Diagnosis and treatment that helped me so far(mid 20s f)
My symptoms were digestive issues, fatigue/exhaustion, food intolerance, psychological symptoms and most deliberating of all, brain fog. Health declined rapidly in past year and I was diagnosed with PCOS. Getting it treated got me enough energy and motivation to advocate for myself again. Years of gaslighting I thought it was just anxiety and depression.
I want to add that I tested negative for: celiacs, autoimmune,
Diagnosis and treatment, in order of helpfulness:
-Meds for chronic gastritis and GERD (endoscopy showed chronic atrophic gastritis/intestinal metaplasia/GERD. My "anxiety" symptoms drastically improves and memory is better when taking meds)
- PCOS diagnosis; taking metformin & inositol (healthy weight and all bloodwork related to insulin resistance came back normal and had numerous ultrasound previously. Finally diagnosed when my new OBGYN recommended transvaginal ultrasound and saw the follicles. Metformin helps massively with fatigue, inositol makes world look clearer and improves verbal fluency)
- SSRI and stimulant for depression and ADHD (definitely helpful. better mood, memory recall and less internal restlessness and better verbal fluency)
- Taking 24 hr allergy pill daily (I have reaction to like 80% of food. I get head pressure and brain feels inflamed if that makes sense)
- Dyssynergic defecation diagnosis (basically pelvic floor dysfunction, recently diagnosed. It explains constipation and chronic excess gas, bloating. I started pelvic floor exercises and it helps with my constipation. Will seek biofeedback therapy)
Helping but nothing drastic
- Eliminating dairy from diet (lactose intolerance, which triggers excess mucus and gas/bloat)
- Doing core/ab workout (My vision gets clearer and my sinus clears after working out, but it doesnt last all day. Recently started so cant say much)
- Massaging back of the head and sternocleidomastoid muscle with light pressure ( https://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/Images/thumbnail_large_GB-20c_tcm75-1681426.jpg press the point lightly and massage in circular motion for like a minute. It's better to do light pressure for longer time than strong and short. Doesnt have to be exact spot, try different areas to find the most effective spot. Its better to have someone else do it for you since you arm and shoulder tenses up and that makes fog worse)
- TMJ (I ordered red light therapy device and it helps quite a bit)
Still trying to get diagnosed or figured out:
- If I have SIBO (waiting for my SIBO test kit to be delivered. Read that SIBO could be cause or result of gastritis and GERD)
- If my pectus excavatum is causing problems (recently got mri test done due to digestion issue and got a clear photo of my pectus excavatum. It looks like it's pretty severe (haller index of ~6 if I am measuring it correctly), it would explain fatigue/low energy/heart palpitation and perhaps GI issues as well since it presses on other organs?)
- I have few old root canals possibility of infections from failing? xray didnt show anything
I suspect main causes for me are posture, mental health, and GI issues.
I feel like 50% of my fogs have cleared and maybe 70% on good days as of now. It hasnt been long since I started treatment so I am hopeful. Will post update, wish me luck :)
