Introduction and first meeting with GP

[C.]

Hi there,

I just registered and am completely new to the forum. I suspect that I might be suffering from POIS. I have been experiencing health problems for the past five years or thereabout. Constant flu's, sniffy nose, extreme tiredness, sore throat, etc. Only recently did I start to connect these symptoms to my sexual activity. I realised that these problems had started around the same time at which I also started to experience some weird symptoms after O. An hour, or so, after O, I start to feel extremely warm, like I am burning from the inside. I also get a sore throat and have trouble falling asleep. These symptoms might continue over the next few days. I am now trying to figure out if my health issues might be POIS related and was hoping to get some advice.

Firstly I was wondering how one could prepare for one's appointment with a GP. Are there certain tests you GP can administer to diagnose a patient? Will a blood test reveal anything? In short, is there any reliable way to determine if one has POIS or not? In the past my GP did some blood tests but the only things out of the ordinary were a low vitamin D value and slightly raised liver values.

Secondly I was wondering if you members know of any other conditions with similar symptoms like constant flu, constant tiredness, feeling feverish ...

Thanks in advance for any advice. My condition is really starting to bugger me as I have not been feeling well for such a long time. It also starting to damage my career outlook, so any advice is more than welcome ...

With kind regards,

C.

[Quantum]

Hi, C., and welcome to the forum,
About preparing for a first medical consultation for POIS, see: POIS scientific articles to show to the MD and what to expect from 1st consultation: https://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=2392.msg20182#msg20182 ).  You will find there an article suggestion at the top, and in the bottom part - see red title - you will find comments about what to expect from 1st consultation for POIS. These few comments could save you a lot of disappointment, by making your expectations realistic. 

I also suggest you take a look at the other posts mentionned in the newcomers thread at https://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=3777.0   

[C.]

Thanks for your reply Quantum, this gives me something to bring to my first consultation. From my reading I ubderstand that it is quite hard to determine if someone has POIS. Do you know of any other underlying conditions that produce similar symptoms?

[Quantum]

There are conditions that have similar symptoms.  But for POIS, the trigger is specific, it happens after most, if not all, ejaculation or orgasm.   

On the forum, it has been discussed that conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome, Lyme disease, Long Covid Syndrome, etc... have similar symptoms.  But those tend to be chronic, whereas POIS will last for a few days to a week or so, and symptoms subside if no other ejaculation ( although in some cases, just pre-cum or sexual arousal will elicit some POIS symptoms in some members). 

It may get complicated if someone has a chronic condition, and has POIS in addition to it.  The chronic symptoms are always there, but get worse during a POIS attack, and some other symptoms appear that are not there outside of POIS.  For example, you can have chronic anxiety, but it gets worse during a POIS attack, and other symptoms may add, like brain fog.

So, many presentations are possible.

[demografx]

Quantum, thanks for your excellent comparison of POIS to other, similar but non-orgasmic-related conditions.

[C.]

Well, I have now met my GP to discuss my symptoms. I did prepare my visit using the sources you suggested. The meeting was, however, rather disspointing and also rather weird. My GP, who is quite assertive (or should I say agressive) immediately stated that he isn't interested in investigating anything that can't be measured by a test. I suggested looking into POIS and chronic fatigueness syndrom, but he outright stated that "stuff like this is nonsense". At the start of our conversation he immediately said that it is probably a psychological thing (literally the first thing he said). He believes me to be completely healthy because my blood tests return normal. I argued with him for 30 minutes or so, trying to convince him that being extremely tired alll the time and having constant fevers isn't "healthy". The only thing that did sway him a bit is the fact that I have regular fevers/ spells of high temperatures. All in all, it was a rather strange meeting which he ended by saying that he quite enjoyed the discussion and my assertiveness because he likes it when patients debate him. A rather odd statement, in my opinion.

 I do have an appointment with an internist now and he will run some more blood tests, but that's it. I might have to consider getting another GP ...

[IronFeather]

I do have an appointment with an internist now and he will run some more blood tests, but that's it. I might have to consider getting another GP ...

Sorry that you had such a bad experience with your GP, I know how frustrating and disappointing it is because the same has happened to me multiple times. It's almost impossible to get a doctor to believe a patient that comes with a diagnosis and talks about symptoms that can't be easily measured and thus can be easily dismissed as psychological. If they are going to run more blood tests on you, might I suggest trying to get them to measure your levels of C-reactive protein? In my case, they always come back very elevated when I'm having a POIS episode, so it might make your doctor believe that you aren't making things up.

However, for me these levels are only elevated when I'm sick with POIS, so they'll probably be normal if you aren't having symptoms at the time of your blood test (it might have the opposite effect than intended, leading them to believe you're perfectly healthy). I've always tried to have my blood tests done when I was sick and at the peak of my symptoms.

[C.]

Thanks for your reply IronFeather! It is good to be able to come here and vent some frustration. It is like this guy doesn't want to help at all. He openly admits to enjoy antagonising his patients. I probably should have known. Last time I went to his practice for some basic first aid because I had a deep cut in my finger. This needed binding since it kept  bleeding. He bluntly refused to come and see me at his practice until his assistant told him I he had to because I was bleeding all over the place.

Why these people get into the medical profession is beyond me 

Anyway, I will try your advice, perhaps even try to induce illness before the blood test. To be continued ...

[BoneBroth]

Since many of us get almost completely restored a week after orgasm, the substance that is causing the POIS might only be detectable during this week. The best thing would be to analyze one substance at a time, 7 days in a row. In the case of cortisol, it would be even better to test it many times a day.

[Clues]

I've met some ignorant doctors over the years, but yours takes the cake C. Please ditch that muppet.

If this guy were alive before we had blood tests, I guess he would have argued that no-one was ever sick.