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Just thought I would share some information with all of you. If it helps even one person my story will be worth it.

I have shared my health problems with this Forum in the past. I really began to rack up on diagnosis's and treatments which included prescription drugs with numerous side effects, hundreds of hours of counseling therapy, a lot of stress, frustration, setbacks, disappointments, and multitudes of other issues.

FOR QUICK READ: JUST OPEN CODE TAGS AND SKIP TO CONCLUSION

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1993:
My symptoms started in my senior year of high school (though I'm sure there were warning symptoms through much of my life). I started off with...

Symptoms 1993



Diagnosis 1993:
I was seen by my General Family practitioner, and told that I was suffering from Anxiety/Stress disorder. And was prescribed a mils anti-depressant and an anxiety med. Most symptoms felt somewhat better, but I never felt 100% and eventually I would have more symptoms and complications
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1997:
I was in the 3rd year of a 4 year Air Force commitiment. My emotional, physical state started to really decline. I had planned on making the military a career, but at this point I wasn't feeling well at all, and my illness became chronic. Better at some points with introductions of different prescription drugs, but the positive effects would last for only 1-3 months. Each time things seemed to be getting worse.

Symptoms 1997


Diagnosis 1997:
Chronic Depression/Anxiety disorder. Prescribed SSRI's. Over the next few years I had tried nearly all of them. Zoloft, Effexor, Paxil, Welbutrin, etc...

Well I wound up leaving the military after my 4 years, as my health wasn't conducive to the military lifestyle. And my emotional struggles were causing negative remarks on my evaluations. I was alone, and without family & close support. Shunned by the military, at this point; I headed back to my hometown on Long Island, NY.
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1998-2001:
Returning home, I began my search to find out what was wrong with me. I spent hundreds of hours and $$$ on counseling. My meds were constantly being tweaked, or changed. I was enrolled in university for computer science. Some of my symptoms eased, but the major ones remained. I had a hard time completing my courses, mainly due to Chronic Fatigue. I had been to numerous doctors, and had tons of blood-work done. Everything always came back normal, but I felt ill most of the time. I wasn't really depressed, but my life seemed depressing. Never having the energy to stay with anything for long. I began having chronic sinus infections, and although I was in school and held two part-time jobs, I was feeling completely drained. I couldn't seem to control anything, my diet, my mood, my focus, my energy. Things were slipping and I didn't know what to do. I never completed my Computer Science degree, but gained employment (Which i still currently maintain) as a Network Systems Specialist.

Symptoms (1998-2001+) but some worsened; especially:


Diagnosis 1998-2001:
Chronic Depression And Adult Onset ADD. Anxiety/stress disorder.
Prescribed Paxil, Adderall (stimulant), Klonopin (for anxiety & restless leg syndrome caused by Adderall.
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2001-Current:
That remained my treatment for a while. Obviously the Adderall kept me going a bit more during the day, but I still had most of my symptoms. At this point I figured this would be the best I would be, and i would just have to deal with it. At one point in 2005, I had a sleep study done, and was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. This led to a struggle in learning to sleep with a CPAP machine which I never got used to.

Although I have a strong work ethic. I am self disciplined and usually strive for excellence. I am sort of a perfectionist and I really put all of my energy (what I had) into my work.

Unfortunately this year, my health finally caught up with me. I had kidney stones, began having chest pains, saw an increase in chronic sinus infections, and felt weaker than I had ever felt. I was tired most of the time, and was losing the ability to perform my work at the level required. Things were slipping fast, and the harder I tried it seemed the worse things got. Emotionally, I was really breaking down. I finally made up my mind to figure out what exactly was wrong with me. I put in for a catastrophic leave from work, and would embark on a 4 month intensive fact finding mission. I needed answers, and I was ready for anything.

Progress so far:
I finally went to see a homeopathic Doctor who specialized in Nutrition and Supplements. I did a NeuroScience test for Neurotransmitters (still waiting on results). After a 2 hour examination, the doctor felt I was dealing with Adrenal Fatigue - which in turn was causing most of the other symptoms I had been feeling for nearly 14 years. He also saw signs that go a long with this (of course all of my symptoms, plus)

Symptoms I wasn't aware of; or no one seemed to think was of great importance


His recommendation:


Results:
Honestly have seen more improvement than I have in 14 years of therapy and prescription drugs. I still have some symptoms, but by far I can feel myself getting better. I'll have to wait for my test results to come back. It's possible that I'm dealing with Cushings syndrome/Addison's. But too early to tell.

I don't feel the cravings for carbs, especially whit flour, sugar or junk food; that I have had for so long
I've lost 8.5 lbs in a week, and it has mainly been in areas that I never lost weight (the abdomen, neck).
btw I am 5'6" and I was up to 192 lbs (with clothes/shoes)
So it's not like I was severely Obese. And yet I felt like crap.

After 14 years, I finally hooked up with the right family doctor who took my case seriously. She put aside all past diagnosis and started from the beginning. She also referred me to a Neurologist who is checking out everything in that area, including a test for lymes disease.

I had a brain-wave scan that came back normal. I have an Brain MRI with contrast on Thursday, and I have some other blood-work to be done to test for lyme, adrenal function, thyroid etc...
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SKIP TO HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ ALL THE DETAILS


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Conclusion:
I have spent so many years trying to figure out what was wrong. Listening to doctors, taking prescription drugs. All along feeling in my gut that something else was wrong. I have learned a hard lessons in:

- Not relying on doctors to order the proper tests.
- You really have to educate yourself...

If you know you are not feeling right demand:
- A Referal you to the proper specialists
- Demand that you eliminate every possibility.

I had suggested numerous times over the years to different doctors that I felt something was going on with my immune system. I felt as though I had low adrenaline or testosterone. I thought I might have lyme disease (without the rash), Chronic Fatigue Immune Deficiency Syndrom(CFIDS)/Fibromyalgia, SyndromeX or something related. Because of routine bloodwork (which isn't always accurate or the right test) I was told that I didn't have anything wrong.

Well I feel I am on the right track now. I hope that I can at least find out what exactly I am dealing with. At least this way i could be sure of what I am up against. Like I said, I am feeling more positive results already from homeopathic remedies, than all the years of prescription drugs. Perhaps I won't need to take them for much longer.
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I'll keep you guys posted, when I find something definitive.

Thanks,
Zenassem

But not exactly a healthy weight for your height either. 192 would seem heavy for even me at 6', but not fat.

Do you do any exercise now? Some of your symptoms match cases of depression.

I just started taking vitamins myself recently. I rarely have ever been sick and when I did catch a little bug I avoided meds and just fought it off naturally. But since this past January I've been sick several times. The first time I had to see a doctor after 3 weeks of chronic coughing was starting to rip my throat apart. I got the strongest stuff the hospital could prescribe and it worked within a week. But since then, I've gotten sick two other times but not as severe. (one of those times being right now) I think whatever I caught at the beginning of the year (along with most ppl around the state) must've shot my immune system pretty good and thats why I've started vitamins.

At least you're doing better. I think I'd agree with this new doc about a possible deficiency in your system, hopefully his remedy works well. And I can see how those symptoms would fit.

Thanks Phaelax,

Yeah I wasn't trying to imply that 192 lbs was a good weight for me. I gained a lot after taking some of the medications. My body fat percentage was high, but some of the wait was water retention which gave me a puffy appearance.



Yes I am now exercising now at least an hour a day. I had to start off slow because of my adrenal glands being exhausted. Honestly, if I over do it, I feel like a train ran me over for a few days. I find that steady regular exercise, increasing a small fraction each day is the best thing I could of done for myself. That and renewing my faith, and praying has been important. (not to start a religious debate, I'm just stating that for whatever reason, it has benefited me).


My symptoms definitely match depression. And everything else that I have been diagnosed with. That's one of the more frustrating parts. It's like answering the "chicken or the egg" paradox. I know I suffered with depression, but what was the cause?

Cause?


Anti-depressants helped with some of the symptoms, but others remained.




What if the depression was a symptom of some underlying cause? What if I was only being treated for the symptoms and not the "real" issue?

That's what I am finding out more and more. It's sort of akin to having your alternator short out, and it drains the car battery. Now the alternator is the original problem. But your battery is definitely dead. Replace either one without the other and your car still won't start. You might see improvement if you just replace the battery. For a while the lights, electric, radio etc... will work, but eventually it will drain. And your back to square one. Until you replace both parts, your car will not perform as intended.


The really frustrating part is getting different types of doctors working together. And that's the combination that I currently have. Some doctors have no respect for natural remedies. I think the answer is to utilize both modern medicine and anything that isn't harmful, and is sound, to help you feel your best. I am finally not looking for a miracle pill. Heck, dead-on diagnosis would make me feel better, but it's not even necessary. Rather than trying one thing, I am combining all the science and knowledge.

My Lifestyle over the last month


Pretty much what I should have been doing all along. Basic stuff really. And that's my point. All of these complications, and perhaps with some setbacks I spent a lot of time waiting for something to "CURE" me. While I should have been doing everything from the beginning.

I'm not trying to say modern medicine and pills don't have there place. Rather, Don't do what I did and expect that the next pill is going to be the "Cure All". I lost faith in how we can be , and are, in charge of our bodies. And although something went awry, I should have put in the effort to correct my bad habits early on. In doing that, I paid a hefty price. Nearly half of my life now!

I am 32.

sincerely,
~Zenassem

I experienced a lot of the same issues that you described namely (and maybe a few that you didn't):



I found that others observed a very drastic change in my personallity, namely I became extraordinarily reclusive, I had lost pretty much all sense of balance in most aspects of my life, work, social interaction, communication, etc. I think a lot of it had to do with my recent divorce and I wasn't in the best of moods , however most of the symptoms had been outstanding for several years prior to this.

I had gained quite a bit of weight in a relatively short period of time. I have always been a very fit and healthy individual. I had gained 25 lbs over the course of about 3 months. I wasn't eating excessively, but I also wasn't exercising as I should. At no point did I appear unhealthy, at my heaviest I was 200 lbs, which isn't bad because I am 6'6".

I have changed a lot of things in my diet and I have noticed a HUGE change in every aspect of my aforementioned problems. I am regularly eating salads and I am eating less fast food, taking in more vitamin C and regularly drink cranberry juice as well as a regular supplement of L-Arginine (an anti-oxidant). I can see how getting out of shape and poor diet can get one in a downward spiral of never wanting to exercise, I know I could not have gotten to motivate myself to exercise if it were not for the adjustments in my diet first. I am now regularly exercising (running, curls, benchpress, lunges etc.) and I am down to 180 lbs again. My sinuses haven't bothered me in months, I sleep better at night and I feel better rested now too. I haven't had a cold or flu since last year, however I still have poor circulation to my hands and feet.

In Summary, this is what helped me:

Avoid Fast Food
Eat Healthy
Begin with light exercise on a regular basis
Increase to more regular and strenuous exercise

and by doing this it helped me to:

Sleep better
More energy on a daily basis
Clearer thinking
Less Sinus problems
Increased immune system

Edit:
I am 29

well I had a response, but stupid forum error erased it. Basically, keep us posted over the next few weeks to see if you've made any significant improvement.

I will. And thanks for sharing Alquerian, it gives me hope that I am on the right track. I too have eliminated all fast food, and most processed foods.

You always hear "diet & exercise". But when you are feeling as bad as I have; you don't think that it could be the cause or make much of a difference.

I know exactly what you mean. Once you are in that state of mind, it is incredibly difficult to change your personal perspective on matters. Feeling as bad as you do, exercise is the last thing you want to do. This is why I feel that diet must come first, doing this will solve some of the problems which make you not want to exercise in the first place. Once diet is under control, exercise seems far less daunting.

Something I don't think I emphasized enough is purging your body of impurities. Like you said, drinking a lot of water is very important, water is a great way to do this. Cranberry juice is also a personal favorite for this (although I don't really like cranberry juice, I do notice a difference when I drink it).