Question: I've been suffering with a number of symptoms for almost a decade now and could really use some insight. I feel that my concerns have not been taken seriously, nor have they been thoroughly investigated, and I'm at the end of my rope.

I began having horrible joint and nerve pain when I was about 16. I was referred to and saw a rheumatologist at 19, who did nothing more than a physical exam. He noticed fluid in my knee but did nothing to treat it or find the cause of it. He prescribed a few different fibromyalgia meds, though he did not diagnose me with fibromyalgia. All of the meds made me sick, and I didn't feel that he was listening to my concerns, so I did not go back.

For years I attempted a more natural route to relieve my symptoms. I tried everything from eating a strict raw diet to twice-weekly visits with a chiropractor. Nothing helped.

After a move, I made an appointment with a general practitioner in my new area. For some reason she sent me to an eye doctor who insisted I have double vision (I don't) and prescribed me $500 glasses that I cannot afford. My vision is okay aside from a bit of blurriness if I'm trying to read something from far away.

I went back to the general practitioner and explained that I really could not afford the glasses, and that I couldn't understand how glasses would help my joint pain. She referred me to a geneticist and specialist who were supposed to evaluate me for Ehlers-Danlos. The specialist said the thought that I could have a form of Ehlers-Danlos for which there is no genetic test, but that it's unlikely. Because of that, I was unable to see the geneticist and left without answers, yet again.

A few months ago I had a horrible muscle spasm which caused my neck to become extremely stiff. I went to the clinic and had xrays taken, which showed reversal of normal lordosis. I was given muscle relaxers and recovered about 10 days later. I messaged my general practitioner about the curve in my spine and she said, "There's really not much that we can do here to help you. You need to put it to rest." I've never felt so dismissed and hopeless.

I recently had a horrible pain in my upper left flank and made an appointment with a new doctor at the same clinic. He told me that my urinalysis was fine and he didn't know what to do. I asked if an ultrasound might help find the source of the pain and he lectured me about ordering tests without knowing what's wrong and raising medical costs. He offered me pain meds, which I denied. I feel that this is extremely important to menoon because I have never ever asked for pain medication and I have turned them down a number of times. I feel that every doctor I've seen assumes that I'm just seeking pain meds, which could not be further from the truth. All I want is an answer to why I'm in so much pain.

This evening I received a notification that my urinalysis results were available on my online medical chart. It turns out that I actually have 30mg/dl protein, "many" bacteria, trace ketones, moderate epithelial cells, and mucus present. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but that does not seem like a normal urinalysis. I'm just at a loss.

Please see my entire list of symptoms below:

Currently experiencing excruciating nerve pain in my right shoulder that travels down to elbow, nerve pain in left knee, thumb twitching, and flank pain that has still not resolved. (These symptoms have been non-stop for 5 days).

Frequently experience:
Polyarthralgia, stiff neck, joints that crack constantly without warning, nerve pain that tends to affect one area then travel to another after a few days, twitching muscles, ice pick headaches, back/muscle pain, spine pain and stiffness (makes horrible cracking sound that is much different than normal cracks), numbness/tingling in extremities, fatigue, vertigo, and fertility issues.

It's important to note that I am only 26 years old. Aside from my debilitating symptoms, I take very good care of myself. I eat a very well balanced diet, exercise when my symptoms ease up, I have a glass of wine every few months or so, and I maintain a healthy BMI.

Any insight would be so greatly appreciated.

I have never been offered an MRI or CT.

Thank you for your response.

I have had the blood tests you listed, all of which came back normal.

To answer your questions: I do not sleep well or feel rested after waking. I have daily, stabbing headaches, usually behind the eyes, near my temples, or in back of head. I am usually bloated after eating and constipated. My concentration is extremely poor and my memory is horrible.

I have tried a few different fibromyalgia medications, none of them helped and they made me very ill. Also, the rheumatologist that I did see was not comfortable diagnosing me with fibromyalgia. Is there anything else you can think of that my symptoms might fall under the category of? I'm concerned that it may be neurological. Would you recommend an MRI?
Additionally, I am an active person and do exercise quite regularly.