Sick and tired of being sick and tired

I have posted here on and off for a while. I do not have a diagnosis, but do have family history of RA, high ANA, Raynauds, stomach inflamation and gastroparesis, joint pain, anemia, etc. I think I may be having what you all call a flare. I am exhausted, feel sick, chilled, have sores in my mouth, and pain. I am so sick of feeling this way. I need to go to a podiatrist before I see my rheumy again. I keep putting it off due to health issues with my kids. When I last saw my gp a couple of weeks ago, she said the report from the rheumy said that I did not have a diagnosis, but I needed to be closely watched due to all of the above issues.

Without a diagnosis, is there anything that I can do to feel better? Can the doctor do anything? I spent the holidays last year feeling awful- I was severely anemic at the time and severely vitamin D deficient. Still working on the anemia, though it is better. Any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated. I am tired of this...

Hi Alli,

Being in dx limbo is so hard, Babs gave you some great advise. The only other thing I would like to add is, if your doctor is not treating your symptoms or taking your pain, etc serious it may be time for a new rheumy. I know it may sound drastic but sometimes that's what it takes. Many of us see multiple rheumy's before we get answers. I do hope you get some relief soon. Take care and keep us posted on how you are doing. And always, feel free to ask more questions.

Everyone has given you wonderful advice; the only thing that I would add is that if you're able to, you might want to try the gluten free diet for a week or two to see if it helps you feel better. The first time I went gluten free (for 9 days) I was amazed at how much better I felt. Not all of my symptoms went away, but several of them got significantly better. I definitely had more energy.

When I started eating "normally" again, I developed horrible sores all over the inside of my mouth, violent headaches, vertigo, extreme fatigue and really nasty gastric symptoms. Later I found out that I do have celiac disease along with lots of other autoimmune diseases, so now I've gone gluten free for good.

Mouth sores, anemia, vitamin D deficiency, gastric problems, exhaustion....those can all be associated with celiac disease (as well as other AI disorders). I think the gluten free diet is worth a try....but it's just a suggestion.

If you're interested, check out this link for helpful hints: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2006/01/morning-after-diagnosis-that-is.html

I really hope you find some answers and start to feel better soon!
((hugs))
JoAnn