Question: Hi,

I have been having the following symptoms and was wondering if you could offer advice?

From september time i have been having skin issues - dry, flaky scalp, dry itchy legs. I use tea tree shampoo now and rinse once a week with cider vinegar which stops break outs on my scalp. My legs are still bad - red and itchy - i can no longer shave them.

In the past month to month and a half i have been having further issues. I am tired alot and quite often my body feels exhausted. A few weeks ago i was having chest pains and had a prolonged cough. It felt like i was wearing a corset for a fortnight - an xray came back clear.

I have also been having issues with my bowels. I am constantly bloated, no matter what i eat. I have already cut out gluten and lactose from my diet and i am a vegetarian.

Its very embarrassing but the wind i pass really smells. It is foul. I am also constipated a lot. Recently i have been going once a week.

I am currently getting pains in my abdomen. Sometimes its the left side, below the ribs and a couple of times it has been the right side. On few ocassions the pains have had me doubled over, unable to stand up.

Other information would include fatigue and about a week ago i had pins and needles on the back of my head - like it had gone numb. This lasted a few hours each time over a couple of days and was accompanied by dizzyness.

I am on the progesterone only pill and have an eye disorder diagnosed 2 years ago when i was having further alarming symptoms.

I hope you can help.

Thank you for your reply. Please find further information below including a history of related symptoms. I’m sorry, it’s quite lengthy.

In September of 2012 I experienced sudden double vision which did not go away. I went to an optician who said I did not require glasses so couldn’t help me. I was also extremely fatigued – sleeping in my car in between university lectures. These both subsided within a month or two.

In January 2013 both symptoms came back and I was referred to an ophthalmologist. While waiting on an appointment, by February I was sleeping 10 hours a night and also 4/5 hours every afternoon. I was still tired after this – somewhat walking around like a zombie. Trying to do university work was a nightmare – I struggled to read the paper due to my vision and was so exhausted I could not concentrate.

During this time in February I was experiencing headaches and migraines daily and constant double vision. I had pressure pains at the back of my eyes like they were being pushed. I had to stop driving for a while as I couldn’t see properly. I was also experiencing nausea – but was never sick. My family even thought I was I drunk on occasions as I was somewhat staggering around and slurring my speech. I felt very dizzy at the time and often stumbled into things, knocked things over and forgot things – I definitely was not drinking.

For a few weeks during this time I was waking up at night completely numb on different limbs. This lasted up to 5 minutes a time I would say. Sometimes it would be one of my arms, sometimes a whole side of my body. When I say numb, I mean I could not move it. I had no control over it and could only move the limb by picking it up with my other hand. It was terrifying.

I also experienced tingling feelings like pins and needles on the right side of my face and head on occasions. This feeling also occurred on and off on both arms.

When I went to the doctor, they gave me amitriptyline for the headaches – I am no longer on this and no longer get headaches. They referred me for a CAT scan and an MRI scan of my head. These both came back clear so they took no further action. The ophthalmologist suggested I went to a private eye clinic in Glasgow (I live in Scotland). I was given glasses with a red tint to them (no prescription other than the colour) which I wear everyday when reading, writing, watching TV and looking at the computer. I believe it is a scotopic sensitivity as I get pain in my eyes when around light, and feel like I need to wear sunglasses whenever I’m outside – but I still do not understand how this developed so quickly.

I was also checked for dyslexia but I am not dyslexic. I was developmentally normal growing up, and have graduated university with a 1st class honours degree in psychology.

Over the course of a couple of months, these symptoms went away – apart from my eyes which is still unfortunately ongoing.


Recently, the symptoms seem to be coming back. Over the course of the past two months I have again been waking up with numb arms in the night. I sleep on my back – there is no way I have been lying on them. Again, the fatigue in setting in – my legs feel weak and sometimes I feel I could fall – although I don’t. I again sometimes feel like im staggering when i walk

I have been getting dizzy again, and as I said previously I have been feeling numb/tingling during the day. The worst one was on the back of my head which lasted a few hours each time and occurred over a few days.

Regarding my stomach – these symptoms have also been ongoing for a long time – I think since 2012. I’m not sure the POP is to blame as I have only been on this for 3 and half months. I went gluten free in 2012 as I noticed wheat was making it worse – I couldn’t only stomach one meal a day at the time so I cannot eat oats as anything with gluten really upsets my stomach. In 2013 I went lactose free too to try to make it better. I am still gluten/lactose free and a vegetarian. I have a good diet and I am not overweight. I am 5 foot 6 or 7 and weigh just over 9 and a half stone. I'm 24 years old. I have tried peppermint oil capsules before meals and buscopan throughout the day – both from the doctor and both to no avail. I have also been tested for crohn’s disease and celiac disease – but these were negative so I believe it is just intolerance.

I really am at my wits end with these symptoms. I don’t understand how I can feel so ill yet tests keep coming back clear? At one stage I thought it was possibly MS symptoms but when my head scans came back clear in 2013 I was confused? I don’t understand what is happening to me and what I can do about it? .