What is wrong with me? This is long. PLEASE HELP.

[Sandro A]

Ok. I have been to doctor after doctor. Most of them brushed me off and the ones that offered help...well...the help didn't work.
I am a 24 year old female and am currently 6 months pregnant. I got pregnant in October, but symptoms began in May of 2009. I'm saying this because every doctor has told me that all of my issues are pregnancy related. BUT THEY STARTED BEFORE I BECAME PREGNANT. They have gotten worse since I got pregnant, but they were present months before.
The only medication i was taking regularly was Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo.

In May of 2009 my tinnae versicolor rash (Which i have been having since i was 16...it comes and goes as it pleases) flared up badly. So badly that it actually hurt and bled a little. After a few days it subsided. However, shortly after that, my throat began feeling closed and i got a HUGE ulcer on my tongue ( i have been getting ulcers and recurring tonsilitis more or less regularly since i was about 11.) I went to an ENT and he told me that I had Globus Hystericus, which is psychosomatic and caused by anxiety. No Big deal. Then my tongue started feeling weird. Like it was dry but it wasn't. Like i burned it but there was no pain. ENT then said I had GERD. I get heartburn with no reflux probably more than the average person, but not enough to cause alarm. It's easily controlled. Eventually these symptoms went away.
In September, my eyes nose and lining of my mouth began to feel dry and stingly and i got an outbreak or canker sores. I didn't go to a doc and within 2 weeks, it cleared up.
In january, ALL PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED symptoms returned WITH A VENGEANCE. My eyes hurt so bad that i had to drop some classes in school. My nose was bothering me so bad that i actually got rid of my cat. Dry and stingy. Sometimes my eye lids and skin around my eyes and on my nose would actually hurt. I went to a rheumatologist who suspected SLE or Sjogren's. Blood work showed minor inflammation "nothing to be concerned about".
Months later (NOW) my eyes and nose still hurt. Drops and spray do not work. My mouth is so uncomfortable. I get incredible heartburn ALL THE TIME (still no reflux). My tongue FEELS dry and burns and there is a white coating on it (not thick and not in other places on my mouth, so i don't think it's thrush) I still get ulcers. My throat is dry and my voice is hoarse. I get dizzy and i have bad digestion issues (cramping, diarrhea, bloating)
the Nystatin i am on for my tongue is not working.
Can GERD really cause all of these problems?
What does Minor inflammation mean and why shouldn't i be concerned?
IT's NOT THE PREGNANCY
I am so worried i got an AIDS test, negative.
If GERD can cause all of this i would feel alot better just knowing what it is. I'm scared its something worse. Candidiasis overgrowth? I don't know...someone please give me some feedback.

 

[tonya_momma]

Hi Anxs,

Of course you are concerned. Just don't let it consume you with anxiety. That wouldn't be good for you or the baby. It's very good that you got yourself checked out and now that you did, you may want to just drop the subjects with doctors, and seek some natural solutions. I think you can be helped.

You don't need to take my word for it. You can research things I say, and also ask at a health food store to talk with someone there that is knowledgeable about supplements and symptoms. Just ask a clerk which employee that might be.

Forgive me if I repeat myself. It's hard to write in this small box!

I seriously doubt your symptoms are psychosomatic. But that is what the medical profession often says when medicine does not seem indicated. Docs can't help that they are not trained in nutrition and they only know drugs, but if you study it out, you would find that even over the counter drugs/prescriptions, eating wrong, etc. can cause us to be deficient in some critical vitamins or minerals that can cause symptoms like you get.

I get symptoms very similar to yours. And I do think that worrying makes it worse...why? because stress uses up B vitamins, and B vitamins are what feed the nerves so they can relax. B complex vitamins are critical to the nerves. You know when your nerves are 'shot', or you are a 'bundle of nerves'. B complex vitamins do wonders for this. Look up B vitamin deficiency and read the symptoms. You might be amazed. Just about everyone's body is deficient in B vitamins, because they are water soluble and the body does not store what is not used for the day, plus we normally may not eat raw whole grains and other foods that have the B vitamins in them. For instance raw brewer's yeast is rich in naturally balanced B complex, but who eats that unless it is deliberately chosen?

My symptoms get worse or better depending on how stressed out my life is, or if I am eating too much sugary junk food, or too much prepackaged food products, which I usually do if I am stressed/ It is hard to get off that cycle. I suspect that you may be depleted of B vitamins, as just being pregnant is a stress on the body and depletes water soluble vitamins which B's are.

Regular use of any drug, including hormones such as birth control use up B vitamins. With all the tests you had, probably there is nothing wrong that can't be reversed by teaching yourself to relax, getting enough rest, feeding your nerves with B complex vitamins and acidophilis and eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, cutting out sodas, caffeine and acidic foods for awhile, etc. Sometimes I have to eat nothing but lightly steamed vegetables and fruits and plain yogurt with thawed frozen fruit for a week or so to get my digestion back to normal. These changes are not quick like taking a pill, but they allow your body to heal and get rebalanced, and the results of taking B on your nerves can be noticed in as early as a few days.

I don't know your eating habits. Maybe you eat better than I do. But your symptoms seem like your body is stressed, and there are ways to help your body relax. You may need to balance the calcium you eat or take in pill form with magnesium citrate, too. 'Citrate', not other types of magnesium that the body usually doesn't properly digest. You can safely take as much of that magnesium daily that is needed to make your bowel habits regular and normal, not too loose or too hard...then you know that is the amount you need. These nutrients are critical for your health, and also your baby's.

All of the symptoms, burning tongue, coated tongue, mouth ulcers, good-bad bacteria imbalance (Candida), heart burn, indigestion, are typical of B deficiency, eating too much refined flour and/or sugary foods, etc. Vitamin B2 deficiency by itself causes dry skin, which may result in cracks or fissures. I got a tiny crack in the skin on a nostril once and someone I know had a tiny crack in the skin at the corner of the eye. Both would not heal, but both healed up by taking B 2 for a week.

Also we can be B deficient by taking just one type of B (such as B2 or B6) for too long. B needs to be in its natural balance, so I buy B complex 50 or B complex 100 pills, or if my digestion is too poor to digest the pills, I buy Brewer's yeast in bulk at a health food store and put a 1/2 teaspoon in apple or orange juice and drink it down once or twice a day.

It may seem like a lot to learn but really it isn't hard to do. I hope you will check these things out because they get rid of my symptoms and I think they might help you.

God bless you and your child!

 

[icrashalot]

Wow. Thank you so much for the in depth reply. I was thinking it might be vitamin definciency but dismissed it because I am taking prenatals, and they are packed with vitamins. But I suppose if i was deficient to begin with, then the pregnancy could just be depleting whatever i get from the prenatals faster than normal. I also don't drink enough water, which is probably part of it.

You mention anxiety a number of times. I have been diagnosed with a severe panic disorder. I don't take medication for it because I find anything i put in my body causes a change that I can feel, which ultimately leads to a panic attack. But you know what's strange? When i was pregnant with my first daughter (3 years ago) the anxiety was so bad, i literally just stopped going outside. I didn't leave my house for like 5 months. But the pregnancy itself went very smoothly. Now with this one, i haven't had one panic attack (it's been a long time, actually) but i feel so awful all the time that I am constantly anxious over what could be wrong. So, that probably takes it toll too.

I looked up Candida overgrowth and found that the only way to control it is with a tightly managed diet ( growing your own fruits, veggies and livestock. Hand harvesting your own salt, for instance. Which would be great if i had a pick-axe and lived anywhere near a salt mine.) But, i do eat ALOT of pasta and rice and things like that, so i think I'm going to make an effort to cut back on those kinds of things. Maybe it makes it worse. Carbs? Sugar?

I also just moved into a bigger apartment. But in the double we were in we shared an attic with the neighbor. I found out they had hole outside on their side and there were like 20 stray cats living in attic. All of them deficating and urinating and dragging dead rodents up there. Maybe all that nasty stuff got in the AC and i was having a weird reaction to it. That's a scary thought though, with regards to what it could mean for the baby (who has shown no sign of stress at all.)

Anyway. I'm rambling now. Thanks again for your response. You actually made me feel alot better. My next course of action is drinking more water, buying some yogurt and dark green, leafy veggies and a B12 supplement and having some faith that this is going to work and hopefully I'll feel better by the time my new little girl is born. I would say i'll try to stop worrying, but it's in my nature to just worry all the time.

 

[Lance Peeplamstrong]

Hello, some of your symptoms do sound like they could be related to gerd. Did you see an ENT or a gastroenteroligist? I saw both and the later helped me tremendously. I was put on myscopalmine and nexium. The myscopalmine gave me a horrible dry mouth and constipation when I first started to use it, but after my body adjusted to the medication it went away. I was on these meds for about nine months. Now I take over the counter acid reducer when ever I feel my symptoms coming back and I am fine.
Hope this helps, good luck.