Autoimmune Disorders :: Hair Loss - Diagnosed With MTCD
I was diagnosed with MTCD 2 years ago. My case is lupus and they don't know what else. My case is mild. I really don't have much pain but I can feel something is there. Over this past year, 2013, I noticed my hairline is receding and now the whole top of my head is thinning. I always had a really beautiful thick head of hair and took great care of it. I keep it short but kind of spiky. Always looked good. But now as I stated my hair is thinning so much you can see my scalp. Just wanted to know if this is happening to anyone else. I am currently taking plaquenil, prednisone, cymbalta and imuran. Very low does. My doctor told me to cut down on the prednisone but after 4 days without it, I felt bad. I visited my dermatologist last year for a scalp biopsy but he said I didn't need it and I agreed. No thyroid problem yet but my numbers keep getting high. I'm thinking it's all of the above but don't know what to do about it. Any suggestions besides a wig?
View 1 RepliesButtocks / Legs Pain - Sciatic Nerve After Foot Surgery
Did anybody have problems with nerve pain in their buttocks and/or legs especially the sciatic nerve after ankle/foot surgery? I am almost 5 weeks post op and I'm having pain in my left leg starting in my left butt cheek. I had a lot of work done on my left heel such as lengthening heel cord and cutting heel bone and shifting it. My heel has not been healing well. Doctor has me put clean bandage on everyday and then wrap it with ace bandage. He also put me on antibiotic. My heel does hurt.
View 5 RepliesAt Age 42, Hair Loss On Arms And Legs
At age 42, I'm starting to notice some loss of hair on my arms and legs. I'm a male, and of Mediterranean ancestry, so I've been quite hairy in those areas since I was a teen. My hair remains very full and thick on my head, so it seems odd I should be losing it in other places. Is this normal? I don't like the way it looks - like the skin of an old man, all bare and plain.
View 2 RepliesNeurology :: Hair Loss With Scalp Pain And Normal Labs
My hair has been falling out for 4 years and I also have scalp pain. It feels like someone has been pulling my hair.
Out on the occipital area. The pain comes and goes. I have had a biopsy by a dermatologist, which was inconclusive.
I had an MRI, that was normal. Does anyone know who I should see or what to do? All labs normal!
Hair Loss :: Anemia (low Iron Level) Losing A Ton Of Hair Each Day
I began seeing bald patches on my head: one rather large one and 2 smaller ones. I also am losing a ton of hair each day. I have been diagnosed with a ferritin level of 8 and an iron level of 28. I am taking 325 mg of iron 3 times a day along with other vitamins. Approximately how long before I see an improvement in hair fallout and regrowth. I am also seeing a dermatologist for corticosteriod injections to help with regrowth in the completely bald spots. I am strongly considering shaving my whole head?
View 4 RepliesLegg Calve Perthes' Disease :: Terrible Pain In Knee And Hip
My son who is nearly 8yrs old has recently been diagnosed with perthes.
After a few hospital visits for pain firstly in his knee and then in his hip, being in terrible pain and being unable to walk or put an weight on his leg. we being told he has perthes.
We were advised to return to the hospital in 1 month ( next week) for his hip to be re x-rayed (his previous x ray was normal) and to look up the disease on the internet. Hence how I found this site and others.
My son is not currently in any pain unless he does too much where he then says it aches. his leg is very stiff and has no movement and his foot is turned in.
My immediate fear is will pain (which was horrific to witness!) return or is it possible that the pain is over?
Also has anyone been able to obtain an information booklet on the disease that is appropriate for his age?
Thyroid :: Hashimoto's - Hair Loss, Depression, Anger, Memory Loss And Weight Gain
I am a 25 year old female and I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease probably around 2012 or so. I take 75MCG every morning and I do blood tests about once or twice a year to make sure my levels are stable. What I need help with are symptoms. My boyfriend has been very supportive, he was the reason I went to get the initial blood test because he said my symptoms reminded him of Graves Disease and it worried him. Well, I went to the doctor and got the tests done and he told me I had Hashimotos. Since then, my boyfriend has told me that he hasn't seen any improvement in my symptoms, in fact he thinks they've gotten worse. I have looked at a lot of different lists of symptoms that people with Hashimoto's Disease can experience and I experience a lot of them. I'll list the ones I experience the most and a little bit of a description to each so maybe someone can help me with what I need to do to feel better because honestly it makes me miserable.
-Hair Loss - Every time I brush or wash my hair there is always tons of hair in the brush or tub. It's everywhere all the time, I shed like the cats.
- Depression - I don't know if it is actually depression, but a lot of the time I feel like I'm just not good enough to be around anyone. I'll find myself crying at ridiculous moments with absolutely no reason for it. I also find myself thinking that people I know (and can acknowledge even when I'm feeling this way) love and care for me, and yet I still think they don't care about me and will abandon me at the drop of the hat, which breaks me down mentally.
- Stress - This is probably one of my worst symptoms. I am always stressed out about something, even ridiculous things that shouldn't be stressing me out. One of the biggest things I stress about is what I mentioned with the depression. I feel like my friends and loved ones are going to abandon me at any minute, which scares me and results in me lashing out at them in ways that if I can't control it soon enough may result in them actually leaving, which terrifies me and just puts me into a never ending loop of stress and depression.
- Anger - I can't seem to rationalize other people's behaviors. Completely normal behaviors that don't normally bother me result in me lashing out and screaming at people and saying things that I don't mean to say.
- Memory Loss - This is a really bad symptom. I forget things very quickly. If I don't actively keep it in my mind, I won't remember it. A perfect example, when I was still in college I was walking through town with some people and when we were going back to the dorms I made a comment about a truck I saw. I used to see it all the time and hadn't seen it in a while so I made the comment. The people I was with looked at me really confused and just flatly stated "You said the exact same thing when we walked by it on the way out" and I honestly don't remember seeing it at any point that day. In fact I didn't remember seeing it for around 5 months, and yet they claimed that I made the exact same comment I just had, earlier that day. It really messes with my head when people tell me that I did or said something and I can't remember doing it to save my life.
- Weight - Before I started taking synthroid I weighed 110 lbs, after I started taking it I gained like 30 lbs and I can't lose it. I'm stuck between 135 and 140 (I'm about 5'6" tall)
- Headaches - I get headaches on a daily basis. Sometimes they're really bad but generally they're just a slight discomfort in my frontal lobe area.
- Sleep - It takes me forever to fall asleep and even when I do I can't stay asleep and then I feel exhausted all day when I wake up, as if I never slept at all.
Another thing I've noticed and that is that sometimes I feel like I can't swallow properly, I always feel like I have to yawn to get a lung full of oxygen, and my nails curl downward along the curve of the tip of my fingers on like 3/5 fingers.
Hair Loss - Hair Has Become Small And Too Short
I suffer from the problem of hair loss before marriage at the age of 19, where he was my hair loss, which is a dense tuft and continues to now (24 years old) so my hair has become very small and too short
Use Pantene Shampoo
To know what to make .....
I want advice and guidance and your directions even know the main reason
What are the required medical tests ....
Bone / Joint :: Knee Pain: Ligament Tightness Behind Knee, Slight Knee Pain Under Kneecap
So I dislocated my knee in January of this year. I was given a device that isolates my knee cap and hold it in place. I wore the device off and on over the year whenever my knee would feel sort of irregular. I worked out routinely to help strengthen my knee, it helped the pain somewhat, but mostly just made me feel better about the way I looked, and kept me healthy. I haven't worked out since some time before Thanksgiving. Starting this week i've started to feel this new akward feeling behind my kneecap, sort of like the ligament behind my knee cap is tightening, sort of similar to how it felt when I dislocated my knee, but not exactly the same. I get the pain after fully bending my knee, for example when I am on my knees doing my job stocking shelves at work, when I stand to my feet I can usually feel the pain. I try doing a couple of different stretches when to make the feeling go away a bit, but it comes back, and then it eventually goes away again.
My knee "pops" (makes a loud popping noise and pressure) pretty regularly now but when I get off of work and off of my knees I experience the discomfort much less. I want to start exercising again on Monday, but I am scared I might dislocate again. I will try using the knee cap device again tomorrow, but I feel as though whenever I use the device, it makes my knee feel like jello the next day, and make me want to use the device again, even though I was advised by my doctor that I should not need to use it regularly. ....
Lichen Sclerosus Seems To Be Autoimmune Disease?
Does that mean that we women are more susceptible to viruses, respiratory infections, etc.? Do most follow a certain diet ?
View 25 RepliesNo Probiotics For Autoimmune Disease / Hashimoto's
Has anyone read or been told by their doc they should "not" take probiotics if they have Hashimoto's or other autoimmune illness?
I read somewhere that one with autoimmune problems should not take probiotics that it could cause systemic yeast infection. Now I can't find that article. Everything else I read states probiotics good for autoimmune disease.
Azathioprine For Autoimmune Hepatitis Disease
I have been living with AIH for 14 years, first diagnosed when i was 14 years old. Luckily I am fairly stable with the odd flare up now and again. I am being looked after by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bham and they are brilliant. Currently i'm on 50mg of Azathioprine a day and its brilliant with no side effects. I have been on Prednisolone in the past and i've not got on well with it. My doc keeps mentioning the possibility of me having to go back on it in the future but I don't like the side effects.
View 41 RepliesGraves Disease With RAI :: What Happens To The Antibodies (autoimmune ?
Say you have been treated for Graves Disease with RAI and that deals with the hyperthyroidism (not so much with the eyes though!), what happens to the antibodies that were attacking you thyroid with such vigour and verve? Do they just go home because there's nothing left to attack? Are they always in your system waiting to attack public enemy number 2? And why do these things decide to attack the very thing they are meant to be protecting? Is it genetics? Childhood illness (whooping cough, measles and mumps in my case.) Environmental factors? Stress? Diet?
I am sure there are many schools of thought and theories to all of these questions but I am curious still about where these wee anti-bodies go after the illness (or symptom of your illness) has been irradiated in my case.
Hair Loss :: 38 Female Eyebrow Loss In Patches
For the past year, I've been losing my eyebrows in patches. Patches will grow back, but then fall out weeks/moths later. I'm a 38-year-old female, healthy and fit. Recent blood work all normal. Thyroids normal. I'm not losing hair anywhere else, and my skin has no redness or dryness. It is just my eyebrows that keep falling out. The only thing I could think of was my birth control--I was on the Mirena IUD. But I removed it and ceased all birth control several months ago and the problem persists. All doctors I've visited have been stumped, thus my online question.
View 2 RepliesAutoimmune Disease Is Creating Warts On My Back
I am 2 days into the vinegar treatment. I can't reach them on my back to use duct tape. Too many anyway. Does anyone out there have them on
their back? Does just the vinegar help?
Autoimmune Disease? Every Morning Pressure In My Chest
I am interested to know if anybody here has autoimmune and if so do you have discomfort in your chest. I've had my heart checked and it's OK but I wake every morning with pressure in my chest. Was wondering if this was typical for autoimmune.
View 3 RepliesAutoimmune Disease? Rheumatoid Factor And High Anti-CCP
I have been to multiple doctors over the pas year. I started out at an orthopedic surgeon because my knee was swelling (previous meniscus removal in that knee btw). According to him nothing was wrong with my ligaments so he referred me to a rheumatologist. After testing positive for both blood tests (rheumatoid factor and high anti ccp level) he diagnosed me with rheumatoid arthritis. I did not have any of the typical symptoms of rheumatoid so I went to the Mayo clinic for a second opinion. I then tested negative for the rheumatoid factor and after a thorough exam, he concluded that I don't have rheumatoid. Throughout this time and still now I have been experiencing the following symptoms:-
-random blurred vision
-popping and pain in elbows
-popping in back when taking a deep breath
-numbness every once in a while in fingers
-chest tightness and shortness of breath
I have had chest xrays, full blood work, etc. All came back fine. Am I making this all up in my head?! I feel there is something wrong but every doc I go to says I am fine.
Diagnosed 4 Autoimmune Disease Together - Arthritis, Coeliac, Hypothyroidism..
I'm 25 and over the past 6 years I've been diagnosed with 4 pretty serious autoimmune conditions. When I was 19, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis which is often crippling, even now. I was told this was an autoimmune condition. Shortly after, I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease, another autoimmune condition. The Arthritis and symptoms of the coeliac disease when I hadn't controlled it obviously made me feel unwell and I often felt lethargic and unhopeful due to a lot of pain and stuff going on in my body.
I managed to go on a clinical trial which allowed me to have a new and powerful arthritis drug which dramatically improved the condition and I managed to cut gluten out of my diet. I also lost a bit of weight - this helped.
However, after the trial, my symptoms of arthritis gradually came back but was usually kept under control with the exception of a few flare ups.
When I was 23, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes after getting a very quick onset flurry of symptoms (another autoimmune condition) - I find this very difficult to manage.
I've recently moved cities and transferring all of my specialists and treatments left me with no arthritis medication, and a long wait until I see a diabetes specialist to adjust insulin levels. As you can probably imagine, I've been in an awful lot of pain and been feeling very down, tired and lethargic. I'm very upbeat although having so many conditions and I don't let it bring me down, even though I work a full-time job 8 til 5 everyday. I've been having problems with blood tests, platelet counts, that kind of thing.
I was aware that I had the antibodies for Hypothyroidism as I had the test for that about a year ago and I knew it was just a matter of time before I developed it. Upon my most recent blood tests, my TSH level was 47.7 - ten times the top end of the normal limit. I've literally just started levothyroxine but, as you can imagine, I feel completely overloaded with health issues and like my head is going to explode and quite down about it all.
I'm sorry to give you my life story but I was just wondering if any one else has any of the other conditions I have and how they manage with all of them?
Also - how should I have been feeling with a TSH of 47.7? Should I have been feeling VERY different because, like I said, I always feel fairly tired and down due to the combination of illnesses. Any advice at all would be appreciated - I feel massively alone with this.
Autoimmune Disease? Tooth Decay / Lots Of Cavities
I'm a 24 year old female. I've been trying to figure out what is wrong with me for years. Two doctors, and two dentists, suggested that I may have an autoimmune disease, but I've had no diagnosis. I am wondering what autoimmune disease in particular this might be closest to. I've had these symptoms for a long time:
- Mild arthritis in right hand (since 17 years old) - maybe once a year, my fingers unexpectedly become swollen and arthritic, and then it goes away after a few weeks. It was most severe a few years ago, when my fingers became very swollen, hot, itchy and red, but it eventually calmed down and has not since returned with the same severity. My fingers in this hand are tilted towards the side, the joints have bended a little a bit sideways. Both of my hands and fingers are always very cold.
- Chronic fatigue
- A skin rash, cluster of small red bumps, that comes and goes on the side of legs. Also get random isolated red bumps throughout the body.
- Underweight and can't easily gain, though this might be genetic. I've always been underweight.
- Hair loss (began at age 18)
- Brain fog
- Vision getting blurrier / sensitive to light
- Eyes sore and red especially in the morning
- Poor looking skin
- Chronic sinusitis for the past 3 years. No cure or known cause (allergies were ruled out) - the sinusitis and red eyes clear up on steroids and antibiotics, but come back afterwards. So possibly a bacterial cause.
- Low blood pressure, low body temperature (96.5 - 97.5 on average)
- Tooth decay. I've had a lot of tooth cavities since I was a teen. I often wonder if tooth decay is the underlying cause of all of my problems. I've had many fillings and a root canal, but continue to have seemingly never ending problems with my teeth. My oral hygiene habits are extremely thorough though, and I try my best to prevent the cavities. I do everything I can to keep my mouth and teeth clean; electric toothbrush, brushing, flossing, special mouthwash, special toothpastes, etc.
I eat a relatively healthy diet and take vitamins and nutritional supplements. I've been experimenting to find the best diet to cope with this..whatever it is. I notice my health and energy levels are very dependent on how well I eat. If I eat junk food, or even the standard American diet, I feel very ill, exhausted and can't function. I can't have "treats" like a cookie or brownie, doing so could make me feel miserable for the next 24 hours. I keep myself semi-functioning by eating as simple and clean of a diet as possible, and consuming a lot of fruit and vegetables every day, along with tea and coffee.
My top two suspicions are that this is all a manifestation of tooth bacteria, or Celiac disease. Or maybe both. Most dentists don't believe that tooth bacteria would cause such an elaborate array of health problems, but I think it might be possible. I've heard of meningitis and heart disease caused by tooth decay. All of my symptoms started after I started to get severe tooth cavities, it was after having a root canal when I began to have severe hair falling out, and from then on my health went downhill. I had a blood test for celiac by a gastrointestinal doctor and they told me the results were negative. I never had an intestinal biopsy.