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Hey All,

I'm trying to make some progress with my overall health and there are several issues I've been dealing with for the past few years. Been following Paleo since December and have noticed the most substantial change being less blood sugar fluctuations.

I have been dairy-free since this time and gluten free for several years. I've tried more supplements than can fit on several pages. I've spent a lot of time with doctors (ND's and MD's) the past few years and have had limited success mostly due to all my hormone tests coming back "within range". I finally got a recommendation for an endocrynologist but the earliest appointment I could get is in August. Just wanted see what other information I can gather beforehand or if anyone could offer any advice. I'm a 28 year old, active male who practices martial arts several days a week. 5 10", 150 pounds.

Symptoms

  • fatigue - tired throughout day, body feels very stressed after exercise, capacity for exercise has decreased substainstuially as well as muscle mass. I don't go through a process of getting sleepy When its time for bed for example. My body normally just feels like it shuts off when I get tired and when this happens I can't stay awake. Sometimes this happens during the day.
  • muscle development - unable to put on any muscle, regardless of diet
  • food allergies (no IGE but IGG(delayed response) to apples, lactalbumin, wheat, crab, fennel, buckwheat, pork - celiac tests came back negative.)
  • lots of anxiety
  • depression
  • mental fog
  • decreased erection size (also haven't had a morning erection in years)
  • more and increased frequency of back pain (extremely stiff and sore in the morning, the pain also greatly affects my sleep, which is probably causing some of the daytime fatigue/tiredness. I also found out I have ligament damage with no specific injury causing it)
  • digestion - still have bloating/indigestion issues
  • hold weight around stomach

Test results

  • total testosterone (450's and been in this range for past 5 years) and free testosterone in range
  • t3/free, t4/free, t3/reverse, tsh/3rd generation, tsh all within range
  • 24hr urinary cortisol came back within range as well as several DHEA tests
  • FSH/LH within range
  • vitamin D at a good level
  • CDSA stool test revealed nothing substaintial other than elevated cholesterol levels in stool and low pancreatic enzyme count (something ive been supplementing with for several years)
  • mri of pituitary gland came back normal
  • 2006 colonoscopy revealed nothing
  • 4 hour glucose tolerance test within range

Current Supplements

  • LifeEssence multi
  • Dr. Ohira's probiotics
  • Similase GFCF enzymes
  • Biogenesis Inflamazyme enzymes
  • 1000mg Vitamin C
  • 5mg DHEA
  • Magnesium occasionally (not sure if this actually helps)
  • Just stopped 30mg Optizinc after several months of use

I have spent a lot of time trying to heal my gut and adjust my diet, since I've had digestive issues since I was a kid hoping this would clear up the other areas but I feel I've maxed out my success, which is frustrating. Just went for liver enzyme test which I'm waiting for the results of. The Doctor would not agree to test IGF-1 since my testosterone levels are "normal", although its something I asked specifically be checked. I could provide a lot more detail but rather than overwhelm anyone reading I wanted to see if I could get any feedback using this summary fist.

Thanks for any help I get.

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 My celiac tests came back negative because they are 40% accurate. I am celiac. Plus, if you were on a gluten free diet prior to testing, they will definitely come back negative. – VB May 28 at 18:45
By the way, have you been trough some stressful things prior to your health problems? Just asking... – VB May 28 at 18:46
I went through a few years a pretty high stress prior to developing most of these issues. Each doctor I've talked to seemed to rule out adrenal issues, so I began to myself but I'm not sure what to think at this point. – JW12 May 28 at 19:02
I unfortunately don't have a better recommendation but I wish you the best in finding out what will help you feel better! These symptoms can be so frustrating. – latergator May 28 at 19:50

3 Answers

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Have you been checked for Lyme disease? Spent any time in fields in the NE with deer ticks? Some of the symptoms match up. I live in a high Lyme area, and have had several friends go through similar health struggles- turned out it was later stage Lyme. Good luck in solving your health issues.

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THats interesting. No I havent been checked for lyme. I've been around ticks but never had a bite as far as I can tell. I was at the hospital a few months ago for an injury and they checked my blood count and all saying I did not have any infections. I don't know if this would rule out lyme or not. – JW12 Jul 14 at 13:10
No, lyme is very hard to detect, let alone diagnose. Tests are notoriously unreliable. I wouldn't fret it unless you start getting serious neurological symptoms or joint symptoms. – Dan Aug 7 at 3:34
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Have you checked your B 12.When your gut is compromised your body cannot absorb B12,no matter how much you eat.Injections are in order.Also what does it mean good d levels.They need to be optimal,from 50 up.It sounds like you might have adrenal fatigue,which can be fixed by diet.Also for your stomach you can chew mastic gum,take aloe juice and avoid nightshades.It will reduce the bloating.Hope this helps a little

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I haven't had b12 checked. Maybe this is something I should add to my list for the endocrinologist. My Vitamin D levels were 34, since then I added 3000 iu and then dropping it down to 2000iu, now I'm not supplementing at all. I don't notice any difference coming off of it. I used aloe juice in the past for nearly a year, it became too expensive and I quit taking it when I added the Biogenesis enzymes, which seemed to help more. Can't say I've noticed any problems with nightshades. My body seems to really like yams/sweet potatoes for instance. – JW12 May 28 at 19:08
34 vit d by far is not a good number and supplementing with 3000 is going to just maintain it.I'd recommend you check the vitamin d council web page.You need way more than that to bring it up to 60,70.I'm not saying it will resolve your issues,but it will help.As for the B12,your reg GP can test you for that.Also,you if you constantly feel bloated,you might want to test for h pylori,a lot of people have that and don't know it and it causes stomach problems if not treated.I know what you mean about aloe being expensive,so is mastic gum,but that along with monolarium helped me heal my stoma – desi May 29 at 11:51
Also there is this pharmaceutical grade probiotic called VSL#3,which is very expensive,like 80 dollars for a month,but it's the only thing that helped me,every other probiotic was irritating my stomach.It's refrigerated and you can order it from your pharmacy or order it from the company and they ship it overnight in an ice pack – desi May 29 at 11:55
Sweet potatoes are not nightshades. White potatoes are. – Kelly Jun 12 at 1:29
I have seen sublingual b-12 in health food stores. Surely this is preferable to injections? – Dan Aug 7 at 3:32
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Maybe your thyroid is off-sometimes we'll fall in range but actually be abnormal. Also, could it be adrenal fatigue?

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