Question: Hi. I am 35, female, have three children and have a high stress life. I work third shift half the week and intern during days the other days. Recently, like over the past couple years, I have had some strange health problems come up and I want to know if they are all connected. Some of the "bigger" problems are Benign Intracranial Hypertension (I now have a VP shunt), plantar fasciitis and what my dr has called transient arthritic symptoms, problems with TMJ and severe teeth grinding/clenching, headaches, IBS, colon polyps since I was 27, Raynaud's phemonenon, low resting body temperature, sensitivity to heat (air temp), chronic dry eyes and mouth and recently muscular pain, tenderness and feeling like my extremities are swollen and puffy. I also have long term problems with mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks and depression, but have been in therapy and using meds consistently for a long time. Nothing is relieving my muscular pain, and I don't know why I hurt as I haven't been injured recently and haven't been over-using them. Also, I am never feeling rested anymore... I know that you may think this is from working third shift but I have been on this schedule for two years now and didn't have a problem feeling so tired until recently. Is how I feel now just stress related?
Other info I just thought of-- I also have fibrocystic breasts, pelvic pain and very painful periods, I bruise easily and scar easily. I have been evaluated for autoimmune diseases like lupus and RA, both ruled out, but have had lab results like high sed rates without infection. Also an hypothyroid, but that's because I had a noncancerous thyroid tumor and had half of it removed.

Thanks for answering my question. Does that condition you mentioned resolve with steroid treatment or is it a chronic problem?
I just read info about polymyalgia rheumatica from mayo clinic. I wanted to point out that I'm 35, and the info said that problem usually occurs in people around age 65-70. Also, my family is Lebanese, and it said that problem is uncommon in people of middle eastern descent. Is there anything else this could be, or do I just have a lot of unrelated issues? And I do see my psychiatrist regularly and am treated for my mood/anxiety issues with medications.

I see where you're going thinking that this could be a somatic response to my psychiatric issues, but I just don't think that's it. I've dealt with high levels of stress before, and it has never resulted in this kind of problem. And I take more than one psych med, and am very aware of when I need to have them changed and/or adjusted. I've worked in mental health for most of my life and I am currently completing the internship towards my Masters in Mental Health Counseling, so I am well informed about psychiatric illness and how it can affect you physiologically. And besides, I can agree that there could be psychiatric causes for my muscle pain and body aches, but it can't be linked to my other problems. Is there anything else it could be?

I understand that.... My main question was about if there is a condition or syndrome that could explain why I have all these weird things and muscle pain. Could it be something like Lyme disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, serum negative lupus, some other autoimmune issue, fibromyalgia.... I just want to know if all of these problems in a pretty healthy young woman could be connected somehow. Or if I just have bad luck.
I have talked to my pcp about it but she just kind of brushes it off.

Ok. Thank you.