I feel so defeated. I have been having odd symptoms for s...

I've been going through this too😥. unfortunate, but comforting to hear I'm not the only one and i don't need to gaslight myself into thinking I'm overexaggerating. Hope we find some answers in our near future

I’ve had to really advocate for myself . In the beginning I was completely ignored and despite having knee surgery my orthopedist blew off my test results when they showed I had high levels of inflammation. I told that guy to suck a bag of dicks and found a rheumatologist and he did some testing and confirmed what I thought . He diagnosed me with inflammatory spondyloaropathy ( basically ankylosing spondylitis) , he put me on tnf blockers and did some MRI’s. He was awesome . But 17 years in I’ve developed other illnesses and it’s ALWAYS an uphill battle . Not only with doctors but also friends and family . It’s depressing. But I’ve had to just push on . Some days I just want to stay in bed . But , I’ve got a cool daughter and a rad guy and a great life other than my health issues , and I don’t want to feel bad . I want to do stuff and have fun . Yea , doing gardening and going to the beach or on hikes usually take a toll on me but it’s worth it in the long run . I gave up years ago on my friend’s understanding. They just can’t . My best friend has fibromyalgia, so I limit my discussions to her and my boyfriend mostly . And as far as doctors are concerned, if they have been dismissive, I’ve gotten new doctors . I’ve seen so many that have blown me off . Luckily I’m in Los Angeles and there a lot of great physicians here , so switching it up is easy . It’s isolating to be sick . It’s really hard . I totally understand what you’re going through .

Mine too. I’ve been searching for a diagnosis for 5 years. I still haven’t found the right team of doctors. I often feel like I’m being gaslighted and it’s starting to affect my mental health in a deep way.

I'm sorry to hear this, my rheumatologist treats me the same way