Help In diagnosis......New here....

[samhay]

My 22 yr daughter has not been fully well for a number of years with a variety of incidences none of which I have connected until now .....Briefly,

Diagnosed with hypermobility when she was 15 due to ankles and knees giving way. She started to get stretch marks on her bust, upper arms, tummy and thighs which Iput down to puberty not that I suffered this so did find this unusual.

Throat infections galore be it tonsillitis, laryngitis loss of voice - this culminated in 2013 with the loss of her speaking voice for nearly 2 years which recovered after tonsillectomy - prior to voice loss had experienced emotional loss and this may have been a stress reaction(though never officially diagnosed) . She also broke her ankle which had to have pins and a metal plate to aid stability.

My daughter started having abdominal pain and was admitted for an appendectomy in 2015 following this there were numerous instances of uti's all involving abdomen pain with blood present in the urine, when treated with antibiotics a flair up of thrush would follow. She has had scans of bladder, gall bladder, ovaries and kidneys all of which are clear, she also had a cystectomy again clear. She is currently just getting over another kidney infection and both oral and vaginal thrush and has had blood clots in the back of the throat.

My daughter has lost her hour glass figure, and now carries considerable weight around her tummy, with this is a loss of confidence, very low mood and often is teary and doesn't deal well with stress.

I dont no which way to turn for help could it be Cushings? All blood tests have come back clear, is this hormone related illness or is it immune system where do I go from here?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

samhay I'm sorry to hear your daughter has had so many problems.

You say that all blood tests have come back clear. What tests have been carried out and what are the results? Never take a doctor's (or receptionist's) word that the test result is 'normal', 'fine', or anything else that means it's nor particularly abnormal. Always ask for a print out of the results. If you are in the UK you are legally entitled to them under the Data Protection Act and your surgery cannot refuse but may make a small charge for printing. If they want to know why you want them you don't have to give a reason but you could say 'For my own records'. Get your daughter to ask for these results and post them on the forum, along with their reference ranges, and members can comment.

When she has had antibiotics, has she also been taking probiotics at the same time? Antibiotics don't just kill the bad bacteria, they also kill the good bacteria and we have to replace good bacteria and build up good gut flora again.

[samhay in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you for your reply, any advice is most welcom

[shaws]

I would personally get a private blood test for a Full Thyroid Function test, seeing that thyroid hormones control everything in our body from head to toe. Myself I was forever in and out of doctors and dismissed due to none ever doing a blood test for a thyroid hormone deficiency. Unfortunately the British Thyroid Association state that no-one has to be prescribed until the TSH reaches 10 but some doctors do so if the result is around the top of the range approx 5.

Your daughter needs, TSH, T3, T4, Free T4, Free T3 and antibodies tested. (some doctors or labs wont do these if the TSH is in the normal range). GP should test B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate as deficiencies can cause problems. B12 and Vit D are pro-hormones and we can be very deficient with serious affects if so.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

(I am not medically qualified but had undiagnosed and untreated hypothyroidism)

[samhay]

Thank you FBC was done but not as specific as items pointed out in your reply, many thanks for your advice

[Josiesmum]

Really sorry to hear of your daughter's illness. It is worth considering the nutrient dense Paleo Autoimmune diet which cuts out inflammatory foods, the idea is that this gives the body enough rest and nutrients to start to repair itself:

thepaleomom.com/start-here/...

Stress reduction is also really important so counselling may help, along with relaxing activities such as hot lavender baths, yoga/meditation and gentle exercise such as walking.

My daughter has CFS and has just started using a FIR infrared sauna. This may be something worth looking into as well.