MCTD (Mixed Connective Tissue Disease)

I want to change my eating habits but I go back to the food I normally eat. I went to a health food store and bought Kombucha Clear Mind and it taste good. It is fermented and good for digestion. I got several vitamins too.

After reading countless books I found Nutritionfacts.org which I find very helpful. He also published a book this year entitled How Not to Die which is a real eye opener about nutrition.

@cornflower I just started and have been vegetarian ,I cheat with chicken at times though , glad to hear your doing well on gluten free.A friend told me about bread he said nuke it for 15 seconds before toasting ,its tolerable this way ,he,s right

@tigerlilly Good for you ,our food is so important for our health Sauerkraut and dill pickles are in the fermented class also .Ginger is also good for your tummy Good for you

From what several doctors advised me, do not stay long on Prednisone ! even though it works, and from personal negative experience with Amitriptiline, try Nortriptlyene instead...these meds have several uses such as for nerve related treatment, not just or only for depression. Similarly Plaquenil has other uses than what originally it was found to help with (tried but it did not help with my symptoms which are more auto-immune/ arthritic in nature.) Verify your bone density/ calcium levels every so often for side effects of the meds can be significant. It is a journey to find meds that are useful and to stay current with the changes in medicine/ technology for our body's ills. I find it necessary to seek at least another expert's (preferably at respected regional medical college for their clinic Professor's) opinions.

I have no diagnosis as yet. My sx are extreme fatigue, brain fog, peripheral neuropathy, and just generally do not feel well. My ANA was positive as well as antiRNA . CREACTIVE PROTEIN SLIGHTLY ELEVATED.All other components of the panel were negative. Magnesium was slightly low. B12 , CBC and Tsh were normal SED RATE NORMAL. I don't feel like doing anything. I seem to get stressed easier. I AM hot at times cold at others, but generally notice intolerance to heat. Thoughts?? My rheumatology appointment is pending.

Hello @lucindaj1, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I'm sure you will feel less stressed when you finally figure out what is going on with your health and get a diagnosis. There is another discussion here on Connect which may be helpful to you. It does mention some of your symptoms.

Groups > Women's Health > Chronic Illnesses of Millions of Women Left Untreated
-- https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/chronic-illnesses-of-millions-of-women-left-untreated/

You mentioned that you have brain fog and peripheral neuropathy along with extreme fatigue. Are you on any medications for these symptoms?

I was taking Cymbalta and Neurontin-- they may have helped with the neuropathy . however, I think they only added to the brain fog. I am not sure. I had negative blood work at the time that these were started.

Hello, @beekb - I wanted to add my welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You'll notice I moved your post here to an existing discussion in the Autoimmune Diseases group where many members are talking about multiple conditions. If you click on VIEW & REPLY in your email notification, you will see the whole discussion and can join in, meet, and participate with other members talking about their or their loved ones' experiences.

That does sound very difficult for you as you try decipher what may be going on. I'd like to introduce you to @johnbishop @lucindaj1 @lioness @bluejean, who may be able to provide some support and input as you seek answers to the abnormal ANA blood test, inflamed bile docs with copper infiltration, and wonder about vascular disorder, insulinoma and connective tissue disorder.

At this moment, @beekb, what symptom is the most difficult for you?

Hello, @beekb – I would like to add my welcome to Connect along with @lisalucier and others. I have no experience with what you are going through other than the feeling of confusion trying to understand medical condition summaries. When I review mine after an exam I always have questions...what does this mean? etc... I try to make a list of the questions I have so that I'm ready when I have my next appointment and I take the list with me so that I don't forget to ask the doctor. If they give me an answer I don't understand I ask them if they can give it to me in layman's terms. Sometimes I will message my Mayo Care Team through the patient portal with a question if I don't have an upcoming appointment and they have been very responsive.

I would definitely try to get them to answer any questions you might have probably starting with your biggest symptom/concern as suggested by @lisalucier.