Feel like I'm losing it...

Posted by kimmiesue @kimmiesue, 1 day ago

Since late last year, I’ve had a rotating set of symptoms, but the one constant has been shortness of breath—possibly due to a partially paralyzed diaphragm. For about six weeks, I also had intense, rash-free itching. Blood work showed nothing unusual except elevated platelets, and then the itching vanished as suddenly as it appeared.

Lately, I’ve noticed increased body odor despite unchanged hygiene habits and deodorant, as well as lightheadedness while walking. I sometimes joke that my “warranty expired” when I turned 55, because that’s when things started going downhill. I hesitate to visit my doctor for every new symptom—though she’s never made me feel like a hypochondriac—because I don’t want to chase dead ends.

Recently, I was laid off after 22 years with the same company. While it wasn’t what I wanted, my long tenure means I have a fairly long severance with benefits. I plan to use some time to improve my diet, hydration, and sleep. If nothing changes after a month or so, I’ll head back to my doctor.
If nothing comes of it, then I think I'll just have to accept my weird symptoms, unless something more sinister comes along.

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@kimmiesue55
I also lost my job and “warranty”in my 50s. 😉

Have you had your hormones and thyroid checked? Perimenopause and menopause was really difficult for me and caused all sorts of symptoms. Body odor, itching and shortness of breath may be tied to hormone changes and/or thyroid. High platelets can be tied to iron deficiency. You may want to ask your doctor to do a full thyroid panel (TSH, T3, T4, TPO antibodies) and iron panel (iron, TIBC, ferritin). You may want to rule out Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and iron deficiency behind your symptoms. I had both. Iron is better (after d&c and iud plus iron supplements due to being mostly vegetarian) and I am now on thyroid medication.

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