[throwaway111213]

Sorry for the thread hijacking but I'd like to ask the HN crowd about my problems:

For the past three years I have various health related problems like brain fog, tiredeness, breathing trouble, pain all over my body and a general bad mood. These things come and go (some times are worse some better) but for these years I remember myself always having some difficulty.

I am very sad and can't enjoy anything anymore. I can't enjoy my family and I feel I am a problem to them for being always moody and sad. I don't want to go out with friends, only stay at home and do chores or play games. I am constantly afraid that I have a major health problem and try to think all the time what may I have or how I can get better. Actually I can't really think of anything else beyond my health problems.

However after visiting a number of doctors and done lots of exams they couldn't find anything.

Notice that I have never visited a psychiatrist or psychologist and I don't think that I had ever had any psychological problems. I may have some form of minor autism but that didn't stop me of being happy the years before.

Do you think that I have some psychological problems? Maybe depression or some major anxiety? Should I visit a psychiatrist? I can't think of what to say to the psychiatrist... Should I keep visiting other doctors to do more tests? Any help would be much appreciated.

[bserge]

Good luck. I've been struggling for over a decade and it's just getting worse, so much worse. If you can, go to as many docs as possible.

I found stuff that works for me and then started struggling to get doctors to prescribe it.

The healthcare industry is a massive joke.

Funny enough, this week I witnessed an ambulance driving up to a guy on the ground (not homeless looking by any means), waking him up and... leaving.

I assume he was just drunk af, but come on, at least give him some water, he's literally forced to pay for your "care" :D

Would they even fix a broken arm, I often wonder.

[throwaway111213]

What do you mean stuff that works for you? Is it a medicine for a psychological condition or for something else? I am living in EU and the health care here is better I believe. Also I have money to spent and can visit doctors at will.

[bserge]

Then do it. Yeah I'm in the EU, too. A dirty immigrant everywhere but home where I can get my medication, namely Gabapentin and Bupropion. Far cry from an opioid or something, isn't it?

Yet it seems I'd rather be a corpse in a river to these shitheads in Belgium, UK and Germany. But tbf I had a lot of trouble getting this medication back home, too.

Sorry for bothering you with my shit.

I would suggest you go to as many doctors as possible and explain everything.

They'll send you in a lot of circles so it can take a year or more to get anything useful. No one actually cares.

If you can buy stuff illegally and try it, do it. Carefully of course. If anything seems to work, tell it to the docs (and watch their face).

[throwaway111213]

Thank you kindly for the tips and your personal story.

[mcguire]

Your description sounds similar to my case, although I never had any anxiety about my health. And I did have short, sharp flashes of extreme anger. But the ultimate question is up to you: Do you think you have a problem? Is it affecting your life?

I first tried psychological counseling. I also have no idea what to say to them, but that's why they are there. Tell them what you wrote here and they can ask questions to go deeper.

In my case, the counseling helped briefly; I was better for a few days after each session. But at that point I was more comfortable going to my primary doctor and asking about medication, which has helped greatly.

To my knowledge, there aren't any kind of blood tests for psychological issues.

Oh, and be very, very cautious of recommended treatments from randos on the internet. The medical folks don't really understand the machine they're working on, and they're frequently wrong, but they do know a hell of a lot more than someone who just googled 'ivermectin'.

[throwaway111213]

Thank you for the insight! Yes I think I have a problem and it definitely affects my life and my relations with my family :|

[caddywompus]

The inability to find joy in things you normally do, feeling tired all the time, even when there is no reason for it, over an extended period of time, are all red flags for depression requiring intervention.

As far as I've seen, there is no physical (i.e. blood/fluids) test that can detect depression, it is diagnosed based on behaviors and history. A common feeling is that you want to make sense of these feelings by attributing it to a more understandable health issue.

Depending on what your mind ruminates on, it can be impossible to talk to others about what your thinking (as they may be dismissive, or alarmed). That's where you need someone who's qualified to talk to, like a doctor or counselor.

I'm surprised by the amount of criticism of medication in this thread. Although it is by no means a cure, it is an extremely powerful tool that can allow your brain to break out of feedback loops, and give you some control over your emotional regulation.

Reach out to your doctor, and be frank. Tell them exactly how low your feeling, and don't sugar coat it. They'll have questions to ask you. Also note that you can get doctors who are not a right fit. If you feel like your doctor is not helping, or you feel worse off from seeing them, then find a new one.

Depending on the severity, know that you can always push the issue, regardless of what friends/parents/teachers/colleagues tell you. If you are in crisis, call a cab, an emergency line, whatever, to get yourself to a clinic or hospital.

This kind of thing takes time and effort to solve, and you're the only one who knows how, you, personally feel. It's not like a broken bone, or infection, you have to do your best to describe to doctors how you're feeling.

[throwaway111213]

Thank you for this great advice. I will definitely try to talk to a doctor!

[fddhjjj]

If I felt said for a period of months without specific cause, yes, I would see a psychiatrist or psychologist.

What did the doctors who you did see say when you told them about your symptoms? It strikes me as odd that they did not recommend a mental health specialist.

[throwaway111213]

I feel sad because I feel that I have some major health problem. If somehow I knew that I didn't have anything and all my problems stopped then I believe I'd feel better.

I don't talk to other doctors about being sad or not enjoying life or thinking about my health problems all the time. I am too shy to talk about that.

[borski]

But that is exactly the thing you need to be talking about with them. You likely have some psychological things that can be addressed through therapy or with a psychiatrist, while also looking for the biological causes (if any). There is no shame in getting help.

[realitygrill]

You might also want to look into ME/CFS. I'm very sorry to hear about this, because I had an analogous experience for years and know how hopeless it feels to try to figure out what the issue is (while your cognitive abilities / stamina are limited by brain fog), fail over and over, and in the meanwhile others cannot understand and don't believe you.

Feel free to email me if you want to chat.

[twostorytower]

You should probably talk to a psychologist regardless, as the psychological impact this is having is very apparent and mental health is just as important as your physical health.

This might be obvious and you may have already done a study for this but have you looked into sleep apnea? I had the first two symptoms you described for about a year and it ended up being mild sleep apnea and acid reflux related. Obviously your case could be completely different, but good to rule out. Now I wear a Somnomed mouth piece at night and take acid reflux medication day and night.

No more brain fog.

[throwaway111213]

Thank you for the tip. Yes I guess I need to go to a psychologist or psychiatrist but it's very difficult for me to go and speak to him.

For the sleep apnea thing, doesn't sleep apnea mean that I will be loudly snoring? My wife hasn't complained about snoring ever.

[twostorytower]

Usually, but not necessarily. Worth a sleep study.

[dec0dedab0de]

Sorry to be cliche, but have you tried changing your diet and exercising more? Letting them slip always ends up with me feeling like that. To be fair, the one time it ended up being cancer, but even then the cancer felt better when I was moving around and eating more vegetables. My checklist when I start feeling down: Water, Magnesium, vitamin D3, Fiber, squats, full nights sleep, no alchohol, wake up early every day, have sex, pet a dog, go into the woods.

It doesn't always work, but it's still good place to start. I hope you figure it out.

[throwaway111213]

I was exercising regularly and eating fine (I think). It's difficult keeping it up though when you feel very bad...

[taylus]

I would try to get a referral from your doctor to speak with a therapist.

[abecode]

Lithium supplements maybe? There are over-the-counter supplements available. Prescription lithium has proven uses for some mental treatments. I read some positive things about areas with naturally occurring lithium in drinking water. As far as elements go, it is the first solid element at terrestrial conditions, so one might expect it to be a trace nutrient for organisms living in terrestrial conditions.

[throwaway111213]

I'll research this a bit and give it a try. Thank you

[fighterpilot]

I am not an expert or a doctor, but did your doctor rule out fibromyalgia? You mention widespread physical pain.

[throwaway111213]

I am not familiar with that condition. The physical pain is not constant nor very bad. I can function normally when I feel that pain. Also because it travels in my body doctor's don't really care about it.

[anon220821]

For that pain:

* find an excellent osteopath capable in functional assessment and correction - efficiency levels in the functioning of the body, correction of dysfunctions (not the structure but the systems). Some people have seen the end of decades of severe fibromialgya and unexplained chronic pain through this. Warning: the title of osteopath covers all kind of profiles and capabilities, so finding a capable one may be very difficult.

* also, have your diet checked by a professional, for bad eating habits that may impede wellbeing. If the intake is harmful, you will feel it, of course (yet many make severe mistakes on the basic first step of nutrition).

[throwaway111213]

Thank you for the tips!

[winrid]

From experience, and as silly as it sounds, check for things like vitamin B12 deficiency.

[throwaway111213]

I have checked it, it's fine...