Recognizing that the internet is not and never will be the same as have
a doctor present (i.e.; dont give me a lecture on that topic, please) :

For the record I am 30 years old, female, Caucasian (great grandparents
primarily of Russian descent).   I live in Eastern Pennsylvania (USA).
My maternal grandmother died in her 60s of {*filter*} cancer. My paternal
grandfather died of heart failure.  My mother has Graves Disease, and
my sister is apparently hypothyroid.  I am generally fit.  I bike ride
(in the summer, 200+ miles / week, when i can), horseback ride, run,
and lift light weights.  I think I eat okay.  I have no children.  My
{*filter*} pressure has always been in the high end of normal.  I'm not
taking any medication or herbs.

About a year ago, I underwent a brief exploration for the symptoms
described below that included Lyme Titer, SED, ANA, MRI (head only),
UA, and a bunch of other things... basic {*filter*} workup, etc... As far as
I know, Mono, Lyme, Lupus, EB, Hepatitis, thyroid conditions were all
ruled out.  The only interesting finding was my IgE was over 700 (so my
allergist says, "yup, you have allergies."  pollen, dust, and {*filter*}
allergies to some raw fruits, veggies, nuts, and beans - nothing life
threatening - and nothing i hadn't already deduced.)  Frustrated, I
gave up on a medical explanation and decided it was all in my head.
But things seem to be getting worse again, and I can't tell if i'm a
hypochondriac for wanting to explore it further, or an idiot for
pretending it's not happening.

these are the primary symptoms.  i'm not sure which are relevant and
which aren't:

- Intense Fatigue.  For over a year (last year was the first one that
was so dramatic that i couldn't ignore it as simple stress or over
exertion).  Comes and goes.  Lasts weeks at a time, then goes away
again.  Not just tiredness.  I feel like I can't keep my eyes opened
even when quite stimulated.  Sleep or activity don't seem to make any
difference.  I'm not a caffiene {*filter*}.

- Dizziness.  From childhood, dizziness when standing still for long
periods of time.  I'm okay when i'm walking or running or sitting, but
standing still is a killer.  If i resist the dizziness for long enough,
i will pass out.  briefly - and then, to the bewilderment of anybody
near me, get up about 5 minutes later as good as new.  hot showers
(especially on an empty stomach in the morning) sometimes also make me
intensely nauseated and dizzy. As far as I can remember, this has
always been so, and I've done my best to avoid making a spectacle of
myself... lately, i've been getting dizzy in other situations too - -
most notably, when looking up, looking down, and motion sick.  none of
these used to be problematic for me.  It seems to be worse in the
summer, and I have entertained the possibility of some slight
dehydration as causal.

- Pain.  About a year ago, at the same time i was experiencing fatigue,
i began to have pain in my right hand, and right foot.  The hand pain
seemed at the time to be limited to the area around the joints in my
fingers, and the toe pain was limited to the joint between my big toe
and the ball of my foot.  The finger pain mostly went away in November
(and returned in the spring, went away again, and recently returned
worse than ever), and the toe pain increases and decreases in intensity
with no discernable pattern.  The finger pain returned about a month
ago, and is now in both hands equally - and sometimes up through the
wrist... although nothing is constant.

- Numbness: I'm not sure if numb is the correct word.  My feet, ankles,
and legs seem to fall asleep (pins and needles) or "go numb" (feels
like receiving Novocain for dental work ) with increasing frequency.
It happens when I am sitting for long periods, but also sometimes when
I am moving.  For example, my foot and ankle went numb while I was
riding my bicycle last weekend.  I was still able to feel it enough to
ride and walk - - I can move it, but not with full precision.  I
sometimes feel unsteady when I walk - especially on stairs.    My left
hand/arm has also been feeling somewhat numb lately.  Sometimes, my
left ankle feels very hot - - like it is in hot water.  The feeling
usually lasts less than a minute, and it does not seem to be hot on the
outside.  For the most part, my legs will not go numb if raised.
Today, my left leg (below the knee), my left arm (below the elbow) and
the left side of my face seem pretty numb.  For a few hours now.  It'll
probably feel better tomorrow.

- The numbness and pain in my hands sometimes seems to be somewhat
activity related.  Doing anything with my hands (driving, bike riding,
carrying things) seems to make them feel kind of hot (on the inside but
not the outside) for awhile, hurt later, feel numb even later, then
hurt some more, then sometimes feel okay again.  But then again, my
arms seem to go numb often overnight (perhaps i'm putting too much
weight on them while sleeping.)

- I have no muscle pain, although maybe some muscle weakness.  It's
hard to measure.

So, what do you think of all that?

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Share what you know. Learn what you don't.

->- Dizziness.  From childhood, dizziness when standing still for long
->periods of time.  I'm okay when i'm walking or running or sitting, but
->standing still is a killer.  If i resist the dizziness for long enough,
->i will pass out.  briefly - and then, to the bewilderment of anybody
->near me, get up about 5 minutes later as good as new.  hot showers
->(especially on an empty stomach in the morning) sometimes also make me
->intensely nauseated and dizzy. As far as I can remember, this has
->always been so, and I've done my best to avoid making a spectacle of
->myself... lately, i've been getting dizzy in other situations too - -
->most notably, when looking up, looking down, and motion sick.  none of
->these used to be problematic for me.  It seems to be worse in the
->summer, and I have entertained the possibility of some slight
->dehydration as causal.

This sound a lot like Neurally Mediated Hypotension.  Has anyone suggested
that?  And the pain problems can be neuropathy, which is often associated with
NMH, especially in people who are diabetic.

Mark London

I'm not a doctor and don't want to worry you unnecessarily, but have
your doctors considered Multiple Sclerosis?  Or Fibromylagia?  Or then
again (and considering the alternatives I would hope this is the case)
maybe you are just a hypochondriac!!
Good luck and keep searching for answers.
Cathie F.
Saskatoon SK

->For the record I am 30 years old, female, Caucasian (great grandparents
->primarily of Russian descent).   I live in Eastern Pennsylvania (USA).
->My maternal grandmother died in her 60s of {*filter*} cancer. My paternal
->grandfather died of heart failure.  My mother has Graves Disease, and
->my sister is apparently hypothyroid.  I am generally fit.  I bike ride
->(in the summer, 200+ miles / week, when i can), horseback ride, run,
->and lift light weights.  I think I eat okay.  I have no children.  My
->{*filter*} pressure has always been in the high end of normal.  I'm not
->taking any medication or herbs.

I responded to you earlier with a couple of possibilities, but then I realized
It may still be that you are slightly hypothyroid, because all the
symptoms you mention also are of hypothyroidism, but that the problem is not
severe enough for lab tests to show it.  Have you had the full spectrum of
tests?  Have you seen a specialist in hypothyrodism?  Many people have had lab
tests come back normal, but it later turns out they did have hypothyrodism,
but were borderline in lab tests so the doctors did not feel it was worth
treating.  You may need to find someone who is more liberal in their
interpretation of lab tests.

Another possibility is that you have a magnesium deficiency.  That can cause
high {*filter*} pressure, fatigue, numbness, pain, etc.  Magnesium deficiency is
not really that uncommon, and can be made worse if you are taking extra
calcium without additional magnesium, since too much calcium can cause a
magnesium deficiency.  The deficiency may be primary, or may be secondary to
another problem (possible due to hypothyroidism, which can cause all sorts of
irregularities, since the thyroid controls so many functions). In any event,
you could either try supplementation yourself, or find a good holistic doctor
who prescribes supplements.

Mark London

This sounds a lot like CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome).

This is almost certainly NMH (Neurally Meditated Hypotension).

Here are all the references to neurally meditated hypotension that I
know of:

Streeten DH; Anderson GH. "Is neurally mediated hypotension an
unrecognized cause of chronic fatigue?" [letter]. Lancet, 1995 Apr 29,
345(8957):1113.  UI: 95231188

Wessely S.  "Is neurally mediated hypotension an unrecognized cause of
chronic fatigue?" [letter]. Lancet, 1995 Apr 29, 345(8957):1112;
discussion 1112-3. UI: 95231187

Walden RJ. "Is neurally mediated hypotension an unrecognized cause of
chronic fatigue?" [letter]. Lancet, 1995 Apr 29, 345(8957):1112;
discussion 1112-3.  UI: 95231186

Rowe, P; Bou-Holaigah, I Kan, J; Calkins, H;. "Is Neurally Mediated
Hypotension an Unrecognized Cause of Chronic Fatigue?". Lancet, March
11, 1995.  345:623-624

Bou-Holaigah, I; Rowe, P; Kan, J; Calkins, H. "The Relationship
Between Neurally Mediated Hypotension and the Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome".  JAMA, Sept. 27, 1995 274:12:961-7.

Rowe, P; Bou-Holaigah, I Kan, J; Calkins, H;. "Is Neurally Mediated
Hypotension an Unrecognized Cause of Chronic Fatigue?". Lancet, March
11, 1995.  345:623-624

Bou-Holaigah, H. Calkins, J.A. Flynn, C. Tunin, H.-C. Chang, J.S. Kan
P.C. Rowe "Provocation of hypotension and pain during upright tilt
table testing in {*filter*}s with fibromyalgia".   Clinical and
Experimental Rheumatology 15:239-246, 1997

I think, if you can, you should go to Johns Hopkins for an evaluation
to see if you have NMH.  You should also look at the newsgroup
alt.med.cfs.  Good luck!

--

We don't have a system for delivering health care in the USA.  We
have a system for making profits off of sick people.  This system
is EXTREMELY good at making profits off of sick people!