Hi. I'm Kate. I've never been in good health in my life. I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, IBS, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, pelvic floor dysfunction, and migraines. It all seems like a cop out to me - a bunch of exclusionary diagnoses meaning I feel awful and no one can tell me why. I've been in PT for 9 months (having taken 3 years off from the last span of 1 year of PT) and it is not helping yet. I was recently prescribed maintenance narcotics since the pain is so bad I can hardly function. I try hard to not miss work since my husband is unemployed, and painkillers are the only way I make it through the day.
My symptoms range from headaches, nausea, neck pain, neck weakness, and visual disturbances to fecal incontinence, Reynaud's, memory problems, hearing loss, and chronic constipation. I've had all symptoms since age 21 and some for much longer.
No doctor has ever been able to find a clear reason for my myriad of symptoms, and most doctors do not seem to care. For some reason I keep trying to seek treatment - sort of feels like Sisyphus right about now.
So it appears all I can do now is reach out for support from other individuls who always feel awful and cannot get an answer as to why. My family tries to be supportive, but they don't quite understand. They are often trying to tell me why I feel sick (stress, depression, posture, etc.) and what I can do to feel better (take these vitamins, eat these foods, etc.). I just need someone to listen who does not try to fix it, just cares I feel so sick.
I'm 29 years old and don't know how I can keep living like this. There is nothing I want more than to start a family with my husband, but I get sick just trying to watch my nephews for 15 minutes. I feel so hopeless about my health.