Posts by Donna Sanchez5

Jack Cook7 said:Mononucleosis—is it the BarEpstein virus or Herpes 4?

I don't have a fever.
What specific tests should I run to check for EBV and herpes?

driftingcanyon2 said:There it is—that’s the root of everything you’re describing. Honestly, high ferritin is even more problematic than low levels:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hemochromatosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352417
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/aids-prevent-iron-deficiency

Hmm, who should I actually see about this?
My iron levels look fine—it’s just the ferritin that’s slightly elevated. It hit 410, while the upper limit is 400.
From what I can gather, that should be showing up in my liver tests too—but my liver enzymes are perfectly normal.

crimsonfox26 said:What symptoms are we talking about here?
My suggestion—before you throw more money at endless testing—is to invest in psychotherapy (CBT).

Personally, I wouldn't jump straight to antidepressants. Push yourself to stay active—go for walks, get some exercise. And make sure you're replacing any vitamin deficiencies.
Pay close attention to your diet, too; stick to foods that actually provide energy.

I’m depressed because I can see my body just isn't functioning—I'm missing out on way too much life because I am constantly too exhausted to do anything. The anxiety comes from the paranoia regarding my health; I feel like I have some serious underlying illness, I'm terrified of the future, and I can't see any light at the end of the tunnel since this has been dragging on for months—maybe even a year. I don't know if I'm becoming a hypochondriac—since I haven't received an official diagnosis yet—but I'm constantly searching for symptoms in the hope that they might finally clarify the situation.

I've tried fighting this with willpower for months, but I can't win. I either have to fix my brain or fix my body.

placidfalcon said:Generally speaking, reactive hypoglycemia usually shows up as fatigue or feeling wiped out after eating—that's when you get a sharp glucose spike followed by a massive crash—or if you go a few hours without food and feel that same exhaustion...

You can't measure insulin resistance with a standard glucose monitor. You could have perfect blood sugar readings for years while being pre-diabetic; those elevated glucose numbers often don't show up until diabetes actually develops. The only way to catch it is through fasting insulin tests or specific glucose tolerance tests...

I actually tested for that—used the HOMA-IR index to check my insulin resistance.
Regarding hypoglycemia, though—should I be trying to catch that with my glucose meter?

restlessdriver said:Have you actually gone through immunological testing—specifically for Lyme disease?

No—what specifically should I be looking for?
And if I head over to a local burrito stand to ask them to run a full immunological panel, how much sense does that even make?

Jacob Lopez51 said:It’s about 99% the same as my experience—though I think I’ve run a few more tests. I leaned heavily into neurology and immunology—specifically testing for Lyme disease.
The only real difference is that I’ve been on antidepressants for six months now, since everything else came back clear. My only official diagnosis is benign fasciculation syndrome from a neurologist. I bumped my Vitamin D from 16 up to 120—zero change there—and tested positive for H. pylori in my blood, plus my morning cortisol is elevated.

I suspect it’s actually fibromyalgia and chronic anxiety. For me, the fibromyalgia manifests more as paresthesia than actual muscle weakness.

Did the antidepressants help? Did your condition change at all?
I looked into fibromyalgia after someone mentioned it earlier, but honestly, it feels like a "catch-all" diagnosis to me—just some vague, unmeasurable label they hand out when they can't figure out what's actually wrong.

placidfalcon said:"The endocrinologist diagnosed mild insulin resistance—nothing major again."

No level of insulin resistance should be considered "mild"—especially at your age. You likely have glucose fluctuations or even reactive hypoglycemia—and those symptoms can feel exactly like depression. When insulin sensitivity drops, your cells struggle to absorb more than just glucose; they miss out on amino acids, vitamins, and minerals too..

I picked up a glucose meter, but I'm not seeing any massive spikes. I should be able to catch that hypoglycemia with this, right? Or is the reaction just too fast?

driftingcanyon2 said:Every single one of those symptoms points toward low iron or ferritin levels—especially that constant fatigue and the tingling sensations.

My ferritin actually came back high on my blood work.

mistynomad12 said:Have you checked your hormone levels yet?
I went through the exact same thing.
Zero energy—poor sleep quality, zero focus, non-existent libido.
Just like you, they tried to push antidepressants on me. They just cloud your mind—I hopped off them once the trial period ended.
I got my labs done and saw my levels were pretty low (even if they were technically still within the "normal" reference range).
My endocrinologist told me everything was fine and sent me on my way.
I didn't buy that—so I started managing things my own way. 😁.

Now, I feel like I'm back in my early 20s.
If I had listened to him, I’d probably be stuck on a cocktail of antidepressants and other psychiatric meds right now—none of which actually fix underlying hormonal issues.

So, first step: get a full hormonal panel.
Testosterone isn't just about physiology; it has a massive mental component.
It's tied directly to dopamine—your motivation and energy—so you need to check it.
If those numbers come back totally normal (meaning you have at least 577 ng/dL testosterone and decent free T), then the issue likely isn't your hormones.
Hormonal panel:
-Total Testosterone
-Free Testosterone
-Prolactin
-SHBG
-FSH/LH

If it's not that, nothing else comes to mind immediately.

Testosterone, Free T, and SHBG are all normal.
Total Testosterone is 577 ng/dL.
Free T is 0.4 nmol/L.
My Prolactin used to run high on tests a few years ago—above the limit—but if there were a serious prolactinoma, it would have shown up on a brain MRI.

Hi everyone,

The title might seem a bit dramatic—but it isn't far from the truth. I need some help in the form of advice on what to do next.

For months now, I’ve felt my body shutting down. It’s progressively getting worse. Total lack of energy—I feel like I’m losing my cognitive edge—I simply cannot concentrate.

I sleep ten hours, wake up exhausted, manage one tiny task for work, and then have to lie back down; I spend my entire day like this. Fortunately, I’m working from home due to the pandemic—otherwise, I probably would have been fired by now. This isn't just "man, I had a long day at the office" fatigue—this is a complete physical shutdown. Even blinking feels like an effort.

I used to train normally back when I was actually healthy; now, I force myself through ten minutes of a workout and the rest of the time I am a dead weight. My aerobic capacity is terrible (I haven't fully recovered from COVID 😁).

I’m starting to get paresthesia—tingling sensations—in my legs. My B12 and folate (7) levels were right on the borderline when I tested a few months ago. There might be a connection there. I haven't been supplementing because my primary care physician says they aren't technically "below" the limit. 🕺
Also, my Vitamin D was well below the lower limit, so I supplemented that until bloodwork showed it was back in the normal range.

A few months ago, I had an MRI of the brain, a CT scan, an abdominal ultrasound, and a full thyroid panel—nothing unusual turned up.
Ferritin is elevated, TIBC is low, MCH and MCHC are low, and MPV is high.
An endocrinologist diagnosed mild insulin resistance—again, nothing drastic.
I had an H. pylori infection right around the time these symptoms started appearing—I had a gastroscopy, and while later tests showed the infection is gone, my stomach issues persist daily—constant nausea. Gluten antibodies came back negative.

I’ve also developed brutal tinnitus—it's 24/7—something I’ve never dealt with before.

My doctor insists it's depression and wants to start me on antidepressants. He doesn't want to run any more tests. Look, the brain is an organ and maybe it is that—I have no issue with that—but I want to investigate my body more thoroughly before making that decision. Honestly, I am experiencing elements of depression and anxiety now, but I tell myself it's a consequence of my body "dying" and seeing my inability to function every single day.

Does anyone have any ideas on what else I can do? Any Dr. House-style advice? I’m willing to go private—I don't care about the cost anymore because I can't function like this, and I’d give anything to feel normal again.
I'm 29 years old, but I feel 92.

I would appreciate any advice. Right now, I'm thinking about looking into the MTHFR mutation based on those old lab results, and re-testing my B vitamins to see if anything has changed over the last few months. Nothing else comes to mind.
Immunologist?

Carl Cox3 said:How frequently do these episodes occur, and roughly how long do they last?

If they are frequent and prolonged, it likely means your brain isn't producing enough serotonin. You may need to supplement with SSRIs until your overall life circumstances improve—specifically regarding your spinal issues and whatever else you're facing.

Antidepressants saved me; they improved my quality of life by 300%. They are excellent medication. 😍

It’s been going on for months.
The physical and mental symptoms hit most days. I have the occasional decent day—just "okay"—but for the most part, I'm feeling down.

Tyler Price53 said:Look, if a psychiatrist recommends medication, why fight it? I spent years dodging them just like you, which only leads to people asking why you’re running away from treatment. Over an eight-year span, my experience was a cycle: two years on, one year off, then back to two years on. I’ve been clean for three years now. My advice? Give the meds a shot first, then evaluate how your symptoms actually respond.

Honestly? Because I'm terrified.
The idea of taking something scares me—mostly because of how wildly different people's experiences are. You hear about people for whom it was a lifesaver, and then you hear about those for whom it made everything significantly worse.
My whole life is built on science... hard, exact science. From my perspective, taking these drugs feels like playing Russian roulette. We are talking about medications where, even today, there isn't a crystal-clear definition of the exact mechanism by which they treat the illness. They work—somehow—but we don't know exactly *how* with 100% certainty. And God knows what else they are doing to the body.
A simple example—why do so many people gain weight? It's because the drugs directly block certain biological processes; the weight gain is just a consequence. I'm not worried about the scale personally, I'm just using it as a practical illustration.

And I'm even more hesitant about the possibility of masking an underlying physical ailment with antidepressants.

I have studied depression extensively. As of today, we still don't truly understand why it occurs...
Is it an autoimmune disorder of the brain?
Is it a metabolic disease?
Is it a genetic condition that flares up due to epigenetic triggers?
We don't know...
Just because a psychiatrist suggests something doesn't mean I take it as gospel. Look—there was a time when psychiatrists were actually recommending lobotomies to patients. That doesn't mean someone won't look back at today's treatments fifty years from now with a smirk. 🙂
I get that I might be overthinking it, but this isn't simple—and that's why I'm uncertain.

mistynomad12 said:I feel you. 🙂.
Even my own doctor was messing with me when I tried to get a referral for a specialist, I guess.
So I ended up footing the whole bill myself in the end. Everything from the bloodwork to those specialists... it was all on me.
Man, I guess even I'm playing doctor now. 😁.
I don't even know what you're trying to get at here, or like, what specific markers you were actually looking for when you had your blood drawn.
I mean, they probably have some kind of markers that could point to something if it's like an autoimmune thing, I guess.

Look, I’m just trying to tell you that maybe this isn't even a mental health thing, I guess.
What kind of symptoms are you actually getting? I guess it would probably feel similar, though an SSRI isn't going to hit you nearly as hard or fast as whatever stuff you'd end up taking at a party. 😁It’s just running away from your problems, I guess. For me, my symptoms were all about hormones, and honestly, throwing SSRIs or recreational stuff at them felt like the exact same thing. Like, sure, you're high and feeling good, but deep down you still know something isn't right.
That’s exactly why stuff like stimulants and opioids is such a total mess. You’re basically getting that hit of reward hormones without actually doing anything to earn it, I guess.

I guess everything going on right now has definitely hit us all pretty hard, so we’re all feeling way more down than usual, maybe.

I hear you, thanks.🙂

I've been stuck in this state for months now.
I’ve also developed tinnitus over the last few months—likely stress-induced, because this whole situation has been incredibly unsettling. I've never dealt with that before.
Right now, I'm just lying in bed with back pain. It isn't paralyzing, but it's that nagging, persistent kind of ache—enough to make my daily life a significant struggle.
And yes, I feel depressed. Deeply depressed.
It feels pointless.
And anxious. Because I have no idea what's happening. I'm terrified that I have some underlying illness. Maybe it’s physical, maybe it’s psychological. But it's an illness regardless—because feeling like this is definitely not normal.

Carl Cox3 said:Are you feeling depressed? Why not Google the symptoms and see how many apply to you?
For me, depression always started as a sharp, physical ache in my throat, which then spread down past my heart and sometimes even into my spine.

If your mental state feels fine and your only issue is spinal pain, it is likely something else entirely.

Exactly. I'm saying I deal with serious anxiety and depressive episodes—but the real struggle is the "chicken or the egg" scenario. I can't tell if these physical symptoms and my inability to get things done like I used to are driving my fear of the future and illness, or if the depression itself is manifesting as these physical pains.

Nancy Cook17 said:Actually, SSRIs don't touch the pain itself.

I'm not so sure—I've come across plenty of studies suggesting they actually do impact physical pain perception.

As for recreational drugs, I don't know—it seems to me that SSRIs are a much more serious matter than that.🙂

To be honest, I'm at a loss for what else to test for...
My primary care physician is completely useless—she can prescribe an antibiotic, and that’s about it.
I've had to pay out of pocket for most of my lab work.

redranger2 said:For a long time, I was dealing with a masked depression without even realizing what was actually happening to me.
It manifested entirely through physical symptoms—I dealt with such relentless, daily back pain that
I would find myself collapsed on the floor, desperately searching for some kind of position that might offer relief, all while struggling to catch my breath due to constant abdominal cramping.
However, after just ten days on Lexapro, an SSRI, every single one of those symptoms simply vanished as if they had never existed. I found it difficult to believe.

How long were you dealing with these issues before starting medication?
And if you don't mind me asking, are you still on the meds, and did the symptoms return once you stopped?

Was it strictly physical symptoms, or did you feel them emotionally too?

driftingdrifter4 said:To me, your symptoms point toward an orthopedic or neurological issue rather than anything psychological. Aside from the fatigue and stomach issues, everything else doesn't quite fit. Mental health struggles usually manifest through more vague, subtle symptoms than what you're describing. I suspect there might be something physically occurring in your lower spine.

My advice is to visit your primary care physician and describe your symptoms—specifically the pain in your lumbar region and your feet—exactly as you have laid them out here. Tell them the pain has intensified and that you are experiencing new sensations that haven't occurred before. Crucially, do not lead with or suggest that this is related to depression. Doctors in the US are incredibly overworked; they often have less than five minutes per patient and are frequently eager to dismiss patients who attempt to self-diagnose their issues as stress or depression. If you suggest it's psychological, the doctor will likely just chalk it up to stress to wrap up the appointment quickly, rather than asking follow-up questions or ordering blood work.

Furthermore, exhaustion without an obvious external cause (other than depression) can sometimes indicate hypothyroidism, anemia, or hypocalcemia. Lower back pain can stem from various sources, such as herniated discs or spinal degeneration, but it can also be linked to prostate issues (do you experience frequent nighttime urination or any issues with ejaculation?).

Vague bone pain can also be a symptom of hypo- or hypercalcemia. Hypocalcemia, specifically, is characterized by a triad of symptoms: exhaustion, paresthesia (tingling sensations), and anxiety.

Therefore, my recommendation is to present your physical symptoms to your doctor clearly, without attributing them to mental health or stress. Request a full blood panel that includes thyroid hormones, hemoglobin, calcium levels, and a PSA test. A follow-up X-ray or CT scan of your spine would also be prudent. Only if all those clinical indicators come back normal should you consider the possibility that it is purely psychological.

I’ve had a full thyroid workup—hormones, ultrasound, the whole nine yards—and everything looks fine.
As for anemia, my iron levels were borderline low a few months ago (all these symptoms were already present then)—I was told that was due to gastritis.
Calcium is at the very top end of the range, but still within normal limits.
PSA and prostate ultrasound are both fine.
My hemoglobin is right at the bottom edge of normal.

The issue I'm wrestling with is that even if I start an SSRI or SNRI, they might dull the pain through their mechanism, but that doesn't actually solve the underlying physical problem if one exists.

driftingdrifter4 said:Where exactly are you feeling this pain? Does the tingling occur when you take rapid, deep breaths during an anxiety attack? Or does it persist constantly, regardless of your breathing or mood? Is the stomach pain continuous, or does it flare up during meals or when you are hungry? Could you describe the spinal pain in more detail? Which part of the spine? Could it perhaps be your neck? Do you experience pain in your arms or hands? In what specific ways has your current state worsened compared to how things used to be?

I'm dealing with a herniated disc—at least that's what the MRI shows. Some neurosurgeons have even suggested surgery for it. But the real issue for me is this dull, nagging back pain; it isn't your typical sciatica. I don't have any mobility issues—I can move just fine—but the pain is constant. Honestly, I feel like I'm 80 years old, even though I'm only 42. 🙂
The fatigue is relentless; my energy levels are basically zero.

The pain is most prominent in my lower back—the lumbar region. It’s constant there, though it occasionally radiates up toward my upper back—I suspect the anxiety plays a role by tightening up my muscles.
I don't experience anxiety attacks the way people usually describe them—that "I'm going to die in a second" sensation. For me, it's more like my stress levels just spike; I become incredibly jittery, nervous, and then fearful because of everything happening to me.
The tingling isn't sciatic either—it doesn't shoot down my entire leg—but rather manifests as a burning or tingling sensation in the soles of my feet. It can get quite intense, which only fuels my anxiety further.

No pain in my hands or arms.
As for my stomach, I have gastritis, and there isn't a specific pattern regarding eating or fasting. There is a clear parallel, though—when my anxiety and depression ramp up, the physical symptoms intensify.

My current condition has worsened in terms of both intensity and duration. It used to pass eventually; now, it lasts all day long.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been in therapy for five years now—I don't have a formal diagnosis, but that doesn't mean my head isn't a chaotic place. On the contrary. For a long time, I've dealt with persistent anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Things took a turn for the worse during the COVID lockdowns—likely due to the general isolation—and my symptoms flared up significantly. On top of all that, I struggle with health anxiety, which is really what I want to focus on right now...

Here’s the situation: I have existing health issues (primarily spinal issues) that cause chronic pain, which I believe heavily impacts my mood and depression. However, lately, I've been experiencing pains in that same area that feel fundamentally different from anything I've felt before. My psychiatrist believes these pains—and my overall mood—are being driven by a massive spike in depression, and he's suggesting medication. I’ve never taken anything before, so I'm feeling very cautious—skeptical, even—about whether I should start this path.

The biggest mental block for me is simply not being able to wrap my head around the idea that depression could actually cause this kind of physical pain. The depression is a certainty, but I'm stuck in a "chicken or the egg" loop. I'm terrified that there's an underlying physical issue—maybe something like an autoimmune disorder—causing the pain, which then triggers the depression, rather than the other way around.
Has anyone else dealt with this?
Specifically, those with significant physical symptoms: constant aches similar to rheumatoid arthritis, tingling, stomach issues, etc.