Mystery illness; does anyone have an idea of what this might be?

[jaycool]

Hi there, i am new to this community, i dont know where to post this but see others have posted here with their health issues.. i am wondering if anyone here can relate or thinks they might have an idea of what is wrong with my body.. ive been suffering from global weakness for about 2 years and it has gradually gotten worse.. this time last year i was not too bad.. this time this year i feel horrible.. i am not exaggerating but sometimes i really feel like I'm dying, i am confused, last 4 months have been the worst. I am really suffering, i dont know whether to attribute this to a muscular or nerve problem but i believe its a bit of both.

To go into my problems a bit more there was this one night where i was sat down at my PC desk eating my dinner and watching a film, just as i ended my meal i started to feel suddenly very ill and very tired.. all i remember is going to bed thinking "i will go sleep this one off" and i woke up about 4 hours later with bizarre symptoms.. firstly i noticed how weak i was like when you have a bout of flu and though i could walk around the house a bit i needed to sit down, next i was shaking like shivering but also like you do a bit with a seizure.. like my arm was just going crazy even in a relaxed position.. it was a shock for me.

Yes i did feel nausea that night and very tired.. i thought it was probably a virus.. however the global weakness i got from this illness never truly went away, it was like getting an illness and recovering 50% but still having it, the nearest thing i could explain it as is like some kind of 'chronic fatigue'. In fact today i am sat here typing confused as to why my legs (especially the thigh muscles) and my arms (especially the upper muscles) are so weak, i feel i am lacking in energy to do anything. I had to stop doing my job which is article writing because my arm strength is just non existent, typing on the computer and writing on paper is difficult, lifting my arm in the air is like trying to lift your arm while someone is pulling it down. The same applies to my legs, if i try to step over a small wall or fence my legs are hard to lift over it.

There are other symptoms such as my muscles becoming sore and painful at night time when they go into a relaxed state.. I really have no clue what has caused this.. Ive been for some scans and tests so far because I'm fed up of having it so i have been on a wild goose chase doing every test/scan on the planet.. my guess is something is up with my back such as spinal damage, i am currently waiting for some results. I am 27 years of age and i can no longer do physical work, socialize much if at all and for that matter i find it hard to exercise.. i really wish i had an answer to what is causing this, if any of you know what this may sound like please let me know. Any other details you require i can share no problem.. thank you for reading.

[cathys20]

Goodness, you sound like so many of us again. You said you are having back problems. Did all this start after something in particular happened with your back? Did you have a virus before or some kind of head trauma, new medicine. So many things can cause this crazy thing, but I personally think there is always something that precedes it. Please see my other posts. You are not alone!!! Where do you live? What Country? You can reply through this site or contact me at [e-mail], if you have any more questions after reading my other posts, and countless others on here. We are all a little similar and all a little different. God Bless, Cathy

[jaycool in reply to cathys20]

Hi Cathy.

I went back as far as i could to think of what might caused this back pain.. when i was younger (18) i remember lifting something and my back making a noise.. of course as a teenager back then i thought nothing of it and just went on living, i thought that if i could still walk then i was fine and the issue would just fix it self.. of course at that age you believe you are invincible.

Over the years i had back issues that became worse.. the first major realization of back issues was when i was brushing my teeth at the sink about 3 years ago and leaning over the sink would hurt my lower back, i always played it off as normal as i sit at PC desks a lot, i thought if it gets worse i will go get a scan on my back.. however the problem is that it was not gradual but sudden.. I had no idea i would become so weak over night.

Not to mention all the weird shooting pains over the years.. it wasn't till i realized that maybe that time i ripped something in my back may have something to do with how i am feeling right now. The scenario 2 years ago was very weird because i just dont know how it is possible to be sitting at my PC chair and suddenly feel so intensely ill, it made no sense to me.

My legs were feeling cold yet were warm on the outside. My arm would just shake violently. Its possible a virus struck my nervous system. But even in August/July its not the kind of month you would expect to be catching viruses. I had to quit working. I want to hope this is not permanent or somehow reversible to some degree.. i had a really bright future.. i finally found out what i wanted to do with my life, having it swept from under my feet was terrible.

There are some things i can think of that possibly contributed to this health issue but i dont know.. After attending gym for 15-20 minutes a day for a whole year membership this sudden feeling ill episode happened about 2 months after quitting the gym. I remember going through some stress and trauma after quitting gym but i really wonder if any of it played a part.. i didn't do anything too strenuous either.. the only thing else i recall is landing on a mattress on my back, regardless if these things contributed then perhaps i damaged something in my back.

Thanks for the support. I am from the UK, England.

I will do some reading around the group.

PS: i am also awaiting some MRI results for my spine.

[Tewa in reply to jaycool]

Hi Jaycool,

I am so sorry to hear of all you are having to deal with. 

Did you get the MRI results for your spine? I recently had an MRI of spine that showed a bone lesion and other problems; degenerative discs, inflammation, benign blood vessels.  A Bone scan of my whole body showed no bone cancer, but Multilevel Spondaloysis, (degenerative discs), inflammation and other issues. I am in constant pain and  cannot get in any comfortable position.  I believe this is part of  FND or?  Gets very discouraging with progression and new symptoms popping up.  I also have chest/heart pain, tachydacardia , and many other very uncomfortable debilitating symptoms, too numerous to write as it would fatigue me. 

This site is such a good place for support, to share, to ask questions. Keep reaching out.

Tewa