I Have a Low Grade Fever, Extreme Fatigue....

Dear S.,
This must be so frightening for you. You are so young you have your family to care for and look after. Your symptoms are toubeling and dehabilitaing and I'm so glad your doctors are taking you seriously. I to am recently struggeling with all of your symptoms except the fever. I have hypothyroidism too. As a medical professional I can tell you that these symptoms can be attributed to numerous disorders. Definately problems like Systemic Lupas Erythematous, aggrivated hypothyroidism, overmedication of thyroid medication, depression, adrenal insuffiency/fatigue, Mono/Epstines Bar, Fibromyalgia, myasthenia Gravis,rheumatoid disorders,leukemia, and other cancers need to be ruled out. You may need to see an Endocrinologist, a rheumatologist, infectious disease doctors depending on your lab findings. I am still still in the testing process too. I have no diagnosis as of yet but I am doing what I can with diet and rest to be the healthiest I can be. I have also considered an alternative holistic medicine Dr to evaluate me for adrenal fatigue and nutritional deficiencies. I'm just not willing to sacrifice my quality of life at age 38.

Wishing you the best
B.

Sorry for your feelings-I know what it it like to be told essentially that you are fine-go home and it will go away. I recently had an experience like yours and ended up blacking out and not knowing anything-I was never diagnosed with anything-they only said that apparently I had an infection that didn't show-I never tested positive for any kind of infection. I even had an MRI performed to rule out fluid pressure. Nothing-Finally after almost five months-I began to feel better. Really keep on your Docs-or find another one that is more aggressive!!! Best of luck!!!!

Hi S..
I can understand how scary this all can be. It seems like you have gotten some good advise. I would like to suggest asking your doctor about the possibility that all of this being Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It is incredibly hard to diagnose because the symptoms show as something else and it is still a relatively new disorder. Your doctor sounds like he/she is taking you seriously so I would stay with him/her.
I really hope you find something out and can get this all settled. Good Luck!!
N.

Steph,
it's hard to go on what you've listed. it is too broad. there are many things it could be. I have read thru the responses on here and everyone has an opinion. I would personally say to get tested for Lyme disease. I've had that for 17+ yrs and know much of the symptoms you speak of. All of the suggestions below sound plausible.
The one GREAT pice of advise I can give is when it comes to your health, DO NOT accept a diagnosis of it's nothing, you're just worn out and need rest, unless that is what you feel. You are the one person who knows you best. If you fell that there needs to be a reason, seek out other tests and opinions until you find the reason.
Hoping for a solution
S. J

I'd have your thyroid meds rechecked. If you are not happy with what your doc is saying, get another opinion. Good luck!

Just in response to what Shannon J said about Lyme Disease... If you had Lyme Disease you would have achey joints and a loss of appetite on top of the fatigue and other symptoms. Lyme Disease doesn't stay with you, it can be treated with medication, but it can damage certain systems in the body if left untreated for too long. I don't think you have it, but you may want to check for a bite mark, raised and red or with a red circle around it. It may also be the color of a bruise, but itchy and with red around it. That was what mine looked like, and I had many of them not just one. (Just FYI, Lyme Disease can also give a false positive on a Mono test.)

Hi,
I also have thyroid problems and yours does sound like Hyperthyroidism. Thyroid tends to control everything so when you have a lot of just general issues, it can stem from that. I would ask your doctor to test you for both Hyper and Hypo thyroidism. My neighbor had pretty much the same symptoms that you are describing only with rapid weight loss. She was sure that she had hyperthyroidism, but it ended up being hypo instead, so you never know, but just get it checked.
Good luck with that!
Y.

I had the exact same symptons. The doctor's did not know what was wrong with me. They finally did a "quick" mono test and it came back negative. They did a blood test mono test and it came back positive for Epstein Barr Disease. There is NO cure and it stays with you forever. I would have your doctor run a BLOOD mono test to see if you have Epstein Barr.

S.~

As a Registered Nurse, mother of 2, and sister to someone recently going through thyroid issues (specifically Cancer), I must say that your symptoms present as too complex to ask the general public to help you diagnose. PLEASE persist with your doctors to find answers!

It sounds like you have an endocrinologist - - have they run lab tests recently? Have you given them the entire picture? If you are not getting answers from your current doctors, I encourage you to shop around and get a second opinion. Also, make sure you tell each doctor you see the entire picture - don't just assume "this is my endocrinologist, they only deal with XYZ." And if you regularly see several different doctors for different specialties, make sure they are collaborating together for your care. Unfortunately, I do not have any doctors to recommend as I am new to Indianapolis (moved from Chicago 4 months ago).

So, Mamasource Moms . . . Do you have any GREAT doctors to recommend to S.?

I apologize if I am only telling you things you already know, but from personal experience, even doctors miss things and second opinions are very helpful!

I would definately recommend getting tested for Mono, and I caution you it could take two tests to get a true result. Back in January 2003 i came down with a horrible cold, the doctors thought I had strep, but it came back negative and so they gave me antibiotics for a Bacterial Infection. The meds helped until I finished them, then the cold came back within three days of finishing the meds and it was a lot worse! They did a Mono test on me that time, but it came back negative. I had the same thing happen almost every other month for the rest of the year. I would get sick, get meds for some kind of bacterial infection and they said that would be that. The whole year I did not feel like myself, I never got my energy levels back to normal, and I just really didn't feel right. I finally went to my doctor at the time and told him to do what he had to do to find out what was wrong. They tested my thyroid, cholesterol, for anemia, blood sugar, and another mono test. Everything came back fine except for the Mono, it turns out I had probably had it the whole year, and the thing about Mono is it doesn't really get out of your system. You just have to rest to give your body a chance to build itself back up....
Definately get tested for that, and like I said if the first test comes back negative, and you still have those symptoms get another full Mono blood screen done!
Good luck, and I hope you figure out what's going on soon. I know how frustrating not knowing what's wrong with you can be!

Please please please be tested for B-12 deficiency. Also I dealt with severe mood swings, extreme fatigue, joint and body aches from head to toe, dry eyes, the list goes on. The two factors that doctors either don't recognize or won't recognize is a B-12 deficiency or hormones. Meaning a possible progesterone deficiency. Especially for women that have thyroid problems which runs in my family on my mom's side. My mom and 4 of her sisters all have thyroid problems. I am on a natural (Bio-Identical, meaning no synthetic chemicals) progesterone treatment which will not have any side effects if used. It's a cream that can be rubbed on the inner thin skinned part of the arm once or twice per day. You can get a 3% cream by law over the counter w/out a prescription. You may need 6% but this just means you double the dose. There is a specific kind of B-12 that you can purchase which I can let you know later on today. Both can be found at a compound pharmacy (preferably a natural pharmacy or one that carries mainly natural products) You cannot over dose on B-12 either since the body rids of any extra it does not need. I have been fighting with doctors for almost a year not to mention the extensive tests to find out what was wrong with me before a dear friend of mine told me about the progesterone and B-12. The symptoms caused by a B-12 deficiency if not treated and they end up being severe can be irreversible. Please email me and I will gladly get you the particular type of B-12 you need. I am going today to get some myself.

This may sound a little jumbled since my son just woke up and I am having to hurry. I'll gladly touch base with you later.

Tracy
____@____.com

Hi S.! I would also seek a second opinion. I must also ask if you are on any type of birth control? I know it's crazy, but I actually had all the symptoms you have except that the fever thing wasn't constant, and I found that it was simply from hormonal imbalances caused by taking depo-provera. When I went off of it my fatigue, headaches, and depression went away almost immediately. As I said before, given your medical history, your problem could be much more serious than mine was so please do seek a second opinion. However, also think about small things that may be a cause - such as change in diet, etc.

I had a tutoring student who had similar symptoms and she was diagnoised with adrenal fatigue. It was treatable and she is feeling so much better now. She would run around a 99-101 temp and had no energy to speak of, we had to do tutoring at home to keep her up with school because she didn't even feel she could get through the school day. They will probably test for that when they run the blood test, but that might be one to research and ask your doctor about. I wish you the best, I know you don't feel good, but hopefully you will start feeling better.

I would get a second opinion...