# Pulling my hair out. Please help me I am not sure what I have!



## bepanda (Jan 5, 2015)

Hi there,

I am just wanting to find out what I need to get from my doctors exactly to test for auto immune. *Hashimoto's* seems to be the closest in symptoms so far.

A backstory:

I had IBS symptoms ever since I was a teen, and got worse maybe about 5 years ago. The main issue was cramping, bloating, fullness, sometimes nausea, constipation, but it was okay, but I wanted to try to get on top of it, because the bloating was horrible.

My doctor at the time did lots of test and sent me off to a gastro. She did a colonoscopy and gastroscopy and said I was on the verge on a peptic ulcer and gave me some meds, and I seemed to get better for a good year or so, but then the symptoms came back and meds no longer helped and got a little worse, so went to a new gasto (because I was not impressed with the first one). She sent me to a dietitian and started me on a dose of probiotics and a FODMAP diet, but things got even worse. I started to progressively go downhill, where I began to get flu like symptoms every few days, aches in my body, tingling, dizziness, brain fog, sneezing, extreme fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, phlegm in throat, nausea, vomiting, hair near forehead thinned, bloating and fullness and became extremely intolerant to almost all food (I did have IBS in the past, but it was more cramps and bloating especially with lactose). I didn't lose any weight in that time (even though every few days I could barely eat anything), instead I puffed up like a rice cake and put on weight. My face was very puffy, especially under the chin.

The dietitian then put me on a chemical intolerance diet (thinking it's chemicals in foods) and symptoms got worse again. So the chemical intolerance diet didn't seem to help at that time and I only got better once I took out probiotics from my diet and symptoms subsided quite a bit (I had issues with the same probiotics the year before with running to the toilet, but nothing else).

However, I never got back being 100% better, it's just the magnification of symptoms died down dramatically after taking out the probiotics, I could tolerate more food, and the extreme fatigue, aches and pains, subsided and would pop up maybe once or twice a month (compared to every few days).

The main system that stuck around and could not get rid of was nausea, constipation and bloating/fullness and certain foods brought it on more, and so went to a new gastro and dietitian, who put me back on the chemical intolerance diet. I've had nausea and bloating every day for about two years but have finally got that under control in the last two months (what a relief). So I now know the nausea is triggered by food or inflammation of the gut. It took 3 months of going back to basics with the chemical intolerance diet for it to finally calm down. I still haven't quite figured out if natural chemicals in foods are an issue, but I do know acidic, preservatives, spices make my nausea flare up. However, through my food diary I have noticed flare ups of these aches, pains and flu like symptoms and severe lethargy, brain fog and depression. I also have bladder issues (but no UTI), that wax and wane. I thought it was all actually food related, but looking at my diary nothing seems to match-up. I initially thought gluten was an issue, because each time I tried bringing back gluten I would get flu symptoms, but then the last time I tried the gluten trial, I was fine and had no issue, so I am thinking thinking it was just a coincidence and it just could have been an immune issue flaring up and I just was associating the flu type symptoms with food, especially because they flu type symptoms usually only last a day or so and then I am back to normal. Constipation and stools types all over the place have still not been rectified.

I have a lot of tests done, everything seems pretty fine. I was low in Vit D but that's under control now. The only thing that ever shows up is something do with slightly elevated inflammatory markers that have been there for years that don't change too much, so gastroenterologist and previous doctor were not too concerned. My gastro was hoping that with diet and exercise over the last 4-5 months it will bring it down, but it hasn't seemed to and although I have lost weight, it's not coming off very easily. I have only lost 5 kg and it just won't budge any further. I really need to lose another 10 kg. I have yet to see my gastro, but my doctor has my recent results that shows the inflammatory makers are still elevated. My diet is overall pretty damn clean, so I thought it would fall off me, with consistent exercise every week for the last 4-5 months, but it hasn't.

My new doctor is testing me for rheumatoid arthritis due to the tingling and aches and pain I get in my hands, feet and back, when the flu like symptoms appear. She is also checking my thyroid, but I am pretty sure my gastro and previous doctors said they were fine. She is also concerned that I have bad painful periods, but the tests I have had from previous doctor suggests it is not endometriosis. Although, she thinks those test were not sufficient and a *Laparoscopy would rule it out completely.*

I guess I am wondering if I have something like *Hashimoto's* Thyroiditis and my food intolerance's has been activated by the Hashimoto's and if so what should I be asking doctors for? I just think when my immune system is really shot, food becomes more of an issue and vice versa. I am in Australia, so I am not sure if the doctors here get the same sort of tests? Would something like Hashimoto's show up with normal blood works or do you need specific blood work for that? What would make a doctor even decided to do a test for this? What would spark their curiosity?

Thank you


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

SUGGESTED TESTS
TPO (antimicrosomal antibodies) TBII (thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin), Thyroglobulin and Thyroglobulin Ab, ANA (antinuclear antibodies), (thyroid hormone panel) TSH, Free T3, Free T4.

You can look this stuff up here and more.........
http://www.labtestsonline.org/
(Copy and paste into your browser)

Trab
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17684583
(Copy and paste into your browser)

Welcome! My first thought is that you should be tested for H. Pylori. If you Google it, you will see the symptoms fit.

That is not to say you don't also have a thyroid issue but the only way to find out is to get the appropriate tests which I will post above. From reading your post, I take it that you have had no thyroid testing?


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## bepanda (Jan 5, 2015)

Thanks for your reply. I have been tested for H. Pylori and tests came back negative. I thought it was that as well.

I am pretty sure my Thyroid has been tested for before and came up fine, but my new doctor doesn't have records of it, so she's doing one. I wont have the results for a good month, because I need to go to my gastroenterologist first.


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## CA-Lynn (Apr 29, 2010)

The tests are the same in Australia and the US.

You need to have the thyroid antibodies tests run. Just running TSH, Free T3 and Free T4 is not enough.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Have you been tested for SIBO? (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth)


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