Dealing with a laundry list of symptoms: chronic fatigue, brain fog, tingling, nausea, tinnitus, and

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.

So, what’s the word on the brain and spinal MRIs?.. any news yet?

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.

It sounds like you’re dealing with a psychosomatic disorder—basically a messy cocktail of anxiety and health anxiety.
You might need to look into medication. I’ve been on Sulpiride, and honestly, it’s helped me out a bit. I’m about six months in now—and yeah, I’m taking Xanax pretty much every single day.
Plus, Sulpiride can actually help with stomach ulcers, which helps deal with H. pylori too...

Nerves can definitely act up like fibromyalgia sometimes. You ever deal with long COVID?

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.

It’s honestly tough to pin down because the whole thing usually boils down to serotonin, dopamine, or just a messy mix of both... personally, I’m pretty sure my dopamine and cortisol levels are through the roof—I know for a fact because I had my levels checked and while 500 is normal, mine hit 870. Take something like Sulpiride, for example; it works on dopamine by blocking most of it while letting just enough trickle through to balance things out. It’s an old-school med, but seriously one of the best for psychosomatic issues. Lower doses help with the depression and anxiety side of things, whereas anything over 200mg is usually aimed at psychosis or schizophrenia.
If you want a solid SSRI for psychosomatic stuff, I’d say Paxil... or maybe Cymbalta if you're looking at SNRIs... then there's that third option involving Lyrica and Sulpiride...

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🤔

Joseph Green12 said:Did an antidepressant change things?
I've been looking into fibromyalgia since someone mentioned it earlier, but honestly, I feel like it's just a catch-all diagnosis—you know, that vague, unmeasurable label they toss at you when they haven't got a clue what's actually wrong.

That’s not really how it works.
At least not in Canada, I can tell you that from experience. There’s a whole process, a specific program that lasts about a month and a half, where you go every single day, and man, you come out feeling like a brand-new person. It fixes both your head and your body.
Getting a diagnosis is incredibly tough, you have to clear so many hurdles first, and getting into the actual program is a real struggle too.
They teach you how to actually live with it, how to help yourself when the pain hits, and all that stuff. I went through it myself and I can tell you, I'm doing way, way better. I can actually live a normal life and function because I finally know my own limits and how to handle things, instead of them just shoving pills down my throat, which doesn't even help... (that's the long and short of it)

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 honestly such a guessing game because you never know if the issue is serotonin, dopamine, or just a messy mix of both... personally, I’m pretty sure my dopamine and cortisol are through the roof (I know for a fact because I had them checked and while a normal level is around 500, mine hit 870).... take something like Sulpiride, for instance—it works on dopamine by blocking it just enough to balance things out. It’s an old-school med, but seriously one of the best for psychosomatic stuff. Lower doses help with depression and anxiety, whereas anything over 200mg is more for psychosis or schizophrenia.
A solid SSRI for psychosomatic issues would be Faverin... or maybe Cymbalta as an SNRI... then there's that third option involving Lyrica and Sulpiride...

But what if my serotonin levels are actually fine, like they are for me?
EBV causes fatigue, anxiety, and all that crap
Like, for example, I wake up feeling totally wiped and I have such a hard time focusing when I'm driving, which really messes with my head.
It isn't even psychological, it's like my body is just physically blocking me...

Joseph Green12 said:I might go get my ferritin checked again this coming Monday just to see. Last time, about six months ago, it was running high. If it’s still up there, maybe I can talk to my doctor about what to do...
So, I went in today for a CBC, liver panel, G7, B12, Iron, and Magnesium.
Everything looks solid—even those B vitamins finally crawled back into the normal range.

I can't for the life of me figure out why EBV isn't showing up as $67; the results keep hovering around 600-800 everywhere I look... am I totally misreading these charts?

Then today, this insane stinging and tingling sensation started hitting the soles of my feet. I tried to test it out and took some Xanax from a friend, but honestly, nothing changed. Does that pretty much rule out anxiety then?

Someone asked how life’s been going in general, and yeah, it hasn't exactly been sunshine and rainbows, especially with everything going on lately. But these symptoms... the pain, this intense tingling (and I don't mean that little "hand falling asleep" feeling, this is like ten times worse and just lingers forever)... it feels almost impossible that it's all coming from my brain...

555-012-3456
Helena, just tell her what you're feeling.
You'll be feeling like a whole new person in twenty days.
P.s. You owe me one!

Joseph Green12 said:Wouldn't Xanax just help dull the symptoms then? I’m literally stuck in bed right now because my back is killing me and my feet feel like they're on fire.

What I mean is, fibromyalgia—what even is it, and how do you actually fix it? For me, it feels right up there with CFA (chronic fatigue and all that stuff). It's one of those vague diagnoses where, because nobody can pin down the actual cause, they can't really give you a proper treatment plan either. So, what am I supposed to do with that?

As far as I know, I never fully recovered from COVID.

I don't know, look, I'm not a doctor, but it seems like things would probably lean toward an autoimmune issue. There's plenty of MS, lupus, and whatnot out there. I mentioned COVID because you can definitely deal with lingering aches and tingling all over your body for a while after it passes.
What was it you said about the thyroid? Is everything looking okay there?

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...

Grab a burrito, then hit up a therapist... honestly, better to take some Xanax than deal with whatever physical stuff you've got going on.

Man, let me tell you, stress is absolutely everything. It’s basically the root cause of almost every ailment adults face, not to mention how it accelerates aging. Honestly, some of the advice you're getting here is just straight-up tragicomic—all this talk about hormones and thyroid issues? I haven't even been following those posts much. If you look at the stats, someone who would have been considered a middle-aged man fifty years ago would probably be viewed as a healthy 45-year-old today. Modern medicine is really just focused on extending life vertically—you know, making it longer. That’s why you see people who look like Biden, or that prince who recently passed away; they look kind of unnatural (though, hey, I'm genuinely glad they got to live as long as they did). But there's a huge gap where medicine has totally overlooked the stuff younger people are actually struggling with, like neuropathy, lupus, anxiety, and all that. I honestly think this whole pandemic situation might finally force things to change.
Here's my two cents: don't oversleep. When you sleep too much, your brain isn't getting optimal oxygenation, which is why you wake up feeling like a zombie. Get some exercise, watch what you eat, stop binge-watching TV all day... I mean, everyone knows the basics of a healthy lifestyle.

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,,,
🙄

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.

driftingcanyon2 said:That burrito place you mentioned didn't really hit the mark, honestly, got way too many bad reviews:
https://www.google.com/search?client...59b3819cfa54,1,,,
🙄

Wtf, I thought he was some kind of shaman or something 🤣.
Is he actually a legit doctor or what?

I mean, I suggested checking your hormones because you were dealing with stuff pretty similar to what I went through
and that turned out to be the issue for me. Seems like things are looking alright for you so far.
You already did the MRI, and you've been getting your bloodwork checked, right?
I guess if anything was seriously wrong, it probably would have popped up on those labs,
so maybe that helps pinpoint where to look next.

Joseph Green12 said:Anyone got a different suggestion?
That’s actually my exact dilemma right here. I’m totally willing to drop the cash because this whole thing has been dragging on way too long. Honestly, making money isn't the issue—I can handle that once I'm feeling better—but I just don't know who to talk to for a deep, systemic dive. I need someone who can actually figure out what's going on with my body, my head, my energy, or whatever cosmic glitch is messing with my Mercury in the eighth house.

Looking back at your first post, everything is screaming mono to me... (Have you checked your AST, ALT, or GGT levels from your bloodwork lately?) It’s usually caused by CMV or the Epstein-Barr virus. If I were you, I’d probably start by getting tested for antibodies for those two just to get some actual answers on the table. Just a thought. Good luck with everything, seriously...