Make a connection, ask a question, share a concern, give advice or just chat. Our message boards connect you with a community of people who understand where you’re coming from and what you’re going through.
I've had bad pain in my chest for two years, constant since the start. I also get a pounding heartbeat and shortness of breath every time I lay down, and randoms times while I'm just going through my day
I'm weak, especially in my legs. Going up a flight of stairs is difficult. I get random stabbing pains in my legs, and they even ache a lot of the time (especially my knees). I have horrible insomnia, and random muscle twitches. My walk has changed apparently too, I've been told I kind of shuffle. Sometimes I notice a slight tremor in my right hand too
Kicker is, I'm 19.
I've seen lots of doctors, had several Endocrinologists absolutely convinced I had hyperthyroidism, but the tests were normal
I had a neurologist convinced I had Mitochondrial Myopathy, but the muscle biopsy was inconclusive
I've seen GI specialists, cardiologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, endocrinologists, and even a chiropracter, in addition to two general doctors, all with no results/all tests normal
I'm in pain management, and have been told I probably will be for the rest of my life.
Is there any specific condition that comes to mind for any of you I should bring up to a doctor, or any other kinds of doctors I should see? Anyone else in a similar situation?
I've been doing some research on your symptoms to see if I could come up with some suggestions for you, but so far the closest thing I've found is hyperthyroidism, which you've been tested for. I'm not real familiar with hyperthyroidism, but I know with hypothyroidism, often doctors only do the TSH test, which frequently doesn't show problems that are there. There are several different thyroid tests that need to be done to accurately read how your thyroid is functioning. The most knowledgeable person I know on the subject of the thyroid is Mary Shomon. Below are links to her personal Web site and her Thyroid Disease site on About.com in case you'd like to look into it some more:
The Mitochondrial Myopathy idea fits with your age, as most cases show up before a person is 20. Do you know what they mean by saying the muscle biopsy was inconclusive? It sounds like they can't rule it out. Have they also done blood enzyme tests for it? There is also molecular genetic testing that can be done, which can often confirm a clinical diagnosis with or without positive laboratory results. Here is a Web site with some info on MM: Facts About Mitochondrial Myopathies Toward the bottom of the homepage is a section on the diagnostic tests for MM.
The only other type of doctor I can think of you might try is one who specializes in Internal Medicine. Often they are good diagnosticians.
I wish I could be of more help. I know it must be extremely difficult to be faced with so many health problems at such a young age. If there's anything else we can do, or you'd just like someone to chat with, please let us know.
I wish you the best and hope you are able to get an accurate diagnosis very soon.
Chronic Pain Community 
