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What Causes Tiredness, Whiteness Of Tongue And Painful Patches Of Skin?
Question: I have been sick with flu-like symptoms since October of last year. I feel like I have the flu and it just won't end. I'm tired all the time, cold all the time. off and on my tongue turns white my stomach issues won't clear up. I get patches of skin as large as 10 sq in that are painful to touch like a typical viral infection.
Background: I was working very hard on a project and living out of a hotel. I ended up in the ER with a peptic duodenal ulcer and a terrible pain in my lower left quad. I also had a very bad case of dandruff that all seemed to start at the same time. At the time I was admitted, my blood sugar was very high 350 and my liver function was also high. Given metfromin, omeprazole and did a round of ciprofloxacin and metronidazole because the theory was it was probably diverticulitis (but was not). Ultimately, I improved but I still feel sick.
Since then: I have had a CT scan (normal) Scoped both top and bottom (normal). Found small amount of blood in urine so did a urogram and got scoped there too. Minor swelling of prostate likely cause, but otherwise all that checks out. As of XXXXXXX 1, my liver numbers are normal. I've stopped taking blood sugar meds completely A1C is 5.9 but my morning (fasting) blood sugar will be 90 and the next day with same diet over 150. Just completely exhausted all the time. Ulcer seems to have subsided but my small intestine is "sensitive". Carbs really make it worse. Have also had a lot of blood work except nobody has done endocrine study yet. All blood work is normal and WBC is only ever so slightly elevated.
Last Wed: I finally felt well enough to go on a one-day marketing trip where I was running all over XXXXXXX for the day. Then, I spent three days in bed, stomach is worse, tongue turned white again, side started hurting again. Left side has a patch that is just painful to even touch and I hurt all over and I'm freezing.
I am seeing a GP and GI specialist. I feel like the two of them don't want to get in each other's way but neither is getting the larger picture. I'm only working 5-6 hours a day and napping 2 hours a day, can't sleep at night. Going nuts and loosing my business because I can't get anything done. Both these guys tell me to wait it out, I'm getting better but they don't understand how BAD I really feel. I'm getting desperate for a solution.
Background: I was working very hard on a project and living out of a hotel. I ended up in the ER with a peptic duodenal ulcer and a terrible pain in my lower left quad. I also had a very bad case of dandruff that all seemed to start at the same time. At the time I was admitted, my blood sugar was very high 350 and my liver function was also high. Given metfromin, omeprazole and did a round of ciprofloxacin and metronidazole because the theory was it was probably diverticulitis (but was not). Ultimately, I improved but I still feel sick.
Since then: I have had a CT scan (normal) Scoped both top and bottom (normal). Found small amount of blood in urine so did a urogram and got scoped there too. Minor swelling of prostate likely cause, but otherwise all that checks out. As of XXXXXXX 1, my liver numbers are normal. I've stopped taking blood sugar meds completely A1C is 5.9 but my morning (fasting) blood sugar will be 90 and the next day with same diet over 150. Just completely exhausted all the time. Ulcer seems to have subsided but my small intestine is "sensitive". Carbs really make it worse. Have also had a lot of blood work except nobody has done endocrine study yet. All blood work is normal and WBC is only ever so slightly elevated.
Last Wed: I finally felt well enough to go on a one-day marketing trip where I was running all over XXXXXXX for the day. Then, I spent three days in bed, stomach is worse, tongue turned white again, side started hurting again. Left side has a patch that is just painful to even touch and I hurt all over and I'm freezing.
I am seeing a GP and GI specialist. I feel like the two of them don't want to get in each other's way but neither is getting the larger picture. I'm only working 5-6 hours a day and napping 2 hours a day, can't sleep at night. Going nuts and loosing my business because I can't get anything done. Both these guys tell me to wait it out, I'm getting better but they don't understand how BAD I really feel. I'm getting desperate for a solution.
Brief Answer:
My thoughts below
Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXX,
Thank you for posting your query to HCM,
I'm sorry to read all that you have been going through, and thank you also for the detailed information that will help me to have a full picture of your problem.
Here there are some of my thoughts:
-- We can almost rule out a cancer, organic visible GI system problems, prostate and urine problems, liver problems and infections (since wbc are normal). The exams you have done (if accurate) are the right ones to rule out serious problems.
-- High sugar from time to time may come from stress and the situation you are going though. I would not yet call it diabetes, but keep in mind to do check-up of it once in a while when you are not with other problems, and healed from the current situation. Its not something urgent to be worried about, and taking care of the diet would keep it under control and help with stomach problems too.
--...for the diet: I guess you must know a lot about it: eating often and frequently, knowing things that make your stomach worse and avoid them, eating healthy foods too. Sometimes people develop a gluten intolerance with the age, which may cause a lot of symptoms not connecting with each other like you have. Try eating gluten-fee foods of 2-4 weeks and see if that helps. You will see the result right away, and decide the diagnoses if that is the case. Its amazing how frequent that had become recently, and its not a problem that doctors know much. So, I would recommend to consider and try it.
-- The flu like symptoms lasting for so long, getting worse when you get out, and with normal wbc, may must probably be a problem of allergy, sensitivity (that may also go along with the gluten intolerance). What causes the allergy we can't be sure until you do a prick-test, that will check if you have any allergy of the 40 most common substances that cause it. Again, it may be an acquired allergy. If taking allergy drugs like Benadryl helps you, then its most probably that.
-- Other things that may give tiredness for such long time, that you haven't still checked is the thyroid function and the Hepatitis antigens to detect if there is a virus causing high liver function from time to time. Now that is not as common as the others mentioned above, but its one of the things we surely need to check in a person who feels tired for long time.
-- Meanwhile: continue eating healthy, continue taking Omeprazole (because stress may cause a relapse of a gastritis in the stomach and the fact that you have been taking lots of medicines may have made that appear again.
From seeing the full picture that you have presented to me, that is what I would recommend if you was my patient. Hope that is helpful. Let me know if you have other questions.
Take care.
Dr. Papaqako.
My thoughts below
Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXX,
Thank you for posting your query to HCM,
I'm sorry to read all that you have been going through, and thank you also for the detailed information that will help me to have a full picture of your problem.
Here there are some of my thoughts:
-- We can almost rule out a cancer, organic visible GI system problems, prostate and urine problems, liver problems and infections (since wbc are normal). The exams you have done (if accurate) are the right ones to rule out serious problems.
-- High sugar from time to time may come from stress and the situation you are going though. I would not yet call it diabetes, but keep in mind to do check-up of it once in a while when you are not with other problems, and healed from the current situation. Its not something urgent to be worried about, and taking care of the diet would keep it under control and help with stomach problems too.
--...for the diet: I guess you must know a lot about it: eating often and frequently, knowing things that make your stomach worse and avoid them, eating healthy foods too. Sometimes people develop a gluten intolerance with the age, which may cause a lot of symptoms not connecting with each other like you have. Try eating gluten-fee foods of 2-4 weeks and see if that helps. You will see the result right away, and decide the diagnoses if that is the case. Its amazing how frequent that had become recently, and its not a problem that doctors know much. So, I would recommend to consider and try it.
-- The flu like symptoms lasting for so long, getting worse when you get out, and with normal wbc, may must probably be a problem of allergy, sensitivity (that may also go along with the gluten intolerance). What causes the allergy we can't be sure until you do a prick-test, that will check if you have any allergy of the 40 most common substances that cause it. Again, it may be an acquired allergy. If taking allergy drugs like Benadryl helps you, then its most probably that.
-- Other things that may give tiredness for such long time, that you haven't still checked is the thyroid function and the Hepatitis antigens to detect if there is a virus causing high liver function from time to time. Now that is not as common as the others mentioned above, but its one of the things we surely need to check in a person who feels tired for long time.
-- Meanwhile: continue eating healthy, continue taking Omeprazole (because stress may cause a relapse of a gastritis in the stomach and the fact that you have been taking lots of medicines may have made that appear again.
From seeing the full picture that you have presented to me, that is what I would recommend if you was my patient. Hope that is helpful. Let me know if you have other questions.
Take care.
Dr. Papaqako.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Pradeep Vitta
Thank you for your reply.
My GI doc did do a hepatitis screen -- negative.
Also, I do have allergies and have done all the testing. Most of mine are tree/pollen/cat and I treat that with Nasacort and the cat now lives elsewhere. It's hard to take benedryl because that makes me more drowsy, but I did try Allegra for a week and no change. Also, I have been carefully manipulating my diet to try and discover if there is a particular thing that causes trouble.
I think thyroid is next to test.
I don't have much to do with my mother's family. They are all kind of nuts, and the relevance of their medical history is unfortunately hard to decode because they all smoke, drink and eat so much fried food there is not a gall bladder to be found among them. However, I just learned both my mother's sister and brother have thyroid issues and one of them has had a small tumor removed from the pituitary glad. Seems more than reasonable to get all that checked.
My GI doc did do a hepatitis screen -- negative.
Also, I do have allergies and have done all the testing. Most of mine are tree/pollen/cat and I treat that with Nasacort and the cat now lives elsewhere. It's hard to take benedryl because that makes me more drowsy, but I did try Allegra for a week and no change. Also, I have been carefully manipulating my diet to try and discover if there is a particular thing that causes trouble.
I think thyroid is next to test.
I don't have much to do with my mother's family. They are all kind of nuts, and the relevance of their medical history is unfortunately hard to decode because they all smoke, drink and eat so much fried food there is not a gall bladder to be found among them. However, I just learned both my mother's sister and brother have thyroid issues and one of them has had a small tumor removed from the pituitary glad. Seems more than reasonable to get all that checked.
Brief Answer:
Details below
Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXX,
I'm glad to hear that some of the diagnoses have been ruled out by you yourself. Congratulations on the way you are taking care of your health.
True that thyroid problems sometimes go with family history, pituitary gland problems less though. Anyway, if you would check one, and will make you feel better if you know about the other, then go for it. Hope they come out with normal results, and you get well soon.
Let me know about those results if you want when you get them back. I would be happy to advise about.
Regards,
Dr. Papaqako.
Details below
Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXX,
I'm glad to hear that some of the diagnoses have been ruled out by you yourself. Congratulations on the way you are taking care of your health.
True that thyroid problems sometimes go with family history, pituitary gland problems less though. Anyway, if you would check one, and will make you feel better if you know about the other, then go for it. Hope they come out with normal results, and you get well soon.
Let me know about those results if you want when you get them back. I would be happy to advise about.
Regards,
Dr. Papaqako.
Note: For further follow up on digestive issues share your reports here and Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
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