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From: "Julie Bove" 
Newsgroups: alt.psychology.synchronicity,alt.support.chronic-pain,alt.support.diabetes,fido.chronic_pain,misc.health.diabetes,nl.support.diabetes
Subject: Re: diabetic neuropathy and more
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2003 23:09:28 -0500
Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com
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"Bill MacGregor"  wrote in message
news:b317dk$inp$1@bob.news.rcn.net...
> I'm 20 yrs old and have been diagnosed w/ diabetes and other probs. about
5
> months ago I began having chronic pain and had to quit my job. things are
> getting worse...cant sleep, vomit every day, headaches, pain in my leg and
> arm,etc...I'm at my wit's end! the dr's know about the diabetes but no one
> looks into the complications. I'm angry at the dr's also b/c one lied [he
> took back his statement when he said I had something and then I mentioned
> WC],got a second opinion he saw nothing in my mri's and neither did anyone
> else, he out right said that I was crazy and that I have no pain and if I
do
> then to just live with it, another dr said the same and wont listen to my
> symptoms as w/ others. I take neurotin, celebrex, zanaflex and more [ 20
> pills a day]. another frustrating thing is that since I'm 20 ppl say that
> I'm too young to get this or that. I feel like I'm losing my mind and
> getting more and depressed. it feels as if  life has been taken away. I
was
> just married last June and I was fine then.

Sorry to hear of your problems, but I can certainly relate.  What brought me
to the Dr. to begin with was chronic diarrhea and an inability to walk.
That's when I found out I had diabetes.  Was bounced from Dr. to Dr., then
finally told to seek psychiatric help.  One Dr. thought I was depressed and
another thought it was panic attacks.  Was finally diagnosed with Diabetic
Neuropathy, Fibromylgia, and Psoriatic Arthritis.  I somewhat accepted the
diagnosis of these things because some of the symptoms fit.  But there were
other annoying problems that were not accounted for.  Like a racing
heartbeat, insomnia, jitters, and overheating.  Finally moved to another
state and have seen a whole new batch of Drs.  Have now found out that I was
being overdosed on my thyroid medication.  That accounts for a lot of the
symptoms I was having.  I also have a problem with the veins in my legs.
The blood was going down, but not coming back up.  Instead, it was leaking
out, causing what appeared to be a rash and was misdiagnosed as psoriasis.
And I do indeed have psoriasis.  Just not on my legs.

So now I am left wondering.  What medical problems do I really have?  I may
or may not have the Neuropathy.  Have been told now that I do not have the
Psoriatic Arthritis.  And personally, I don't think I have Fibromyalgia.
I'm 43.  That's not really young.  But it's not really old either.  Right
now I can't work.  And I've been told that I probably won't ever be able to
with the vein condition I have.  I was told that I *might* be able to work a
few hours a week, but not at a job that requires standing, sitting, or
walking.  I'm supposed to spend as much time as possible in bed with my feet
elevated above my heart.  Is this depressing?  Yes indeed.  Yet I really
don't think I have what clinically termed as depression.  And neither did
the Psych. I saw.

Wish I knew what to tell you.  I am doing better now.  A lot better than I
was.  I can walk now.  Couldn't do that before.  At least not very well or
for very long.  I used to be in constant pain and while exhausted, could not
sleep at night.  Now if I have pain, I almost always know what the cause of
it was.  And I'm sleeping.

My only suggestions to you would be to keep trying new Drs. until you find
one who will help you.  Sometimes you have to be the squeaky wheel.  I have
said to Drs. "These are the problems I'm having.  I want to get well.  If
you don't know what this is, then can you refer me to someone who might?"
Ask to see a copy of your lab work.  Drs. often miss things.  I spotted
anemia twice on my labs.  Both times, the Dr. told me I was fine.  Both
times, he was wrong.  And these were two different Drs.!  I was dismissed
from the hospital with a low potassium level.  That time I had gotten a copy
of my labs, but had been to ill to read it.  Had I done that, I would have
spotted the problem.  And had I spotted the thyroid problem, I would have
said something there too!  But the Dr. kept failing to give me a copy of my
labs, despite my asking him repeatedly to do so.  You see, I HAD suspected
that my thyroid was still running high.  He had been allowing me to run high
and it was another Dr. who discovered this.  I demanded that he lower my
dose.  And he did so twice.  But after that, he refused, stating that I he
wouldn't do that because I was not losing weight like I should.  Well, after
being put on a new dosage, and after having the vein problem treated, I have
now lost weight!

I would also take a long hard look at all of the pills you are taking.  You
may well need some of them.  But some may be causing you more problems.  I
was tried on 3 different antidepressants.  All three caused horrible side
effects.  And when I was put on Neurontin, the side effects were worse than
anything I could have ever imagined.  I now know that my body is overly
sensitive to medications.  And if I do take something, the dose I need is
often fat smaller than the standard dose.

I hope you find relief for your problems soon!

--
Type 2
http://users.bestweb.net/~jbove/
Julie Bove, posting from new account