Are these bad feelings bad enough?

Posted by mrjustinray @mrjustinray, Aug 26, 2020

Firstly, thank you so much to anyone that takes the time to offer any insight, wisdom or humor (I need it) to my query - Do all these symptoms warrant an appointment request? Basically, would I be seen?

I'm an athletic white male, 40, regularly exercise, vegetarian, no extreme diet changes, no medical history to speak of, no car accidents

Take no medications, but these supplements: (all labeled as organic) fish oil, calcium, iron, Ubiquinol, R-Alpha lipoid acid, Acetyl L-carnetine, B-12

Blood test taken 8/13 - Everything in a healthy range, cholesterol was a bit high

Cancer - Father's sister, Mother's mother

Father has ALS, but no other history of ALS in family

Systematically and somewhat swiftly, areas of my body seem to be revolting since late 03/2020, and new pains or sensations pop up every day. I'm nervous, scared, and I'm not sure what's wrong. I understand the only real answers I can receive are from actually seeing a doctor, and I'd love to be seen by the Mayo Clinic. I'm simply worried my appointment request be turned down.

*I started a little diary to keep track of the daily changes, I hope this is easy to read and understand.

March - Chest tightness, burning down esophagus (hasn't gone away), difficulty breathing, felt ulnar nerve pain in elbows when exercising

April - Continuous issues from March, now loose stool, occasional dizziness

May - Continuous issues, now also lump in throat, excessive mucus

June - Continuous issues, chest tightness returns regularly
- New is pain radiating in both hands, ulnar nerve pains in both elbows but mostly right elbow - Neuropathy? Fibromyalgia?
- Cramps in left hand become more frequent
-Occasional sharp pains around left eye, the orbital area
-Pain in left armpit
-Frequent neck pain - plus, feeling occasional pain between shoulder blades when turning or moving head
-Now, tingling in left arm from elbow to pinky

July - Continuous issues (throat burning, excessive mucus, etc.) , plus...
-Burning & occasional sharp pains in right chest when taking deep breaths
-Pain more frequent in hands - sometimes both, sometimes just right or left - usually thumb side, and pain on tops of feet
-Pain more frequent in left armpit
-Cramps in right foot, spasms in both calves
-Occasional pain in right groin, similar to pain in left armpit - Lymph node issues?
-(7/31) Hard nodule / lump under right jawline, more pain around my esophagus and general neck area

August - Continuous issues (constant GERD like feelings, acid reflux, etc) , plus...
-Twitching / spasms in calves every night. Cramps in feet often happen, pains in hands, lower back pain
-Neck pain more when moving head back, not forward
--Hard nodule under jawline still present, doesn't hurt when pressed, but a dull pain emerges moments after touching
-Occasional sharp pains at base of skull on both sides behind the ear
-Pain radiating down from right shoulder, through the arm to the hand.
-Tendons feel really tight in both wrists, "funny" feeling in both bicep and forearm muscles
-Dizziness and possibly vertigo when lying down on two nights - Hasn't returned
-Constant weak twitching in arms - biceps to hands, and legs - thighs to feet are pretty frequent
- Burning that starts in the left shoulder then spreads down the arm one night, then in the right arm the next few nights
-Low volume stool for 2 weeks - smaller and much less than usual
-Sharper pains in right thumb
-Pain in the area of the appendix for 2 weeks
-No muscle weakness, but some days right limbs feel heavy, or feel light the next day.
-(8/27) Low electrical like pulses through bottom of right foot

Hello, again. If you made it here, I'm eternally grateful. I know everyone's busy during these times and worried about their own health, or the health of their loved ones. If you have anything to say, or to ask, or advice, I am all ears. And if you think I shouldn't wait, and simply request an appointment, please let me know.

Stay safe, and have a great day!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Autoimmune Diseases Support Group.

Do request an appointment at Mayo! Do you have health insurance? I believe they were founded on the principle that they would not be elitist. The message "call for appointment" shows up regularly on their symptom/disease pages.

REPLY

Hello @mrjustinray, I would like to add my welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect along with @ellens and other members. You list a lot of symptoms and if I were you I would want to see a doctor and get some answers and possible treatments to help the symptoms. If you would like to seek help from Mayo Clinic, contact one of the appointment offices. The contact information for Minnesota, Arizona and Florida can be found here http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63.

Here is some food for thought to plan your conversation with a doctor - https://patientrevolution.org/visit-tools

Are you able to prioritize your symptoms? Which is the most serious to you or bothers you the most?

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@johnbishop

Hello @mrjustinray, I would like to add my welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect along with @ellens and other members. You list a lot of symptoms and if I were you I would want to see a doctor and get some answers and possible treatments to help the symptoms. If you would like to seek help from Mayo Clinic, contact one of the appointment offices. The contact information for Minnesota, Arizona and Florida can be found here http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63.

Here is some food for thought to plan your conversation with a doctor - https://patientrevolution.org/visit-tools

Are you able to prioritize your symptoms? Which is the most serious to you or bothers you the most?

Jump to this post

Thanks so much for the reply @johnbishop! I really appreciate it. I'm definitely going to contact Mayo Florida tomorrow. And the link for the conversation practice is much needed and means a lot.

But, gosh, prioritize... A few months ago I'd say the acid reflux/GERD symptoms. A month or so back would've been the neck pain and non-stop twitching & cramping in my arms and legs. Now I wonder if it's the lump in the neck or the pain in the appendix area.

It could be a horrific series of coincidences that all of these separate issues came at once - or they're all part of one more serious overriding problem.

If I were to prioritize by pain & discomfort - I'd say 1) neck (it all feels connected to that) - 2a) GERD-like symptoms - 2b) appendix area pain - 3) pain in hands (plus ulnar nerve-type issues like the burning in limbs) - 4) Cramps & spasms...

I've taken up so much of your time, but thanks so much. I'll prepare what I want to say. Have a peaceful night and stay safe!

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@ellens

Do request an appointment at Mayo! Do you have health insurance? I believe they were founded on the principle that they would not be elitist. The message "call for appointment" shows up regularly on their symptom/disease pages.

Jump to this post

Thank you so much @ellens. You're right, I should call, and I will tomorrow. I just always thought I shouldn't call a hospital unless I'm on death's door. Silly, I know. Lacking in common sense maybe.

REPLY

Good!!! Go for it--otherwise they could ask you why you waited so long! (Actually, they are very nice at Mayo.) I grew up around the clinic because of family.

REPLY

One more thing--because you have a history of a variety of symptoms, there will be an advantage at Mayo because they will probably form a team of various specialists to give input. If I remember correctly, you would have a coordinating Dr to present their opinions to you. Remember, it's the best.

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@mrjustinray You’ve certainly gotten some good advice. NOW, jus t call Mayo or, if they say no, then find a large medical center near you and call them. Keeping a notebook of everything that’s happened is so valuable ,it helps you when you get nervous. I have a medium-size notebook with all my different doctors. I can easily look up what one said and when. And I know who prescriber a medicine and when and all sorts so I have to remember.
Did you call today? Will you tell us what you learned?

REPLY

I have many of the symptoms with MCTD (an overlap of Lupus). Electrolytes really matter; we take magnesium for that. I do stretches at night before bed - hamstrings, glutes and gentle edema massage for calves. I occasionally get a hard lump on the jaw, which has to do with salivary gland - suck on lemon drops, helps clear the eustachion tubes. GERD: visit a gastro and avoid foods that trigger it - FODMAP to identify foods that do not agree with you. Stay upright a few hours after eating small meals. I drink camomile tea to relieve it. It can give you referred pain. Hand/wrist - I wear a splint at night and do hand exercises recommended online. A daily walk/bike ride/water exercise will help with generalized pain. I've been to orthopedic for back/knee/tmj etc. over the years. Get the images and then referral to PT. I also use ice/heat, epsom salt bath, KT tape, lidocaine patches. Intentional breathing and EFT tapping can also relieve the tension. I've found acupressure, splint, ice/heat help with that elbow pain. Move gently periodically, though.

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@mrjustinray

Thank you so much @ellens. You're right, I should call, and I will tomorrow. I just always thought I shouldn't call a hospital unless I'm on death's door. Silly, I know. Lacking in common sense maybe.

Jump to this post

One more thing--if you go to a Mayo Clinic site about any condition, there should be a box to click to request an appointment.

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@becsbuddy

@mrjustinray You’ve certainly gotten some good advice. NOW, jus t call Mayo or, if they say no, then find a large medical center near you and call them. Keeping a notebook of everything that’s happened is so valuable ,it helps you when you get nervous. I have a medium-size notebook with all my different doctors. I can easily look up what one said and when. And I know who prescriber a medicine and when and all sorts so I have to remember.
Did you call today? Will you tell us what you learned?

Jump to this post

I would be VERY surprised if Mayo said No.

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