Posts by Donna Sanchez5

Megan Jones27 said:Quick question for the OP—did you happen to test for any COVID antibodies?

No, I haven't. These symptoms started last year—it’s likely a blood test wouldn't show anything useful at this stage, right?

brightotter67 said:I'm looking for recommendations for a solid, highly skilled private gastroenterologist here in New York City—and also what people think of Dr. Nives Tarle. I need an abdominal ultrasound, and I've heard she has some of the best diagnostic equipment available.
Thanks!

Regarding a gastroenterologist—I can definitely recommend Amrusev (specifically Opacic, though I've heard good things about others there too).
As for Tarle—it depends on what you're actually after. If you just want a general check-up, she might be a bit pricey—but if you specifically need high-end imaging tech, then yes, go for it.
Personally, she left a really positive impression on me—very professional, great bedside manner, and her diagnostics are top-notch.

mistynomad12 said:Hey, good luck 👍.
I know—it’s tough to admit—that this might actually be a mental health issue,
but push through this trial period. Honestly, if you need an energy boost, I think
Wellbutrin would help much more—since SSRIs tend to tank your energy levels and increase anxiety.
If you had kept digging into physical causes, I think you would have just wasted a ton of time and money.

Thanks 🙂
I was told my excessive need for sleep is actually a symptom of escaping emotional issues or depression. And the reason for the Prozac is to dial down the hypochondria that’s been spiraling out of control.
To be honest, it’s hard for me to accept all of this as "psychological"—but I don't feel like I have much of a choice. It feels strange—to go from investigating a physical problem yesterday to calling it a "symptom" today and taking pills to suppress it. I consider myself a pretty rational guy, so this is difficult to reconcile. But I’ll try it and see... I don't know what else to do.
And I'm not sure how much of a setback it is for treatment that I'm not 100% convinced there isn't some underlying physical cause—like hormones or chemical synthesis—behind it all.

In my view, perhaps my biggest hurdle is that I don't see mental and physical health as separate things. To me, depression and anxiety are just as much a physical illness—a physical manifestation—as anything else.

My ANA came back at
The low DAO and high homocysteine levels suggest something metabolic—maybe an issue with MTHFR or histamine. But again, nothing extreme there...
I'm exhausted—honestly, I can't deal with all this research anymore.
I started taking Prozac, so we'll see how things settle in a few months.

Nicholas Mendoza60 said:hPL (human placental lactogen) testing $40
A relative of mine was on a 25mg
dose of antidepressants for years—and now he's dealing with this issue
Presumably, it's triggered by an excess or a deficiency
He takes a whole bunch of vitamin supplements

Where can I get these tests done?
And what does the treatment look like—what happens if levels are too high or too low?

Does anyone have a recommendation for a private doctor or clinic specializing in allergies and food intolerances?

I’ve been diving deep into my own health concerns—bordering on hypochondria at this point—and did some extra digging

I had a hunch it might be histamine intolerance.
Turns out my DAO enzyme levels—the one responsible for breaking down histamine—are sitting right in the middle. It's not a definitive intolerance, but it's definitely suspicious; it's quite low compared to standard healthy ranges. On top of that, my homocysteine is pretty high, which could be linked to the histamine issue and the body's overall methylation process. That would also explain why my B vitamin levels are dropping.
I'm still waiting on bloodwork for histamine, but from what I've read, blood tests aren't even reliable—apparently, you need a 24-hour urine test instead... :/
This brings me right back to the MTHFR gene and potential mutations. There are plenty of case studies online regarding this connection, which is how I landed on this theory.

What do you all think—is this a long shot? Based on my symptoms, it seems to track...

Olivia Gomez67 said:Hey—did your gastroenterologist mention anything about a hiatal hernia? I dealt with similar symptoms last summer before they finally diagnosed me with one (basically a stomach bulge). It’s an incredibly uncomfortable issue—it affects everything—and you’re describing quite a lot here (the tingling, the nausea, the blurred vision, and that total exhaustion). You should definitely look into it. I spent three months stuck in a frustrating loop before getting my diagnosis. Also, have you noticed any heart issues—like a racing pulse or something? That would be worth checking out too. Best.

The results from my endoscopy actually noted that a hiatal hernia is forming. My doctor just gave me the usual advice—eat smaller meals and such—but he didn't mention it could cause symptoms like mine. As for my heart rate, nothing unusual there; I wear a smartwatch that monitors it constantly.

driftingcanyon2 said:I'm not actually from Washington, D.C.—I just visit occasionally. Regarding the burrito thing—I don't have any personal experience there; I just happened to stumble upon some online reviews because the name kept popping up in the thread, and frankly, the name (burrito 😬) sounded suspicious to me.

A quick scan of the web turned up two interesting candidates. If anyone here has used them, please reach out with a review:

Aviv Clinic:

Extended option is an extra $200.

Quest Diagnostics:

Similar to the one above, but includes a full-body MRI—price available upon request (which I assume will be astronomical).

These are more or less standard checkups that I've already looked into. They don't seem to cover the deeper stuff—like immunological issues.

Laura Barnes said:Re-reading your first post—honestly, the whole thing screams mononucleosis to me. (Do you happen to have your AST, ALT, or GGT levels from your bloodwork?) It’s usually triggered by CMV or Epstein-Barr. If I were you, I’d start by getting tested for antibodies against those two viruses just to get some actual answers. At least then you'll know something. Good luck, truly...

I do—my liver enzymes are looking like a young boy's.

driftingcanyon2 said:That burrito everyone keeps talking about didn't exactly win any awards—the reviews were pretty brutal:
https://www.google.com/search?client...59b3819cfa54,1,,,
🙄

Does anyone have a better recommendation?
That’s my actual dilemma—I am fully prepared to drop the cash because this has been dragging on far too long. Making money isn't the issue once I get healthy—but who do I actually talk to for a deep, systemic diagnostic? I need someone who can figure out what is going on with my body, my head, my aura, or why my Mercury is stuck in the eighth house.

Laura Barnes said:I'm no doctor—definitely not—but I suspect they’d look into autoimmune issues. There's plenty of stuff like MS or lupus out there. The reason I asked about COVID is because those aches and tingling sensations can linger for quite a while afterward.
What did you say about the thyroid? Everything looking normal?

Thyroid is fine.
So, it really was just a burrito...

Susan Adams66 said:I disagree.
At least not in Austria—I can say that from firsthand experience. There is a set procedure and a structured program that runs for a month and a half every single day; honestly, you come out feeling brand new. They fix both your headspace and your physical state.
Getting a diagnosis is incredibly difficult—you have to clear so many hurdles first—and getting accepted into the program isn't easy either.
They teach you how to actually live with it—how to help yourself when the pain hits, and so on. I’ve been through it myself, and I can tell you that I am doing much, much better. I can live a normal, functional life because I finally know my limits and how to manage them—rather than just being force-fed pills, which doesn't actually help... (to put it very briefly)

Is this similar to the Sarno method for back pain—more along the lines of CBT?

Can someone please tell me if it's possible that I took a combo of Xanax, Ketoral Retard, and Neofen, and my back is absolutely killing me while it feels like someone is scraping the skin off my feet... Is my brain actually playing these tricks on me?

Jacob Lopez51 said:It’s hard to pin down—the real issue could be serotonin, dopamine, or both... personally, I suspect my dopamine and cortisol levels are through the roof (I know for sure because I had them tested; a normal level is around 500, but mine hit 870). Take sulpiride, for instance—it targets dopamine by blocking most of it while letting just enough through to maintain balance. It’s an old-school medication, but one of the best for psychosomatic symptoms. Lower doses help with depression and anxiety, whereas anything over 200mg is used for psychosis or schizophrenia.
A solid SSRI for psychosomatic issues would be Paxil... maybe Cymbalta if you're looking at SNRIs... or a combination like Lyrica and sulpiride.

My doctor suggested Paxil🤔

Jacob Lopez51 said:You’re dealing with a psychosomatic disorder—it's essentially a complex intersection of anxiety and health anxiety.
You’re going to have to try medication. I’ve been on Sulpiride—it’s helped me feel a bit better—and I’m approaching the six-month mark now. I'm also taking Xanax almost every single day.
Sulpiride actually doubles as a treatment for stomach ulcers—which means it helps tackle H. pylori as well.

Shouldn't Xanax be calming the symptoms down then? I’m literally stuck in bed right now—dealing with back pain and this constant burning sensation in my feet.

Laura Barnes said:Numbness can actually be a symptom of fibromyalgia—it’s one of those tricky things. Did you deal with COVID?

Let’s talk fibromyalgia—what exactly is it, and how do you even begin to treat it? In my view, it sits right up there with CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) in terms of frustration. It is essentially an undefined diagnosis—and because the underlying cause remains a mystery, finding an adequate treatment plan feels nearly impossible. So, where does that leave me?
As far as I know—and I’m fairly certain about this—I never actually recovered from COVID.

Brain MRI came back clean. An MRI of my lumbar spine shows an L5-S1 disc herniation—but nothing severe enough to trigger these tingling, numbness, or burning sensations. I’m not dealing with sciatica running down my leg; it's strictly localized to my feet. I also had an EMG done—it indicates mild first-degree nerve damage, though the doctor insisted it isn't significant and couldn't be the cause of what I'm feeling.

I can go back in for a ferritin test this Monday and see where things stand. My levels were elevated six months ago—if they’re still high, I might be able to bring this up with my doctor at the Mayo Clinic.
Today I ran a full panel: CBC, liver enzymes, B9, B12, iron, and magnesium.
Everything looks solid—even my B vitamins have finally stabilized within the normal range.

I can't seem to get EBV to show as $67; the readings are consistently hovering between 600 and 800 everywhere I look. Am I misinterpreting the data?

Earlier today, the stinging and tingling in my feet became absolutely unbearable. I tried to test the sensation—I actually took some Xanax from a friend—but it didn't make a bit of difference. That should rule out anxiety, shouldn't it?

Someone asked how life has been going lately, and honestly, it hasn't been great—especially with everything going on in the world right now. But these specific symptoms—the pain and this intense tingling (and I don't mean that minor numbness you get when your arm falls asleep; this is ten times more intense and lasts forever)—it seems incredibly unlikely to me that this is all coming from my brain.

I haven't done any immunological testing at all yet. There’s a significant history of autoimmune issues in my immediate family—so it's definitely on my radar. Does it actually make sense to see BarEpstein, or am I just throwing money down the drain? Most people on this forum seem to claim they've spent thousands of dollars on nothing—has anyone here actually had a positive experience? 🙂

Right now, my main issues are:
Tingling—specifically in my feet. It hits me in waves; sometimes it gets so intense I can't even sit down—I have to lie down. It feels like a cross between tingling and a burning sensation.
Tinnitus—similarly, it can get so loud that I have to drop everything I'm doing because it becomes absolutely unbearable.
mucnina in my stomach, especially right after eating.
umor bol
And back pain.

How exactly does one go about testing this? 🙂
I’m not saying I have mold growing on my walls—it’s not quite at that stage—but this building isn't exactly a modern build, so anything is possible. Still, the whole situation feels incredibly tense to me. 🙂

Jack Cook7 said:There’s no fever involved. It starts off looking like a common cold for a few days—just typical congestion—and then it shifts into a chronic phase with the exact symptoms described here. I know plenty of people who have gone through this, including serious athletes; they all say the same thing: they felt absolutely trashed for months. Usually, there's some slight liver enlargement involved. I don't recall every specific detail, but I'll drop a link to the latest article I stumbled upon a couple of days ago.

So, how do you actually test for it once it moves past the acute stage?
My ultrasound showed my liver was perfectly fine.