I'm a mess

[reita]

I'm about a month in to school now and I'm feeling TERRIBLE. My face looks pale and my eyes are sunken in, I have unbearable stomach cramps and back pains, and I just generally do not feel good. I've been to the doctor before for the generalized stomach pain, and they were unable to diagnose it - first they thought it was appendicitis, then cysts, then gastrointestinal disease, and it turned out to be none of the above. I did get really sick last time I flew cross-country, but it hit me a day after I got off the plane rather than a month.
I've also got a swollen section of vein in my leg; it sits really close to the surface and some days it's hard to even walk on that leg. I don't really have money to see the doctor another dozen times just to be misdiagnosed again and again, and I definitely don't have time to be out of commission. Is there anything I can do by myself for all this or should I just suck it up and see if things get better?
I have to admit, I haven't been eating very healthy - could the whole thing just be a matter of diet sensitivity?

 

[p-helix]

^ It could be.

If you are eating too much processed food like chips, fries, pasta, pizza, red meat, white bread, sugar etc, you are adding fuel to the fire in your body, creating too much acidity. Eat fresh fruit (peeled unless organic) and vegetables (baked or boiled, if using oil it may be healthiest to cook lightly in olive oil). Try to eat fish like mackerel, sardines or tuna usually instead of red meat. Bring colours to your diet instead of eating beige, brown, yellow and white foods. Avoid artificial colourings, flavours and preservatives in case they are causing allergies. Drink at least two litres of water daily and find a tea you like. Avoid drinking pop. It may take an eternity in some cases to adjust to different food tastes, but the health rewards will become apparent in time.

I find open cardomom pods or powder make very nice stomach soothing tea and it's relaxing to the body. For tired legs and possible varicose veins, a Horse Chestnut gel may be applied externally and be found to sooth and reduce swelling in cases of Chronic Venous Insufficency. The active ingredient here is aescin http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11529685
When you fly, wear compression stockings and take a little Ginkgo biloba.

Take care.

 

[Foreigner]

Please answer these questions.

Are you able to eat? Does eating alleviate the stomach pain or make it worse? Do any foods make it better or worse? Hot or cold make it better? When you say "stomach" pain, is the pain around your belly button or higher than that? Any vomiting or diarrhea? Any blood or pus in the stool? Any bloating or gas at either end? If so, does passing gas alleviate the pain?

Does pushing on the painful area make it feel better or worse?

Tell me more about getting sick from travelling. Where did you travel to? How did the illness manifest the day after you got home?

Are you overweight? Any history of lower back problems before now?

What colour is your urine? Is it dark, or light? Any smell? Any cloudiness? Any blood?

Any sudden fever or chills?

The swollen vein in your leg, where is it? (Front, back, left side, or right side of leg?) Right or left leg? Any pain beneath your ribs on either side, but particularly the right side? Any shooting pain down your leg?