New here and could do with some support..

[Guest guest]

I hope you have a cuppa, this could get lengthy!

Ive been seeing my GP for over two years now for a whole range of 'mystery'

symptoms... ie, symptoms he so far cannot find a cause for.

Just over two years ago I had a generic virus, and then my Mother died in fairly

icky circumstances (nowt scandalous, she had a stroke at home alone and wasnt

found for several days). I had to hold it together whilst my sister went down

the 'get really aggressive about everything' route, and my dad (mums ex hubby of

over ten years) ended up having to sort out everything.

I believe the stress of that tipped me over the edge... i got iller and iller,

wheezing, couldnt make it up the stairs without a rest, couldnt sleep as lying

down meant i struggled to breathe.

I put off seeing a dr as i assumed i had piled on even more weight (im over

20stone, in fact at this point id gone up to over 25stone) and i would merely be

told i was fat and killing myself with cakes, go away.

I got dragged to a gp, (not my current one), who dismissed me as having panic

attacks and she gave me some sleeping pills - later that might my OH had to slap

me to wake me up, i was choking in my sleep and the pills stopped me waking up!

New gp (dragged to it by friend, actually dragged, i could barely walk) took

note of my 'sloshing when i walk' symptoms, fathomed out i was barely weeing at

all, believed me when i said i wasnt have panic attacks (except in the night

BECAUSE i coudlnt breath) and prescribed diuretics.

Yay the diuretics work and im down to just over 22 stone, i can usually get up

the stairs (if i have taken my pills regularly!)... but im spending 6/8 hours a

day housebound because i dare not go further away from the loo than my own home.

I struggle to work (self employed from home fortunately!) and if i stop taking

the Bumetanide, im back to square one in a matter of days. If i get something

like a cold or chest infection and cannot take the pills or vomit them back up

the same occurs (and any illness goes straight to my chest whereupon im drowning

in my own spit and choking and coughign and wheezing.... oh and weeing myself

too.)

My gp has checked my kidneys, fine - he says.

He has had a chest xray done - fine he says.

He has had some routine and not very inspired bloods done..

the very latest of which show low serum albumin (he says its dietary, i disagree

vehemently), and my TSH... 4.3

TSH has now been tested four or five times and is always over 3, has been up to

5, and I am due another blood test in a weeks time so we shall see.

I have as far as i can work out, a multitude of symptoms of hypothyroidism..

(brain fog, migraines, water retention/ascites/oedema (two drs have told me that

this ISNT a symptom!), fatigue/exhaustion, dry skin, brittle nails, tingling

extremities, heat intolerance, if i get cold i cannot get warm and my feet BURN

iwth the cold (two duvets and hottie bottles... in june!), discomfort

swallowing, acid reflux, irritable bowels....)

So far he seems very reluctant to do anything more and inf act suggested last

visit that i could stay on the diuretics for LIFE... yay. Im 30 btw.

I am also on omeprazole (which im not too happy about but it does seem to fix

the acid reflux, though i wonder if its also contributory to the low serum

albumin)

Im also on rizatriptan for the migraines.

ANY advice on how is best to approach drs, to inspire them to actually DO

something? The 'i read xyz' on the internet approach falls flat on its face and

the 'well YOU arent researching it so i guess i have to' one didnt get much

better.

I dont really wat to change GPs as this one doesnt constantly harp on about my

weight - i appreciate it isnt helping me and i am addressing it, but he doesnt

seem to just blame my weight for everything. Though my cynical side wonders if

hed be doing more if i was 9 and a half stone...

Also i am going to ask him for referrals to specialists, i dont mind private or

nhs tbh i could fund private at a push (my dad might pay, IF i have exhausted

NHS options first!)... any recommendations on who to ask to be reffered to? (Is

Dr Gordon Skinner still practicing??) I am based in the northwest but can

travel.

I could also just do with... some moral support. I have bent my friends ears

about this and i think most of them think i am just a fatty seekign an excuse

for being fat. I really am not... i just want my life back!

Thanks for reading!