my nerves are shot
2009-Oct-26, Monday 09:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mellowtiggerWell, I scheduled another appointment for tomorrow morning at the same clinic. This time, I'll be seeing Dr. Zoberi. (Apparently, she speaks Hindi. How cool is that?) Anyway, I thought that B12 was the cause of my problems, but the test results seem inconclusive to me. Nevertheless, I'm still treating this issue as a grave concern since B12 depletion remains the most likely cause in my opinion, and it can cause dementia and death if the neuron deterioration is left untreated.
An approximate timeline, as much as I can remember offhand:
15 years ago is when the carpel tunnel syndrome appeared. Totally expected. As much time as I spend at a keyboard (torture device), it's surprising that problems didn't show up even sooner.
8 years ago is when the permanent diarrhea started. Not just a phase, it has been a permanent feature of my life for nearly a decade. It's almost like fluids just fail to get absorbed into my body, so it and solid food all just wash right through me. I started eating only 1 large meal a day to help avoid a daily routine of running to the restroom very 45 minutes. I had good insurance at the time. I saw lots of specialists. I had biopsies, x-rays, blood tests, and other tests done. No cause of my problems was ever declared. I wasn't especially concerned about it at the time because it's a fairly common occurrence in people with autism. One of the specialists even mentioned that fact to me.
4 years ago is when the neuropathy started in my feet. I had insurance at another job but not as good. When the neuropathy spread to my other foot, I finally went to see a doctor. Later, a podiatrist found that my B12 level was borderline. He had me try special B12 pills, but nothing really improved. I left that job after the second 3-month(?) period on the special pills. That insurance policy ended with the job. I never went back to see that doctor to maybe get a referral to a neurologist specialist.
2 years ago is when I stopped having health insurance altogether.
1 year ago is when the muscle twitches started. They got progressively more annoying. At one point this summer, I even bought a paper booklet so I could write down where each one occurred so I could determine if twitches appeared only in certain areas. I never got around to writing that journal because it became obvious that my whole body was affected. Each muscle twitch (only one at a time) could appear anywhere on my body. I also started getting tired around then. Gardening is fun, but I just didn't spend as much time outdoors this summer as I did last year. Sometimes I would get muscle cramps in my lower legs and feet that would wake me up at night.
1 month ago is when the burn/tingle started at the tip of my tongue. It feels sort of like the neuropathy in my feet when it first started.
1 week ago is when the muscle twitches occurred in more than one place on my body at the same time. It started in the evening and was so annoying (face, forearm, and thigh simultaneously) that it kept me awake until about 4am. The next morning, I found a "free" clinic where I could go to see a doctor.
I guess we'll find out soon just how much of a societal burden that I'm willing to become. I'd very much like to have a name for whatever is happening to me, but I'm not sure how far "free" health care can go in providing such diagnostics. Real insurance is no longer an option for me either. Can you say "pre-existing condition", boys and girls? I knew you could!
An approximate timeline, as much as I can remember offhand:
15 years ago is when the carpel tunnel syndrome appeared. Totally expected. As much time as I spend at a keyboard (torture device), it's surprising that problems didn't show up even sooner.
8 years ago is when the permanent diarrhea started. Not just a phase, it has been a permanent feature of my life for nearly a decade. It's almost like fluids just fail to get absorbed into my body, so it and solid food all just wash right through me. I started eating only 1 large meal a day to help avoid a daily routine of running to the restroom very 45 minutes. I had good insurance at the time. I saw lots of specialists. I had biopsies, x-rays, blood tests, and other tests done. No cause of my problems was ever declared. I wasn't especially concerned about it at the time because it's a fairly common occurrence in people with autism. One of the specialists even mentioned that fact to me.
4 years ago is when the neuropathy started in my feet. I had insurance at another job but not as good. When the neuropathy spread to my other foot, I finally went to see a doctor. Later, a podiatrist found that my B12 level was borderline. He had me try special B12 pills, but nothing really improved. I left that job after the second 3-month(?) period on the special pills. That insurance policy ended with the job. I never went back to see that doctor to maybe get a referral to a neurologist specialist.
2 years ago is when I stopped having health insurance altogether.
1 year ago is when the muscle twitches started. They got progressively more annoying. At one point this summer, I even bought a paper booklet so I could write down where each one occurred so I could determine if twitches appeared only in certain areas. I never got around to writing that journal because it became obvious that my whole body was affected. Each muscle twitch (only one at a time) could appear anywhere on my body. I also started getting tired around then. Gardening is fun, but I just didn't spend as much time outdoors this summer as I did last year. Sometimes I would get muscle cramps in my lower legs and feet that would wake me up at night.
1 month ago is when the burn/tingle started at the tip of my tongue. It feels sort of like the neuropathy in my feet when it first started.
1 week ago is when the muscle twitches occurred in more than one place on my body at the same time. It started in the evening and was so annoying (face, forearm, and thigh simultaneously) that it kept me awake until about 4am. The next morning, I found a "free" clinic where I could go to see a doctor.
I guess we'll find out soon just how much of a societal burden that I'm willing to become. I'd very much like to have a name for whatever is happening to me, but I'm not sure how far "free" health care can go in providing such diagnostics. Real insurance is no longer an option for me either. Can you say "pre-existing condition", boys and girls? I knew you could!