Weird Mystery Illness??!

Hi everyone, I've been having weird "spells" every once in a while for the last few months, and I would love it if anyone has any ideas (at least, more than my doctor) about what this could be and what I could do for it...

First of all...I'm 23. I have low blood pressure, which could be the culprit for these symptoms, but I have no idea. My doctor told me just to "eat more salt." In combination with that, I have a pretty high resting heart rate. No real heath problems though, and I am not pregnant.

So most of these "episodes" have happened in the early morning when I have got up for work, and before I have had a chance to eat breakfast. I'm feeling fine, and then all of a sudden a wave of heat breaks over me and instantly I get a cold sweat, my head is clammy and my face is pale. Simultaneously, I feel very nauseus, weak, and dizzy. Sometimes I will have to vomit, and then usually I will feel better for a little while, but then it comes back. This has happened to me several times in my sleep, and I've had to run to the bathroom to vomit. (Sorry this is so gross!)

This also happened to me last week while I was in the library, and one time while at a holiday party, both of which I connected to the fact that I had been standing for a long time, so maybe it was a blood pressure issue. Usually afterwards I feel shaky and weak, with cold hands and feet. Sometimes this is accompanied by a weird bodily numbness, a feeling I can only describe as being disconnected from my body. Usually the only way I feel better after this is to lay down and rest, and when I get up I eat something and feel normal again.

I know that much of this sounds like it could be anxiety, although I never feel anxious at the time it happens, and I've never heard of anxiety happening to people in their sleep. I had a CBC count done; I am a vegetarian and they wanted to make sure all my vitamins / nutrients are okay, and they were. I also had a thyroid test done and that was fine. I take a B-12 every day, along with a small dose of adderall twice a day (both of which I've been taking since before this began). I'm usually hungry all the time; I eat three good meals a day and a snack a couple hrs. after each one. Lots of fruits & veggies. I drink a ton of water (and, yes, I pee a lot!!!) When I get up I eat, and then feel normal again. No family or personal history of anything like this. 

If anyone has read this entire monstrous post I would be so appreciative of any feedback...have you experienced these symptoms, or have any idea what they could mean. Could this all be related to blood pressure? Maybe I need a glucose test? Thanks everyone!!!!!

I am no doctor (and I dont play one on tv).  But if the issue is dietary, I would guess the likely culprit is low potassium.

But it could be so many things - low blood sugar, heart problems, etc.  Only your doctor can help.  But if he is dismissive or suggests prescribing anxiety meds without looking for another cause first - see another doctor,  See a lot of doctors until you have your answer. 

I don't know what it could be, but you can go to www.webmd.com and use thier symptom checker to get ideas.  It'll ask you what part of the body and then go from there with more detailed questions about your symptoms.  Then it'll give a list of possible illnesses or conditions that you can read about and take to your doc to be tested for.

I get something very similar, usually early in the mornings.  Symptoms exactly the same, I will then vomit, feel better, starting getting hot and dizzy again, then nauseous, then after a little while I feel fine.  It only happens once in a while, but I know as soon as I wake up if I'm having one of those "episodes". 

I'm 24, 5' 1'' and just under 100lbs (I always have been, I haven't dieted to get to this weight), but I have had anemia on and off for 12 years, and also have a folic acid deficiency.  The low iron is what I have always put it down to.

I've been trying to eat a lot more red meat and green vegetables, and I really  think it has helped me. 

Any chance you might be pregnant?  If you are of normal weight, that's probably the first thing a doctor might ask you!  If you are other than normal weight, these are symptoms of a potentially serious issue.

Please, go see another doctor.  If this isn't pregnancy, it could well signal serious cardiac issues- eating more salt is not an answer. 

EXACTLY how I felt with uncontrolled hypoglycemia.

Original Post by wistfulxthinking:

EXACTLY how I felt with uncontrolled hypoglycemia.

 Thats a good point wistfulxthinking. 

And elizavita_joy - with your increased thirst and needing to pee more often thats a sign of this.     

My doctor has just sent me for a second blood test to check my glucose levels too.  I never linked the funny episodes to this before but it explains a lot!

You know I tried the low carb diet and this happened to me all the time. It is the worst feeling in the world. I went off that diet and went to watching what i ate counting my calories etc...And it all went away I believe it was low blood sugar.

I hope your doctor finds an answer for you.

Do you have a murmur? A friend of mine had the same symptoms and she kept going to the doctor and er and then one day when she was in the ER they called for a heart consultation and he said her heart murmur got bigger. It took her forever to get her diagnosis everyone kept telling her she was fine that there was nothing wrong with her.

halfway through this post i shouted hypo glycemia like a contestant on wheel of fortune. the hunger, the dizzy spells, the nausea. hello! you got some glucose trouble honey. easily gotten under control when it it diagnosed and treated correctly.

I had something similar except I would faint instead of vomiting -- sometimes my vision would be distorted for a minute or two before I'd faint.

After many doctors, found out I have (a) anemia (b) mitral valve prolapse. One thing that made this hard to diagnose was that I had two ailments thus harder to "fit into a box."

Hope this helps!

I would vote for hypoglycemia too. And if you have low blood pressure it makes the symptoms worse, especially when you go from prone to upright. If the doctor doesn't know what you have, go see another one. Doctors make mistakes and some are especially nonchalant with female patients, as they think we are all hysterical in some way... My sister in law used to have the same symptoms when she was your age. She is now 44 and has a chronic form of anemia (her body doesn't absorb iron, for some reason). So please get checked again.

I had similar symptoms and after a long time trying to find out what it was, I was diagnosed with Insulin Resistance. Have you ever had your insulin (not glucose) "curve" tested? (that test in which they draw some blood, make you drink an specified amount of glucose and two hors later they draw blood again, so they can see how your insulin levels "move")

M.

Thank you all SO MUCH for your responses! There are a few suggestions I hadn't considered, like low potassium and iron levels, and insulin resistance. I definitely will ask my doctor about glucose testing, too...and you guys are right, if my doctor tries to write it off then I will seek another doctor, because its one thing when this happens at home but it would be a much bigger problem if it were to happen while I was driving, for instance! Until I can get in to the doctor, I'm trying to eat smaller, more frequent meals, and make sure they include a lot of nutrients, and I'm trying to carry around a bite to eat in my bag just in case...I looked up what would be the best thing to eat if you are indeed hypoglycemic and start to feel this way...and I've seen a lot of conflicting information...some sites say a simple sugar is best because it goes to your blood stream quickly and some sites say a complex carb/sugar is better. Pretty strange. But thanks again! I'm going to make an appointment today.

Since it happens first thing in the morning before you've eaten, when you've been asleep and fasting for a long period of time, the first probable cause is low bloodsugar/hypoglycemia. Try having a snack right before you go to bed, and/or eat a little as soon as you wake up and see if that helps. It could also be anemia or some other deficiency.