#1 ·
Hey everyone, I've been dealing with these symptoms for about 3 months now.
After my doctor dismissed me as just being a hypochondriac, I went looking for a second opinion. One doctor suggested antibiotics, which worked for a month, but then everything came crashing back. My thyroid is acting up a bit too—not quite out of range, but close. I can send over the lab results if needed. As for my heart, I get occasional arrhythmias, which seems normal for me whenever I run a fever or feel like I’ve smoked a pack of cigarettes..
I found a post online where someone had the exact same issues, so I'm pasting it here..
I'm 26. I'm 6'1" and weigh 250 lbs. I stopped playing sports regularly when I was 21, and since then, I've put on about 55 lbs. I don't smoke. I rarely drink alcohol (maybe 1-2 glasses of wine a week). I eat healthy—minimal animal fats, low carb, no refined sugar, no pork or fried food, plenty of fish, fruit, and veggies—but I tend to overeat because it's an old habit from my athlete days. My job is pretty high-stress, and I pour a lot of energy into it. It involves about 10-12 hours of screen time daily. Until a month ago, I had zero health issues. Then, suddenly, I started feeling dizzy—specifically this intense weakness and fatigue, along with brain fog and a dull headache (feels like a tight cap on my head). Given my family history (my dad died of a heart attack at 49, and there's a history of hypertension and strokes), this weakness triggered some serious panic attacks. I saw my doctor, who sent me to the ER. After testing (BP was 130/70, EKG and Brain CT were clear), the only issue found was a slightly elevated white blood cell count. Combined with a temperature of 98.7°F, the doctor thought it might just be a minor viral infection. Since I actually did come down with what felt like a virus—low fever, sore throat, coughing—for a week, I assumed that was the cause and didn't do anything about it. But even after the "virus" cleared up, that initial exhaustion, dizziness, and fatigue stuck around. When I realized that, I went back to the doctor for more blood work. At that visit, my blood pressure spiked to 155/90. The doctor blamed stress and my panic, but told me to keep monitoring it. The blood work was normal except for slightly elevated AST, ALT, and GGT levels, which led the doctor to suspect mononucleosis, so he referred me to infectious disease. There, they said mono was "unlikely" based on new labs and sent me for more blood tests in two days. The new results showed even higher AST (45H), ALT (146H), and GGT (72H), so I was sent right back to infectious disease to test for mono and Hepatitis A, B, and C. I also got a referral to a neurologist because of the constant fatigue and lack of focus. Over the last 10 days, I've tracked my BP frequently: 1. Waking up 7-8am: 140-145/ 85-90/ 80bpm 2. Morning 8am-12pm: 130-140/ 80-85/ 75bpm 3. Afternoon 12pm-8pm: 120-130/ 75-85/ 70bpm 4. Evening 8pm-midnight: 130-150/ 85-95/ 65bpm 5. High stress periods: 150-155/ 90-95/ 80-85bpm 6. Post-physical activity (climbing 5 flights of stairs): 160/70/ 100-110/ 120bpm. Because of my age and weight, the doctor's takeaway is that it's likely high blood pressure, but not severe enough to treat alongside the other issues yet. I agree with that conclusion, but I'm still worried about this constant "tiredness" and the brain fog, which makes living a normal life really difficult. I'm also worried about potential cardiovascular issues, especially after reading a study linking elevated AST/ALT and BMI to potential heart failure. That's why I'm reaching out for a "second opinion" to see if there's anything my doctor might have overlooked. I should also mention that lately, I've had a stiff neck and back, plus pain in my left shoulder. Up until now, I figured it was just my job (sitting at a computer all day), but now it's bothering me. Specifically, the left shoulder pain usually hits toward the end of the workday along with the fatigue, and it typically vanishes the moment I lie down or change to a semi-reclined position.
Anyone got advice on how to deal with this crap? Thanks.
After my doctor dismissed me as just being a hypochondriac, I went looking for a second opinion. One doctor suggested antibiotics, which worked for a month, but then everything came crashing back. My thyroid is acting up a bit too—not quite out of range, but close. I can send over the lab results if needed. As for my heart, I get occasional arrhythmias, which seems normal for me whenever I run a fever or feel like I’ve smoked a pack of cigarettes..
I found a post online where someone had the exact same issues, so I'm pasting it here..
I'm 26. I'm 6'1" and weigh 250 lbs. I stopped playing sports regularly when I was 21, and since then, I've put on about 55 lbs. I don't smoke. I rarely drink alcohol (maybe 1-2 glasses of wine a week). I eat healthy—minimal animal fats, low carb, no refined sugar, no pork or fried food, plenty of fish, fruit, and veggies—but I tend to overeat because it's an old habit from my athlete days. My job is pretty high-stress, and I pour a lot of energy into it. It involves about 10-12 hours of screen time daily. Until a month ago, I had zero health issues. Then, suddenly, I started feeling dizzy—specifically this intense weakness and fatigue, along with brain fog and a dull headache (feels like a tight cap on my head). Given my family history (my dad died of a heart attack at 49, and there's a history of hypertension and strokes), this weakness triggered some serious panic attacks. I saw my doctor, who sent me to the ER. After testing (BP was 130/70, EKG and Brain CT were clear), the only issue found was a slightly elevated white blood cell count. Combined with a temperature of 98.7°F, the doctor thought it might just be a minor viral infection. Since I actually did come down with what felt like a virus—low fever, sore throat, coughing—for a week, I assumed that was the cause and didn't do anything about it. But even after the "virus" cleared up, that initial exhaustion, dizziness, and fatigue stuck around. When I realized that, I went back to the doctor for more blood work. At that visit, my blood pressure spiked to 155/90. The doctor blamed stress and my panic, but told me to keep monitoring it. The blood work was normal except for slightly elevated AST, ALT, and GGT levels, which led the doctor to suspect mononucleosis, so he referred me to infectious disease. There, they said mono was "unlikely" based on new labs and sent me for more blood tests in two days. The new results showed even higher AST (45H), ALT (146H), and GGT (72H), so I was sent right back to infectious disease to test for mono and Hepatitis A, B, and C. I also got a referral to a neurologist because of the constant fatigue and lack of focus. Over the last 10 days, I've tracked my BP frequently: 1. Waking up 7-8am: 140-145/ 85-90/ 80bpm 2. Morning 8am-12pm: 130-140/ 80-85/ 75bpm 3. Afternoon 12pm-8pm: 120-130/ 75-85/ 70bpm 4. Evening 8pm-midnight: 130-150/ 85-95/ 65bpm 5. High stress periods: 150-155/ 90-95/ 80-85bpm 6. Post-physical activity (climbing 5 flights of stairs): 160/70/ 100-110/ 120bpm. Because of my age and weight, the doctor's takeaway is that it's likely high blood pressure, but not severe enough to treat alongside the other issues yet. I agree with that conclusion, but I'm still worried about this constant "tiredness" and the brain fog, which makes living a normal life really difficult. I'm also worried about potential cardiovascular issues, especially after reading a study linking elevated AST/ALT and BMI to potential heart failure. That's why I'm reaching out for a "second opinion" to see if there's anything my doctor might have overlooked. I should also mention that lately, I've had a stiff neck and back, plus pain in my left shoulder. Up until now, I figured it was just my job (sitting at a computer all day), but now it's bothering me. Specifically, the left shoulder pain usually hits toward the end of the workday along with the fatigue, and it typically vanishes the moment I lie down or change to a semi-reclined position.
Anyone got advice on how to deal with this crap? Thanks.