Hi,

I'm 22 and for the past 3-4 years I've been feeling constantly
unwell, and suffer from chills on most days. On the worse days it's
also accompanied by sweating, mainly between my thighs, and sometimes
my feet. The worst times are when i wake up; I feel really cold and
often have a dry throat. Every month or so it gets really bad, and I
have to go to bed for a few days, because I feel weak and feverish.
When it does get bad, a 'stiff' throat (can't think of any other way
to describe it, it's not a sore throat) is something I get, but
there's no cough, headaches, etc.

The other thing that accompanies all this is cold intolerance, a lot
of the time I can't even stand in the frozen section of a supermarket
without feeling ill, and any exposure to cold (when I say 'cold' I
mean cold for me, not other people) makes the subsequent chills and
sweating worse. On some days though the cold doesn't bother me, it
depends. This cold intolerance seems to have gotten worse over the
past 18 months.

A thyroid problem would seem to be the obvious thing, it would explain
the cold intolerance and feeling cold first thing when I wake up,
however blood tests have ruled this out. A post-viral infection has
been suggested, but 4 years is surely too long? Circulation problems
too I think is unlikely, since the symptoms seem a bit too extreme and
specific for it to be down to just this. The only other thing that I
can think of is my tonsils. As a child, they gave me recurring
problems and the doctors nearly took them out. They're well above
normal in size, and food particles often get trapped in them. Also,
when I do 'fall ill' and am in bed for 3 days, they do look inflamed,
though not heavily so. Any ideas?

Thanks.

Seems to me that you would do well to see a Doctor of some sort. You
description seem to point to a long standing infection. If it were me, I
would go to a Doctor of Chinese Medicine. But, 3-4 years is too long to
ignore. Go see someone about this.
"Peabody" <freeze2bees@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:19bbcabf.0309040258.331c833c@posting.google.c om...

freeze2bees@yahoo.com (Peabody) wrote:

Thyroid, post-viral syndrome, circulation problems.... wow, you thought of
everything except the blatantly obvious.

Look, here's my free diagnosis: You have an infection. You need to see a
doctor and get it cleared up.

On Thu, 04 Sep 2003 19:40:01 GMT, Carey Gregory
<tiredofspam123@comcast.net> wrote:

Well, as usual, the value of diagnosis on the internet is worth about
what one pays for it.

Please, tell us, what infection does she have?

PF

Carey Gregory <tiredofspam123@comcast.net> wrote:


Hi,

Well I've seen various doctors, and they range from not believing me,
to saying that it's something I just have to live with, since it's not
a serious cause for concern. Considering the affect it has on my
quality of life, I feel otherwise. I've had absolutely loads of blood
tests done, they've all been normal, or close enough to normal not to
take any action.

An infection does seem like the most obvious answer, but what kind of
low level infection could hang around for 4 years? That's why I
mentioned the possibility of it being tonsil-related.

"Peabody" <freeze2bees@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:19bbcabf.0309041709.3f8adb5b@posting.google.c om...
Another chronic-but-undiagnoseable-infection thread.

HMc

pfriley@watt-not.com (PF Riley) wrote:

Precisely.

Hey, for that you have to pay. ;-)

It smells like tonsils, but you don't know what the problem is and neither
do I. Do you disagree with my advice to see a doctor and have it diagnosed
and treated?

On Fri, 05 Sep 2003 01:30:32 GMT, Carey Gregory
<tiredofspam123@comcast.net> wrote:

Certainly I don't know either. But there aren't any tonsil infections
that last for 4 years that I know of.

Not at all. But, of course, it sounds like she has already tried.

PF

On 4 Sep 2003 20:15:12 -0500, "Howard McCollister" <hmac@nospam.net>
wrote:
Actually, to me, it seems like the patient is considering the
possibility that (s)he has a chronic infection but is skeptical.

This kind of patient would require a very thorough, detailed history
and physical exam by a doctor who has the time and inclination to
help.

I wonder if this patient would benefit, if his/her primary care
physician felt it worthwhile, from an evaluation by a rheumatologist.

PF

have you ever taken a course of antibiotics in the four years?

Peabody wrote:

pfriley@watt-not.com (PF Riley) wrote in message:

Hi,

I've actually been referred to an ENT specialist, so that he can have
a good look at my tonsils and the surrounding area. Assuming that what
I am suffering from IS chronic infection, he should hopefully be able
to tell me whether the tonsils are the source of my problem. Also, you
mentioned rheumatology. I understand that they deal with joint, muscle
and tendon-related problems, in what way might they be able to help
me?

Thanks.

Post viral? If it's viral it could be hepatitis or aids of course, but with
hepatitis you would have allot more
symptoms (i.e. kidney pain, yellow BM, and liver pain just to name a few).

Here's a thought however, what about the gulf war syndrome. You remember
after the "line in the sand"
thing, allot of vets came home with this mysterious sickness that was not
recognized by the u.s. government.
France, however, did a study on it and treated it with a specific type of
antibiotic which helped something
like 80% of people treated. This crap was said to be contagious.

Then there is always stuff like lyme disease, mono, ect...

~Ray~

You most likely have psychophysiologic illness. You should seek help
from someone specializing in this type of medicine.

Peabody wrote:

On 5 Sep 2003 06:58:36 -0700, freeze2bees@yahoo.com (Peabody) wrote:

They also tend to deal with more vaguely defined, poorly understood
conditions such as lupus and chronic fatigue syndrome.

PF

What about mineral levels? Iron, potassium, etc?
Do you have food allergies? Try food elimination to see if it helps - most
likely milk, wheat and corn. These will not only play havoc with your nose &
throat, but your immune system will be depressed.
Try wearing cotton, not polyester, for the sweating. Polyester doesn't
breath.

Do you have severe airborne allergies? Have you tried antihistamines? There
are excellent natural alternatives as well.
I have a sore throat everyday due to allergies. Grapeseed extract is
wonderful.

Best of luck. Keep us posted!
(ps. I saw a rheumatoid specialist recently. He was an idiot. He couldn't
find any 'specific' reason to give me medication, so he couldn't help me.)

--

Virginia
"Forgiveness is easier to obtain than permission."

www.thedesignuniverse.com

"Peabody" <freeze2bees@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:19bbcabf.0309040258.331c833c@posting.google.c om...

On Sat, 6 Sep 2003 09:33:34 -0700, "Virginia" <vodine@direct.ca>
wrote:
So did you instead want him to give you medication for no good reason?
Sounds like you're the idiot.

PF

PF Riley wrote:

Goodness me PF, we've had a patient on the lupus newsgroup for 3 years, in
excruciating pain and pancreatitis and (then found) a kidney failure, who did
not meet the criteria of Lupus, yet of course he'd be treated for his symptoms
!

Patients with autoimmune or arthritic conditons are frequently treated even
though the bloodwork and/or signs/symptoms don't meet the particular "criteria
of the day". (ie something that can be "found" (or seen);.
It's the humane and wise thing to do.

I'm happy to report that after 3 years of worsening symptoms, having to stop
work, and most days unable to walk due to the pain, he's now out (with
treatment), enjoying his young family and has "his life back".

J

"PF Riley" <pfriley@watt-not.com> wrote in message
news:3f5a5df9.398718925@news.nwlink.com...
Um no, actually. I'm sorry I didn't make it clear just for you.
I was there to try to get to the bottom of a few physical problems, needing
to know the cause of my symptoms.
He did some bloodwork and QUOTE "couldn't find a reason to give me
medication". That was his only suggestion. No other help. I wasn't there for
medication - I was there for a diagnosis. I prefer natural methods and
refuse to take most medications if I can find a viable alternative.
So the next time you feel like making yourself look like the idiot, think
first.

--

Virginia
"Forgiveness is easier to obtain than permission."

www.thedesignuniverse.com

"Virginia" <vodine@direct.ca> wrote in message news:<vlk33n3plgp6d4@corp.supernews.com>...

Hi,


Just posting to let everyone know what's happening. I've just seen an
ENT specialist, and within 5 minutes he said that it was very likely
that my tonsils were causing the chronic infection: his description of
the condition more accurately summed up my illness better than my own
description!!! My history of recurring tonsillitis as a child also
contributed to his diagnosis. He said that the only thing to do is
remove them, unless I'm willing to live with the problem.
Unsurprisingly, I'm booked to have them out next week!

Take care!

Wow, that's great! Good luck dude.

--
~Ray~


"Peabody" <freeze2bees@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:19bbcabf.0309121327.4f3cb740@posting.google.c om...