My mystery illness...

While on a religious mission in South America I began to have some pain in my right hip. I should probably mention that prior to this I had exercised 2-3 hours/day and was employed in landscaping. So although as a missionary I was walking miles each day, it wasn't as though I was out of shape.

As the pain and discomfort continued to get worse I began doing some chiropractic treatment. The visits did seem to help some but their benefit was fleeting. A few days after my appointment I'd be back where I started.

After a few weeks my lower back started giving me trouble as well. From this point on everything just got worse. Since I had so much fatigue I was tested for amoebas and parasites and found I had contracted a couple. I was given some very strong antibiotics and subsequently tested clean. The problem was that I wasn't feeling any better. Chiropractic treatment ceased to do much of anything and after a few months I had exhausted the treatments their primitive healthcare could provide.

I returned to the U.S. a little over 3 months after my symptoms had begun. At this point I had been spending 17-18 hours each day in bed for a few weeks, oftentimes more. I anticipated some fairly quick answers now that I had quality physicians surrounding me. Unfortunately what I got were tests and lots of "well you don't have this" statements. I almost started wishing they'd say I had something like cancer just so I could know what was going on. I had extensive MRIs done that showed no structural problems. I wasn't despondent, but I was getting pretty frustrated. My idea of a good time was definitely not lying in bed all day...