Nope, Rach, don't think you're a hypochondriac at all! I think you're brave, smart and funny and have put up with more than most can handle.

Okay, so they "thought" it was Bell's Palsy. What if it was Guillain-Barre? Of course, steroids don't help GB but the do BP. Love all the abbrev. in medicine!

What about the metanephrine hormones? Did they check those? Did they look for a pheo? Of course, then your BP would be high.

Did they redo the cortisol, fasting and in the morning?

If you have a tumor of any kind, they can sometimes spit off hormones and be hard to test for. You should get that lump looked at immediately.

Are they absolutely certain you don't have a hole in your heart (due to the migraines, drop in O2 saturation)? My cardio said the only way to be absolutely certain is by doing a transesophageal echo or contrast cardiac MRI. She wanted to do those for me to verify whether I had a PFO or ASD. Won't do the gadolinium though.

Do you have any nodules around your neck area? Have they checked your thyroid antibodies? The hair loss is odd. I wonder about hormones or nerve damage. Things can't "grow" or live without a nerve signal.

I wonder about your kidney infections and how that might relate. Is there a stenosis somewhere in the arteries down there?

I have to wonder about a brainstem issue. Can you get your actual MRI's? Do you have the rest of your records? Or do they make you pay through then nose to get them?

The thing is, doctors will sometimes not tell patients everything.

I wish doctoring involved a "team" of doctors, sitting in a room TOGETHER working on patients who are not diagnosed. I can take a stab at things, as can everyone else here, but you need a doctor who is absolutely committed to getting you answers no matter what.

I hate that you are going through so much. Maybe what you've written will spark an idea with someone. Thank you so much for being so honest and thorough when you are feeling so subhuman. Keep fighting the good fight.

Annie

One more thought. Do you have any signs of arthritis or inflammatory disease? Lupus popped into my head as a possibility. CNS lupus, specifically.