Feeling exhausted, weak, and achy: acne, night sweats, and trouble swallowing... help?

I need some advice here because I’m honestly at my wits' end.
This is going to be a long one.

I'm a 25-year-old woman, and I just feel exhausted. All the time.

I can barely function. Getting out of bed in the morning feels impossible. Everything hurts. I’m foggy... like I can barely keep my head on my shoulders.
My old perfectionism and drive? Gone. Replaced by laziness and sloppiness because I simply don't have the energy left for anything.

I’ve seen my primary doctor several times, but not once has she actually ordered any tests. Nothing. She just hands me pills depending on whatever symptom is bothering me most. The medication doesn't fix anything. I get the feeling she thinks I'm faking it. I haven't even asked for medical leave or anything like that. She just brushes me off in two minutes.

I don't even know where to start, and I haven't even listed half of my symptoms...

I deal with acne—severe stuff for 15 years now. I took Accutane and Diane about nine years ago. It worked, obviously, but only while I was on them since I have PCOS.

I recently decided to go back on Diane, so I asked my OBGYN and she prescribed it. She did a Pap smear and an ultrasound, then sent me for blood work just to rule out HPV.

She said everything looks fine from a gynecological standpoint. I've been on Diane for about a month and a half now, and it’s helping my skin and my periods, which used to be incredibly heavy and painful, lasting up to eight or nine days.

I originally went to the OBGYN because of intense pain in my right side, near my ovary area, and I was worried something was wrong there.
I thought that might be the root of all this. But she told me the bladder issues I'm having are what's causing the pain, and then claimed the abdominal pain wasn't her specialty anyway.

On her recommendation, I saw my GP the same day—and of course, another round of pills without any actual testing. I finished an eight-day course of antibiotics and the pain subsided slightly, and my skin cleared up a bit. But a month later, I'm back to square one. Dull pain, frequent urination... if anyone touches or presses on my abdomen, it hurts intensely and I immediately feel the urge to pee.

I also have iron deficiency. At least, I did the last time I had blood work done through my insurance about two years ago. Even when I spent months taking iron supplements, I didn't notice any improvement in my fatigue levels.

The acne isn't even my biggest struggle anymore; it's the full-body pain, the exhaustion, the total burnout...

My muscles feel weak and soft. I'm gaining weight even though I only eat moderate amounts two or three times a day.
I'm a vegetarian. I don't eat much sugar, but I can't stop craving salt. If I could, I'd eat a pound of salt a day. I eat plenty of vegetables and try to get enough dairy and eggs. My diet is pretty varied.
I try to stay hydrated, but if I can't manage water, I'll drink a Coca-Cola.

I have one or maybe two coffees a day.

There's no history of similar illnesses in my immediate family—mom, dad, sister are all fine.

My paternal grandfather passed away from colon, lung, bone, and brain cancer. It spread everywhere.
My paternal grandmother had breast and thyroid cancer (plus hypothyroidism). She's still doing okay for now.

The bloating is terrible. My stomach is painful to the touch. It feels like everything inside is irritated. I'm constantly bloated, and my stomach sticks out, which is really embarrassing. Sometimes it settles down and people ask if I've lost weight, but then a few days later, it's back...

Often, after eating, I get sharp pain right under my ribcage. Or maybe an inch or two below my sternum, right in the middle.
The pain hits both sides. It spreads through my whole abdomen; it burns, and I can't even take a deep breath... I have to curl up. Sometimes it's hard to breathe, like I'm suffocating. I get these sharp, stinging pains on my left side, through my breast and under my left armpit.

For a while now, swallowing has been difficult. For the last two days, it's been awful; even saliva feels hard to swallow. My throat hurts when I try to swallow something. It just gets stuck for a few seconds.

I don't smoke. I rarely drink alcohol, only on special occasions.

I haven't felt right for over a year, but things are just getting worse. It started as isolated symptoms, but now they've all piled up, and I can barely function.

My legs hurt—specifically my feet. They feel swollen, even if they don't look it. Same thing with my fingers. In the morning, I can barely move them. I've actually woken up unable to feel my hand. It only came back after massaging it. Now the numbness is the main issue; I'm dropping things and can't make a full fist. My fingers just feel like sausages.

People ask if I'm okay or why I look so exhausted. A few people have noticed one eye looks more prominent than the other sometimes, and my mom says my eyes look yellow.

I need advice. My doctor thinks I'm faking it. She just keeps prescribing antacids and antibiotics, insisting it's definitely gastritis, then gives me a ten-day course of five pills a day. Nothing helped then. Or she just hands out iron supplements.

I'm depressed and listless because everything hurts. I used to work out, but I don't have the strength anymore. My muscles ache. Everything.
Smells bother me now, and I used to love perfume.
I've been feeling nauseous lately, though I figure it's from the Diane I'm taking.

Noise and bright lights are also bothersome. All these symptoms, except the nausea, were happening even before I started Diane.

I have acne, but my skin is dehydrated and dry. My hair is the same way.
And I only use products meant for dry, damaged skin and hair—nothing drying.

My digestion has slowed down. I've started sweating heavily at night, and in the morning, I feel completely unrefreshed despite sleeping through the night without waking up.
I grind my teeth at night. My gums are sensitive and frequently inflamed and bleed easily. I have bad breath even though I go to the dentist regularly and maintain good oral hygiene.

Headaches are frequent, and I get dizzy enough that I can barely stay on my feet. I'm often cold when everyone else is warm or hot.

I don't know anymore—am I making this all up? That’s clearly what my doctor thinks, but I am not well and the physical pain is real. Intense. I just want to sleep and wake up feeling rested and pain-free.

Help!

Thanks.

1. You need to switch doctors—what you're describing sounds like straight-up medical neglect. A physician shouldn't be this indifferent toward your well-being.

2. Given how exhausted you've been feeling, I'd suggest getting your thyroid levels checked out first.

3. Regarding those eyes—if there's a yellowish tint, you really ought to have a doctor look at your liver function.

4. As for that bladder pain, you should get a urine culture done. It’s the only way to see if there's an actual infection present. Doctors shouldn't just throw antibiotics at you blindly; they need confirmation before prescribing them.

5. If all those tests come back clear, then it might be worth talking to a psychiatrist, because depression can manifest physically like this.

There are treatments available for all of these possibilities, but you can't fix what you haven't properly diagnosed yet. You're young; you shouldn't be stuck feeling this miserable and unwell.

That pain under your ribs could actually be gallbladder issues. Also, if you're having trouble swallowing, that might be related to your thyroid. You really need to keep an eye on your digestion—I've learned the hard way that when my gut is acting up, my skin is the first thing to show it via breakouts.
Were you dealing with any of this before you went vegetarian?

Thanks for the input.
I’ve been vegetarian since I was 12. These issues didn't start until a few months ago. I haven't felt great for about a year, but lately? It's like I'm not even myself anymore.
😢

Look, what they said above is spot on—you need to ditch this doctor immediately. Seriously, get a new one ASAP. I’m not sure how long the paperwork takes if you go private, but if you do, make sure you get your kidney function, iron levels, and a full CBC checked out. Also, since you've been vegetarian for so long, it might be smart to check your B12 and folic acid levels. For vegetarians, B12 can be a real issue; sometimes it takes years for your internal stores to run dry before you even notice anything, but it can lead to anemia if you aren't careful.

Going private isn't actually that pricey to start with, but you definitely need to sort out that second opinion because what your current doctor is doing is just plain ridiculous.

And that part about craving salt? Maybe you should have them look at your adrenal glands?

How much protein are you actually getting in a day? You eating dairy? Maybe try cutting back on the milk and cheese for a bit, and maybe grab some high-quality whey protein so you've got something easy to digest.

Honestly, maybe it's time to slowly transition back to "normal" food. I'm guessing a vegetarian diet is super high in fiber, and since your digestion is clearly a mess right now, all that fiber might be causing the massive bloating...

Being vegetarian is part of who I am—it’s basically my religion. Because of that, I really hope there's an alternative solution if this ends up being the cause. 😢

Maybe this sounds stupid, but I’m actually scared to ask my doctor to run specific tests. Every time I try, she just shuts me down. It’s like she’s constantly reminding me that she’s the doctor and I’m just the patient. I report symptoms, she makes the calls. That's it.

I'll take your advice and switch doctors. Honestly, getting a new one will take me all of two minutes. 😵
I just want to feel normal again.

Every week, I try to make sure I get at least two eggs and two glasses of milk in. Same goes for cottage cheese.

And thanks for the tip about fiber. It didn't even cross my mind.

I suspect you’re dealing with a legitimate systemic issue, and frankly, your doctor sounds incredibly negligent. Until you can get an opinion from a more serious specialist, try adjusting your diet following gluten-free protocols—think Celiac guidelines. If malabsorption is at the root of this mess, you need to test that theory. Google the symptoms and see how they stack up against yours.

It’s entirely possible you’re dealing with depression, which tends to drag everything else down with it, such as
sudden mood swings,
persistent fatigue, and a whole host of other physical ailments.