What tests to ask for

Hello, all,

I'm new to this forum. Honestly, I'm hoping (and thinking) I do not have MS, but something is going on, and I'm trying to learn what things I should have the dr. test for so I can begin to feel better. (And I wasn't sure where else to ask.)

about two years ago, I was a very fit and energetic triathlete, although I'd have occasional issues, which I'll explain below, but not regular enough or persistent enough to cause me concern. Then, within a month's time, I went from being able to run 13 mi no problem to struggling to make it to three. (No diet change or anything as I've always been a healthnut that ate whole foods cooked from scratch.)

Then, by the end of the week, even a mile exhausted me. (But walking was fine, although not such a distance. lol) I also had knee, ankle, and hip pain. The dr. put me on naproxen, but I just quit running. (Too hard, to discouraging.) Asked him about my loss of running ability and he basically said people have plateaus and it'd get better. Well, it didn't.

I'd also get vertigo periodically, but really, not regularly. Went to the dr. He figured I had an inner ear virus and gave me motion sickness pills. They didn't help. I figured maybe I was hormonal, so just took it as par for the woman's course. ;)

Then, I got sick intestinally. In Oct. I was diagnosed with lymphocytic colitis and have been struggling to reach "remission." I'm on 9 mg daily of budesonide.

In Nov, I had severe vaginal burning. I know. Not MS. And hopefully not tmi. Went the gyno, had lab tests done. No yeast or bacteria. She said she thought I had atrophy and said she thought it was autoimmune.

Now, the vertigo is much more frequent and there are times when my muscles just don't seem to want to work. I get this feeling as if they are really tight (mostly my arms and hands), but they aren't. I also get burning on the bottom of my feet, like a chemical burn, and often feel fatigued. I also get headaches, most often behind my right eye, although I get the headaches all over.

I am hoping this is caused by malnutrition as I'm on a very restrictive diet and am still having intestinal issues, but as some of the symptoms started prior to the intestinal problem, and as I also have reynaud's and perhaps the atrophy being caused by AI, I'm wondering if there's a connected issue here.

I see the dr. tomorrow and plan to have her test my estrogen levels, corisol levels, and vitamin levels. (I'm really hoping she'll say, "Oh, you're low in B12. Let's get you a shot." Then bam, I'll be back to running. ;)

Thanks for the response, jack73572. The tests came back good. The only thing I'm low in is Vit. D, and I can fix that with a supplement. She said I didn't not test positive for ... well, I forgot how she worded it, but I know she tested for lupus and that came back negative. I will see an ENT for the vertigo, to see if it's an inner ear issue. Other than that, I'm wondering if this is all in my head. :P

If I still have issues once I get my other medical stuff straightened out, perhaps I'll pursue an MRI, but at this point I'm thinking this must all be either diet related or psychosomatic.

Thanks, Jack73572. I will do that. :)

Essay, this was a different dr. ;) Thanks. And a Q, if I did have anything significant going on, it'd show up in the bloodwork, right? I know she tested for ANA, and I don't remember the other, but I believe she said it was to check for inflammation.