Hi @kam20 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You'll notice that I moved your message to this existing discussion where members are talking about getting an appointment at Mayo Clinic, specifically in the General Internal Medicine department. Click View & Reply to scroll through past comments.

Now to your post. I can certainly understand your disappointment (understatement, I know). You need to find answers to what appears to be a complex set of issues that may or may not be related. The reality is that Mayo Clinic receives more requests for appointments than available openings. Other factors for requesting an appointment come into play. Appointments are prioritized on the basis of medical need. Availability depends on the nature and urgency of the problem and Mayo Clinic's ability to help (as determined by a Mayo Clinic doctor). It is possible that reviewing your case, the physicians assessed that the care and treatments you are receiving is what they would recommend and didn't want you to incur additional costs for evaluation or travel.

General Internal Medicine is often very booked. Have you considered trying to get an appointment in another department at Mayo? Do you have confidence in the specialists you've seen thus far?

By any chance are you on Medicaid?

Kam, I know this must be scary and devastating, My symptoms came out of nowhere. I went running like any other day; that evening i landed in the ER and was admitted. That was May 2015; by mid-July I was imprisoned in a body that was not my own with a host of symptoms and, like you, no one could figure it out. I am a trained researcher and as sick as I was, I refused medications. Why would you prescribe me medications and you don't know what's wrong with me.

I would invite you to consider a few things (and I wish someone would have told me this when my journey began 4 1/2 years ago). What is your diet like? Do you eat a lot of sugar, processed foods, energy drinks (I noticed you said you were in college and my students tend to choose energy drinks over real food)? Food is medicine. Are there any unprocessed traumas in your history? What was your schedule like before you became sick (i.e. were you burning the candle at both ends, neglecting sleep and other self-care measures). Symptoms are a sign that something is either physically or emotionally wrong.

Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of the mind's effect on our health and resistance to disease. Overwhelming research has substantiated the notion that what we think, feel, and believe can seriously impact our health or exacerbate existing health issues. I tell you this, because no one told me when I first became ill. YOU ARE GOING TO BE OKAY! Fear and anxiety are not good for you right now. They are the enemy. Think about what you can change right now to contribute to healing. Your body has the capacity to heal itself if we give it what it needs. I am not on the other side of my challenge YET; but I have come a long way through a very clean diet, gentle movement at least 20 minutes a day, meditation and prayer, and restorative yoga or yin or yoga nidra.

If you are struggling college student like I was, then you may not have money for everything organic, but you can eliminate sugar, dairy, soy, and processed and fried foods. These foods are poisonous and toxic to a healthy body, so certainly not good for you now. If you are too uncomfortable for any type of exercise, I invite you to sit quietly and envision yourself doing some form of exercise that you enjoy. I also invite you to consider what was happening in your life before you became ill. Our bodies will protect us by any means necessary, including allowing us to become ill. When we are ill, we have no choice but to stop, be still, and deal with unprocessed issues. Well, we do have a choice to keep ignoring and resisting but what we resist persists. Along those lines, what we focus on the most expands. I don't spend as much time focusing on "the" illness (it consumed me for almost 3 years; I just wanted my life back). Instead I focus on accepting what AND envisioning myself as healthy, whole, and vibrant. This journey has taught me to love myself, to make myself a priority, to slow down and be present in the NOW, instead of always thinking about the future or the past.

I don't know why you became ill but I do know that we don't just become ill...though many believe this. Illness is a sign. Your task is to figure out what your illness is telling you and to ask what you can glean from this experience. I had to surrender to the illness before I cold learn from it.

I pray that you understand at least part of what I am sharing. I wish someone would have shared with me what I am sharing with you, when I started on this very dark and scary journey. YOU ARE GOING TO BE OKAY! Don't give up...stop, breathe, and assess what you CAN do to obtain the answers you seek. My journey was similar to yours in that I saw 16 specialists as well as dozens of alternative and functional medicine doctors, before I finally received a diagnoses. I don't recommend continuing that route; it's exhausting and driven by fear. Be very discerning about who you choose to be part of your care team and ask lots of questions. You must participate in your care. You know your body better than any doctor.

I am not a doctor, but have read books and blind, randomized controlled studies from the Mayo Clinic, Oxford, Harvard, John Hopkins, and the Cleveland Clinic. I've learned a lot to say the least. You shared that you have been prescribed various kinds of drugs and it seems often you have felt worse and certainly not better. In the future, when you are prescribed a drug for a symptom, I would invite you to ask the doctor the following questions:

1. Is this necessary?
2. What are the risks/side effects?
3. Are there other options?
4. What will happen, if I do nothing?

Then you carefully consider whether the drug is the answer. Often they mask symptoms, cause side effects and don't get to the root cause of what's causing our illness/dis-ease. I know you want a quick fix, so you can feel better. That can actually lead to you feeling worse. How do I know? Because I went down that road at the beginning. Be still and listen deeply to your inner self. It will guide you to the right answers and resources. Ask for help and keep asking. Make sure to get rest and to manage the stress of the situation. When we are dealing with illness of any kind, the body needs more rest and less stress. Failure to do this will only exacerbate the symptoms.

I don't know you but I am praying for you, Kam. I know what it is to suffer and to be afraid when there are no answers. I hope you have friends and family to walk with you on this journey. I don't really have any family, at least none that's supportive and not dysfunctional. Most of the people I thought were my friends disappeared when I became ill; it turns out I was only a function to them. I am a deeply spiritual person with a deep faith. This is what has carried me this far. I won't tell you what spiritual journey is right for you but, if you are open or already belong to one, I would encourage you to start a daily practice. Don't -practice to get healed or anything like that but practice to gain guidance and nourishment for your soul and well being. YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS!

Sending you lots of love and light!