Just to give some history, I’m a 37 year old African American female and had a scare back in may of this year when I felt a painful lump in my left breast. It turned out to be what my dr. called fibrocystic change, which she recommended that I make changes to my diet (she had me start a diet of 80% vegetarian / 80% organic, no sugar, or processed foods), which I did for about a month and a half strictly. I went from being 168 pounds to somewhere around 150 in those 2 months. During this time, I also began to experience some lower abdominal pain on my left side, which I followed up with my gastro doctor about. Concerned and extremely anxious at this point, I stopped the diet and just did my best to eat what I felt like eating, which wasn’t really much because between the stress and discomfort, I had no appetite. After a blood work to check my liver, pancreas, gluten allergies, parasites, a flex sig and a colonoscopy that just yielded some piles, and one very tiny benign polyp (as my gastro doctor put it), my doctor said he didn’t need to see me for another 10 years unless there was another problem. Though I was still extremely anxious, as I kept wondering what was wrong, at this point I was worried about why I had no appetite and couldn’t seem to gain the weight back – though I wasn’t really loosing. I then began to have the lower abdominal / left side pain again but this time it was a little lower and also like in my left hip (behind the butt). I followed up with my GP and also my GYN doctor, who took a CT scan of the lower abdomen/pelvis, a transvaginal ultrasound as well as an MRI of the pelvis/lower lumbar area. Everything came back ok according to the doctors with the exception of an ovarian cyst on the left ovary (that later self-resolved), a 2cm submucosal fibroid that was also on the left side and a bartholin cyst that could only be seen via ultrasound (not externally for some reason). The GYN doc explained that the fibroids could definitely be causing the left side pain and she asked me to take note of when the pain seemed to come on as it might coincide with my cycle. I felt a bit better over the next couple of weeks, with the exception of a nagging post nasal drip that had been going on during the spring. In August, I’d begun to feel tension around my temples and jaw and would feel lightheaded off and on. One night while sitting at my son’s football practice, I felt so lightheaded that I was certain I’d pass out. I went to the ER and they checked all my vitals, did an EKG, thyroid test, a D dimer test, chest xray, etc., and all was fine. The ER doctor talked to me about my health anxiety, which was pretty bad for obvious reasons and prescribed some adivan for me, which I took for a couple of days, as needed. It did seem to help calm me down with minimal side effects, but I stopped because I really wanted to get to the bottom of what was causing the physical symptoms and if things were all in my head, then I was determined not to worry any longer. Fast forward to October and I’d experienced few symptoms other than the post nasal drip, the lightheadedness from time to time (which my GP and ENT doctor gave me amoxicillin for my sinuses and then said to take Claritin D for. After 3 weeks, I stopped the Claritin, thinking it would help with the lightheadedness. It’s been much better since), and a bitter taste that I’d get in my mouth in the mornings prior to eating, and still the decreased appetite. About a week and a half ago, I noticed while watching TV that my right foot felt tight across the instep and ankle. I checked and it was swollen a bit so I watched it and it’s still swollen until now. Over the past weekend, I woke up and my right hand felt tight. Later that day, the space between my thumb and first finger was swollen, my hand and arm ached and my hand felt a bit claw like. I went in to see my GP and he said basically that my foot swelling looks like the case of a leaky vein (as the toes aren’t swollen, just the area around the instep and ankle), and that my hand swelling was a case of tendonitis which happens with folks who type and text as much as I do (and I do a lot). My hand swelling has dies down, but my ankle still swells throughout the day and feels tight. Over the past week, the bitter taste in my mouth has persisted and I keep feeling nauseous and burping constantly (sometimes bringing up partially digested food). I am gassy in my chest, as well as in my lower abdomen (so it’s literally gas coming out of both ends) and I really just don’t know what else to do. I don’t want to offend or overwhelm my doctors any more, but I really just want to know what’s wrong or if this all really is caused by my anxiety. I’m so desperate for help.