar has never been found to be low however or high.
At this point I am still around 120 lbs although frequently eating for weeks at 3000+ calories. My muscle mass is terrible as I used to lift 5 times a week in high school and could almost bench twice my weight, and now I am lucky to push 100 lbs.
My blood tests during this period have shown a low WBC count of between 3.0-4.0 ( first test in July 07 was around 9.5 went down from there ).
My Creatinine levels have been near the upper limit of 102 almost consistently, although supposedly I have no protein in my urine.
My liver enzymes originally being below the range are now slightly elevated believe both in the 60`s for ALT and AST.
Cortisol in the morning is high at over 600, and has been for 2 years, the doctors dont seem to think that really matters ( I think differently as from what I understand of it, prolonged output of cortisol explains virtually all my symptoms ) 24 urine was not over the limit however.
RBC Hemoglobin etc is all normal. I have been tested for EBV, HIV, etc all that stuff and nothing positive. ANA screening etc, nothing.
My markers for inflammation are normal also.
I have about 3-4 palpable lymph nodes on each side of my groin that doctors keep overlooking saying its nothing, however a couple of them are pretty hard and every couple months I find a new small one.
At this point my life has completely changed, I cant go out late with my friends, I cant play sports at a high level anymore, and cant gain weight. I realize many people are worse off and I am not trying to have anyone feel empathy thats what I DONT want. I do however want to get better and head in the right direction. Any help would be appreciated thanks for reading.
P.S Abdominal ultrasounds negative for anything except a single small gallstone, and my Echocardiogram came back fine. My 24 hour event monitor found I believe some PAC`s and PVC`s without any runs.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and maybe give some input I appreciate it.
Before being sick I was 143 lbs, about 7% BF 5'8" and im now about 122 lbs and about 4-5% bf.
About 2 years ago ( July 07 ) I came down with an illness that doctors still cannot figure out. It was originally some sort of stomach virus in which I lost 20 pounds, and was having weird symptoms including; Facial flushing after eating, palpitations, nausea, diarrhea, general unwell feeling, low body temperature, however those were the main ones. Over a period of 3 weeks in and out of doctors and the emergency room, I lost 18 or so pounds, and slowly began to feel like I was turning the tide on whatever I had.
I started to feel better for a couple months, but still nowhere near before. I could not put the weight back on, and I became lactose intolerant. The feeling of fog and spaciness after eating along with my face feeling warm didnt go away. In October that year, thanksgiving came around and I got a bad bout of palpitations that felt like an arrhythmia. I went to the ER and they found that my BP was slightly elevated, and did some blood tests. Cardiac enzymes were fine so was the ECG. Let me mention that emotionally or mentally I do not really stress, unless its a huge event and then its only for a short while. I have a good life and great support from my family.
I dropped out of University, and was fatigued all the time. I could not sleep however even if I was tired. After eating the palpitations would always be there, sometimes worse with other foods ( I still get them now ). I started feeling better that next summer and did light exercise and tennis but id get lightheaded and see stars if I tried to run or more too fast. It has since gotten better, but the food symptoms are still there.
It has now got to the point that I dont eat sugar foods ( juices, fruit, high GI meals ) because I will feel horrible and later get shakes. My blood sugar has never been found to be low however or high.
At this point I am still around 120 lbs although frequently eating for weeks at 3000+ calories. My muscle mass is terrible as I used to lift 5 times a week in high school and could almost bench twice my weight, and now I am lucky to push 100 lbs.
My blood tests during this period have shown a low WBC count of between 3.0-4.0 ( first test in July 07 was around 9.5 went down from there ).
My Creatinine levels have been near the upper limit of 102 almost consistently, although supposedly I have no protein in my urine.
My liver enzymes originally being below the range are now slightly elevated believe both in the 60`s for ALT and AST.
Cortisol in the morning is high at over 600, and has been for 2 years, the doctors dont seem to think that really matters ( I think differently as from what I understand of it, prolonged output of cortisol explains virtually all my symptoms ) 24 urine was not over the limit however.
RBC Hemoglobin etc is all normal. I have been tested for EBV, HIV, etc all that stuff and nothing positive. ANA screening etc, nothing.
My markers for inflammation are normal also.
I have about 3-4 palpable lymph nodes on each side of my groin that doctors keep overlooking saying its nothing, however a couple of them are pretty hard and every couple months I find a new small one.
At this point my life has completely changed, I cant go out late with my friends, I cant play sports at a high level anymore, and cant gain weight. I realize many people are worse off and I am not trying to have anyone feel empathy thats what I DONT want. I do however want to get better and head in the right direction. Any help would be appreciated thanks for reading.
P.S Abdominal ultrasounds negative for anything except a single small gallstone, and my Echocardiogram came back fine. My 24 hour event monitor found I believe some PAC`s and PVC`s without any runs.