Posted by Bookgurl99 on June 15, 2002, at 12:06:57
In reply to Re: Widespread pain coming from depression ?!, posted by ben on June 15, 2002, at 11:15:45
I understand how you feel -- I spent 3 months running from doctor to doctor trying to find out the cause of various symptoms. (Cognitive problems, especially short-term memory, including visual problems with scanning, reading that I never had before, trouble recognizing places, plus vomiting frequently, migraine headaches, intractable insomnia, and. . . drumroll. . . fasciculations of unknown origin.)
I also had some tests (mostly endocrine-related) come back in abnormal ranges, but the doctors didn't know what they meant -- it didn't fit their knowledge.
It was quite frustrating to be told that I had a somatoform disorder due to depression and anxiety. Like you, I had been treated for 2 years and was in a great place in my life when my symptoms popped up. It was hard to get them to believe that the anxiety/depression comes from having my life so dramatically disrupted.
Because doctors had so few answers, I gave up and visited a qualified naturopath. (She has a 4 year degree from the National College of Naturopathy in Portland, not some mail-order certification.) She came up with her own theory that I could have had a negative reaction to my SSNRI (Serzone), and helped me come up with an eating/lifestyle plan that works for me.
Despite my fears of returning to meds, I also went back onto a "small" dose of Zoloft.
I know that it's so frustrating, when you're aware that there are numerous diseases that doctors expect not to see in their lifetimes -- you want to be sure you're not the one 'rare case' that's being overlooked.
But giving up, empowering myself through naturopathic work, and just riding the wave has helped me a lot. I'm starting to see a decrease in symptoms. Probably in response to my new eating habits, my nausea left. But more difficult to explain, my visual symptoms have vanished, and my concentration seems to improve daily. I still have mild fasciculations, but their incidence is lowering too.
I realize - from talking to people who've gone through similar experiences -- that it will take months to feel completely normal. But right now I have 'pieces' of normal, enough to feel that there's a light at the end of the tunnel.
I don't know if what I did could provide an answer for you, but perhaps a piece of it could help you out.
Good luck,
bookgurl99
poster:Bookgurl99
thread:105049
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020609/msgs/109940.html