All my various health problems... what could they mean?

For most of my life, I: didn't get sick easily, didn't have cold sores, warts, yeast infections, hemorrhoids etc., wasn't anemic, had a lot of energy, had thicker-than-average hair, functioned very well without sleep, never got dizzy randomly, didn't have unusual stomach pains, and had normal bowel movements.
I also slept irregularly, ate a lot junk food, was not vegetarian, did not eat organic food, did not exercise, and did not take supplements.

For the past year or so, I: catch colds easily, have had warts, cold sores, hemorrhoids and a yeast infection (basically have a lowered immune system), was anemic on and off, have NO energy and get tired easily, have fine hair that went through a period where it was thinning, CANNOT function on less than 9 hours of sleep, went through periods when I am dizzy and my vision blackens when I stand up or move suddenly, have had very odd stomach pains that have nothing to do with my period or diarrhea, and almost always have something wrong with my stomach. Also, my period became more painful\heavy than ever (it's always been pretty bad), and then very suddenly became very light and short (for about 2 cycles), and then went back to normal or heavier than normal.
I try to get plenty of sleep (though I have pretty bad insomnia that I try to fix with valerian root), I eat healthier than most people my age, I'm vegetarian, a lot of the stuff I eat is organic, I'm beginning to exercise more, I've taken anemia medication (which got rid of the anemia according to the blood tests, but did nothing for my sickliness), and am taking a multi-vitamin\mineral supplement.

My mom thinks it's all because I'm vegetarian, but then she's been against me being vegetarian ever since I started four years ago. I don't think it could be a factor especially since I usually take a supplement with B12 in it, when I'm not taking prescription iron. I've even started eating more (organic) eggs\dairy than I otherwise would, just in case there is something unexplainable in animal products that I'm not getting... otherwise I'd really rather be vegan. I've also thought about eating according to my ayerveda type, because I fit "vata dosha" pretty perfectly.

According to my counselor I'm moderately to severely clinically depressed, but as far as I can tell I've been about this depressed on and off since I was 9 or 10, so that can't be a major cause. I'm not taking any depression drugs.

The doctor tested my blood for a whole bunch of things besides anemia, even the very weird unlikely things... so I think I've been tested for thyroid problems. Last october, I got very sick and the doctor was SURE I had mono, but the blood test showed I didn't, so she decided I had strep throat... But I was tired for so long after that that she says that the blood test might actually have been wrong. That still doesn't explain everything, and it wouldn't have lasted that long. And the anemia doesn't explain my tiredness either, because I was only very mildly anemic and the prescription supplements took care of that.
I keep thinking, "This isn't supposed to be happening when I'm only 16! If I'm this tired\sickly now, what am I going to be like when I'm 35? 40?"

So..... anybody have any ideas? What could be causing this stuff? Anybody feel the same way I do? Are there any natural remedies\herbs that have helped you have more energy, soothe your digestive system, or get to sleep faster, or that you think might help?

Any advice\info\ideas would be very appreciated.

 

Okay stress seems a big thing here, however is it possible to get blood work done for Polycyctic ovaries?

Yeah what the hell are you talking about Destro? well Destro a few of my friends here in University have had simmilar symptomes that they have attributed to something called Polycyctic ovaries. if anyone knows more please help. as a male, I don;t realy know what the hell I'm talking about.

 

google up some info about pcos, insulin resistance, syndrome x, leaky gut type problems and see if it fits you.

how much protein do you get? are you getting enough essential fatty acids? do you eat refined grains and sugar? how 'bout starchy veggies vs nonstarchy veggies?

it's not unusual for people to experience health problems after becoming vegetarian. i think you're wise to put eggs and dairy back into your diet. you may also want to consider adding in fatty fish like sardines and wild pacific salmon. Also, probiotics and prebiotics can help people with leaky gut syndrome.

have a look at this: http://www.westonaprice.org/know_your_fats/fatty_acid.html

 

At the risk of upsetting some people, the only change you made was becoming veg. I read an interesting book once (forgot the name) and have read some articles that some people just can't tolerate a totally veggie diet. Could you be B12 deficient? Teens are more suseptible to this deficiency. Taking a B12 Supp may not work for all people, some NEED to get it from animal products. Did the doctor test you for that? If you are taking a supplement with Folic Acid in it, a B12 deficency could not show up on the test. Your doctor may need to do MORE detective work, my hunch is a B12 deficency, and you may not be absorbing enough from the supps.

Thyroid could also be the culprit. As well as depression, as nimh said, PCOS, (polycystic ovarian syndrome) a subclinical sinus infection (or anyother undetected bacterial or viral infection.)

I, personally, wouldn't add dairy to your diet, but maybe try adding some nice fatty fish and maybe some lean chicken and beef (organic if you like) and keep the doctor looking for a cause.

Sorry you are feeling so awful.

Blessing and healing light.

 

I highly doubt it's a B12 definciency if she's eating dairy AND eggs AND taking a supplement. Your doctor can check you for that very easily and if it is a problem, which I doubt, you can get a shot. Some vegans do that every few months and it have no problems. Plus it also takes years for someone to get a B12 deficiency since our body stores it. There are even theories that our body can make it. Some believe some don't.

Are you getting enough sleep? That can really make a difference on everything including immunity and being regular. How about water? You're not dehydrated are you? Do you eat breakfast? Could it be diabetes?

You might want to look up IBS irritable bowel syndrome. Or ask your doctor about it.

Ok. I did a search on the Net and I think you might have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Here's a link:
http://www.cfids.org/about-cfids/symptoms.asp

If you don't have a lot of luck with your current doctor it's prefectly fine to get a new one you know. It sounds like you've had a lot of tests done with no results so you might want to get a second opinion. Just a suggestion.

Let us know how you are doing.
Saje

 

one of the reasons why you could be quite depressed at the moment is because your sick, or it could be the opposite way around, depression causing or affecting you to be sick? im not exactly sure but i wish you the best of luck with your health.

 

B12 is a water soluable vitamin and is not stored well in children and teens. It may well not be a B 12 deficeincy, but it CAN be hard to detect, especially if she is taking Folic Acid, which will mask the results of the test. SHe is a teen, and could become deficient quite quickly. She just started eating the eggs and milk, she was vegan before that.

And no, the human body does not make B12. That is one of the problems with vegan children.

 

Well, I wasn't deficient in B12 last time I checked... so I shouldn't be deficient now... unless it is the folic acid masking it. Eating any more animal products than I am now is kind of out of the question. I've been vegetarian for 4 years, and was vegan for not quite one year, which was last year... And even when I was vegan I ate eggs\dairy that were in cakes, baked stuff, etc.

It doesn't look like I have polycystic ovary syndrome. The only symptoms I have that resemble it are weird periods, thinning hair, mood swings, and lack of concentration... and those are pretty general symptoms. And my hair is almost back to normal now anyway.
I don't have any of the other weird stuff like excess body hair, or weight gain or discolored skin.

My doctor says that it isn't very likely that I have diabetes, because then I'd be constantly thirsty and have some other symptoms that I don't have.

I read about chronic fatigue syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome, that might be what I have, but it doesn't seem like there's much I can do about it if I do, other than control the symptoms, which is why I asked if anybody knew of any herbs\remedies that can give me more energy (but aren't stimulants like ginseng). And chronic fatigue syndrome doesn't explain the dizziness period I went through.

Depression is probably a factor... but I don't know what else I can do about it other than be in counseling, which I am. (Finally... my parents wouldn't get me therapy because they think it's evil and will corrupt me or something...)

I really don't get enough sleep. I have to wake up at 5:30 to catch the bus and go to school, which messes up my sleep cycle (I'll get my license sometime this year though, then I can wake up a little later). And I have insomnia, so sometimes I don't sleep half the night and feel horrible... but I try to prevent that. But it doesn't feel like just sleep deprivation though.

Blessed be, Maggie.

Thanks for the info, everyone.

 

Im sorry to hear youre having a hard time. I can completely relate, as the same things have happened to me at your same age. I was also a vegetarian when i started experiencing the various health problems....dizziness, headaches, panic attacks, migraines, tired all the time, nausea, etc. and it seemed like there was something wrong ALL the time, when i too had been healthy most of my life. i also got blood tested various times for numerous things and they were all negative. i was also diagnosed with depression and soon panic disorder bc of my sudden panic attacks. i refused to eat meat, i wouldnt go on anti depressants, etc. everyone is different and everybody's body reacts differently to different things. i finally started on zoloft mainly for my panic disorder which was out of control. i then started eating meat again like 6 months later bc i decided that i was so sick of feeling tired all the time and getting migraines as a result of the chemical imbalance. amino acids (building block of proteins) are known to factor in with the brain chemical serotonin (which affects mood, sleep, and appetite and a lack of it is aka depression). so i finally started eating meat again and luckily its really helped with my feeling tired all the time and headaches. also the zoloft has helped my panic attacks greatly, but honestly can say that you are the only one that can help your depression...yeah medication helps, but its all about your mindset. since ive shaped up a bit mentally, i feel much better physically. really all of these health problems go back to diet and exercise, so just keep that in mind. im sorry to go on for so long, but i just wanted you to know that i have experienced the same exact problems and that it sucks but you can get through it by deciding whats right for your health and what you can do to improve it.....good luck to you and pm me if you ever have questions and stuff. much love.

mel

 

Yeah, that's what I said. It is far from the only option, but looking at your history, the problems started when you became veg. Some people (see the above post) simply need animal protein to thrive. You may be one of those people.

 

Like I said everyone has different opinions about this vitamin. There isn't as much known about it as other vitamins. I've even read that it was the last vitamin discovered. Personally, I don't think we know enough about this vitamin yet. And I've met many people who believe that B12 can be manufactured by the body. I've also read that on many websites. But everybody and every body is different.

She was only vegan for a short time and even then still got in some animal products.

Incense, is there anyway that you can conquer your insomnia first and see how that affects everything else? What do you do now for your insomnia? The new esercise program should help - I hope! I like to get a lot of sleep too but fortunately I haven't had to bus to school in a long time!

I don't know. Maybe it's just a variety of factors that come together and make you feel crappy.

I really hope you start feeling better soon.
Keep us updated.
Saje

 

That sounds a little like my cousin. She has chrones. Could it be that? Also it reall could be the vegatarinism. I spent about two years as a vegatarian and started to have lots of problems and I did get protein and carbs, and vitamins and minerals and all that other stuff. Some people's geneitcs allow them to do it, others don't.