Symptomatic

Dr. Corry is my primary physician. He's great, a good man and a good doctor. He went to high school with my mom and he delivered her 10th child, he is my brother Jesse's friend's dad, he's a member of the same religion, and when we moved to Mississippi I sorely missed the doctor I could trust and who I felt was qualified and capable.  He is a general practitioner so I knew he wouldn't know what was going on inside me like a specialized internist, however, I trusted that he would know in what direction to point me. 

But he did not.

Here is a letter I wrote to him when I saw him the last time, I wanted to write it all out so I wouldn't forget something important int eh 2-5 minutes they give you to explain your situation, and Dr. Corry graciously gave me the time to read it to him. (Note that at this point I was not eating high sugar content foods or drinks, but still was eating many processed foods, refined flours/pastas/grains, and sauces and dressings with high sugar content and had a carb addiction I wasn't aware of.)

Dr Corry,                                 August 2, 2013

 I made an appointment with you because I am seeking direction for answers to my state of health. I felt it best to come to you because you know more of my medical history than any other health care professional, although I realize you made need to refer me on to someone else, I trust your judgment and thought it would be the best place to start.

I’d like to review my medical history briefly. In 2005 I came to you for an IUD insert, and not long after an IUD removal as it was causing me to have 2 week long periods.  Later the same year I saw you for symptoms of major depression, historically I had postpartum depression after each of my children, which untreated and in combination with various environmental stressors caused me to have a major depressive episode.  At this time you prescribed me antidepressants (Lexapro), which I took for 3 months and were effective in alleviating the depressive symptoms, and this combined with therapy helped me recover.  I became pregnant in 2006, you became my primary care physician, and in preventative measures you prescribed me Citalopram in 2007 after the birth of my fourth child to combat postpartum depression.  I continued on and off this while battling the environmental stress of having a child with Downs Syndrome, heart defects, and her eventual death in August 2007. Furthermore after my fourth child I discovered I had a severe case of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, which involved high levels of anxiety before my period and depression during my period.  I stopped taking any medications in 2008, and through behavioral relaxation and cognitive skills was able to keep my mental and emotional health balanced, and was medication-free for 3 years during which time I went to graduate school.  After graduating with my MSW, I came to you in 2011 reporting symptoms of chronic fatigue, headaches, racing heart, and dizzy spells, fearing something related to diabetes; you had my blood drawn and had me wear a heart holster for 24 hours; the results of this were inconclusive, so you referred me to a cardiologist who gave me a clean heart bill of health. I was grateful to rule out heart issues.  I returned to you December of that year stating that I had tried some dietary restrictions to improve my health which had resulted in dramatic weight loss and a few symptom reductions, but I still had adverse symptoms when eating certain foods.  I suspected Celiac disease or hypothyroidism, because of the anxiety that accompanied my symptoms. You had my blood drawn again but my blood work results always came back the same: normal levels. So you prescribed me Zoloft, and I (at the end of my rope) consented.

Still, I was not sure if I should take the Zoloft, feeling strongly that there was something physically wrong other than anxiety but very much in agreement with you that my physical problems were exacerbating the anxiety. Being a mental health professional I knew the pros and cons to taking Zoloft, and felt like the neuropathways I had worked hard to develop that allowed me to cope in a emotionally healthy manner were well in place by this time, and that there was something else I needed to help me.  I remembered what you said in your office when I thought I had Celiac… "if that was the problem and you eliminated gluten then your symptoms would cease.”  So instead of taking the anti-anxiety meds I tried again with diet restrictions.  I eliminated wheat and I felt the same.  I eliminated dairy and I felt the same. During this time, my brother Jesse told me he is certain he has hypoglycemia and thought maybe I have it too.  That helped me feel validated that it wasn’t just my PMDD causing all my issues because Jesse is male and emotionally stable. Suspecting blood sugar regulation again, I read a book from 1980 about Hypoglycemia and tried the diet suggested there, and I started to improve! I was confused, isn’t "I'm hypoglycemic" just what people just say when you get cranky if you don’t eat? My mother has called me hypoglycemic since I was a child, but since my blood work always came back “normal” I just assumed that wasn’t anything but a nice way to say “you’re ornery.”  So I started researching.  There is relatively little out there about hypoglycemia, and the medical literature does suggest it is only a real problem if you have diabetes and have mismanaged your insulin intake. Hyperinsullinism was spoken of only as it related to obese people, obese I was not, but I found there are lots of adverse things that can happen to your body if you are consistently low on blood sugar and I had experienced most of them.  I couldn’t seem to discover what was causing my hypoglycemia, but I had every single symptom listed: sweat at night, headaches, nausea when I don’t eat, fatigue, shaky, vertigo, bloating, etc.  And I knew that I felt better when I didn’t let myself go more than 3 hours without eating. So I managed my health by cutting back on refined sugar (I haven’t had ice cream, candy bars, cookies or cake for 2 years!) and eating moderate amounts of complex carbohydrates, protein, fiberous foods and whole grains, fruits, veggies, and yogurt, and vitamin supplements for two years. By summer 2012 my strength and energy returned and I found I could exercise without feeling like I was going to pass out, I could mow the lawn again, my intelligence and love for learning returned, I would sleep 8 hours and need to get up to eat so I never overslept. I function better if I take a 30 minute nap daily, but that’s not always feasible. I was so very grateful that I found a way to keep myself functioning. I gained 10 pounds, instead of 103 I’m at 113!  And my mood is better regulated as well.

So why am I back in your office? Because I still have several symptoms that just aren’t normal for a person at age 35 to experience, in fact I feel like I am aging faster than normal, and when I prayed about who to see for help I was impressed to call you.  I relate to pregnant women and old people (always needing to eat, always tired, foggy brain, etc), low energy and get tired easily, and on a summer trip this year my 91 year old grandma had more stamina than I did. It is also very difficult to maintain a every-two-hour eating schedule! And its hard to keep myself off sugar in our current culture and hard to not over eat as well, but as these things spike my insulin and cause me to crash later I avoid them even though people think I'm crazy because I haven't been told by a doctor to abstain from desserts.  Jesse is also trying to figure out what is going on, why we can’t seem to process foods efficiently.  He suspects metabolic acidosis or something wrong with our livers, and it's not what we are eating but how our organs are processing what we eat. Do I need to see an endocrine specialist? A dietician? Do I need to see a women’s health specialist? Could the problem stem from an adrenal dysfunction that causes both my prementstral dysphoric disorder and my hypoglycemia?  Would hormone supplements help? Is it a sleep problem? Do I need my adenoids removed? I trust your direction, and if you tell me “Heather you don’t need to seek further treatment, you will be fine by maintaining the hypoglycemic diet you have managed your symptoms with,” then I will trust that I am doing everything I can to keep myself healthy.  But because of less severe but still adverse current symptoms, I want to know if there is anything else I need to be or could be doing in order to maintain my health. I’d like to know that I’m not still deteriorating unknowingly.  And I’m currently in a financial position to do some exploring.

List of all my current physical symptoms:

·         Inability to go 4 hours without eating during the day without the following symptoms:

o   Extreme irritability (personality change)

o   Shaking hands

o   Blurred vision

o   Head aches

o   Hot flashes or sweating

o   Nausea

·         Disorientation after napping (don’t know where I am or what day it is)

·         Severe headaches following even the mildest stress or being overworked, i.e. getting no nap, being too long in the sun, packing for a trip, having guests over, not getting enough sleep at night, etc.

·         Feeling starved after sleeping 8 hours and needing to eat immediately upon arising and sitting still to recover for at least 10 minutes.

·         Inability to function when I have not had enough sleep at night, and feeling like a nap is the only thing I can do to keep going

·         Being excessively tired around 9 o’clock each night, and feeling extremely irritable although I try to outwardly maintain a respectful manner.

·         Severe bloating at certain times during the month

·         After eating too much or having more than 6 grams of sugar at one time I feel a spike (energy surge, buzzing skin, stomach ache) and then within an hour a crash (hot flash or sweating, nausea, and a feeling like I am going to pass out)

·         Feeling keyed up or on edge, anxious, insomnia 10 days prior to my period and feeling unmotivated, moody, and exhausted during my period (PMDD).

·         Feeling like my nasal passages are somewhat blocked (I use breathe right strips at night)

·         TMJ that causes headaches (I have a mouth guard splint I wear at night to combat this)

    

       Any insight or direction as to why I'm aging so rapidly and have such a sensitive system would be appreciated.  Sincerely, Heather Schauers

     Dr. Corry again took my blood and tested it for a few things, specifically insulin levels, which I didn't think would do much good since I wasn't fasting at the time, but I had felt clearly that Dr. Corry was who I needed to see and it took some swallowing of pride to do so because I was so irritated with him for prescribing me Zoloft in 2012.  He called me a week later and said that all my blood work looked good, he listed off the tests and the normal levels, and said "I don't know what to tell you about your hypoglycemic complex."  He didn't know who to refer me to, and had no endocrinologists that he knew and trusted, but advised me to keep that letter if I did seek medical help elsewhere.  And that was that. Three attempts to Dr. Corry, and three dead ends. There was nothing wrong with me, but there was something very wrong and I had no choice but to just continue on and endure it.

Looking back I am grateful he didn't refer me anywhere else to spend more money for something I could fix myself, and I see the Lord did direct me to him even though I didn't like the answer he gave me. I still think he is a good doctor even though he didn't know what to do to help me. And its so simple! One day I'll write him another letter and let him in on my cure.