Thought your comment on helicopter rides to the summit of Everest was interesting so I looked it up, only 1 person has ever achieved it (twice) and set the world record in doing so:
Shooter, I wish you the best of luck for your continual recovery.
I've been ill (dizzyness, almost passing out, weak left arm, chest pains, burning throat, swollen glands, twitching muscles, burning/pinching at joints) since June and I just fell out with my NHS (UK) doctor this week and went private.
The NHS doctor has been telling me its a virus and it'll go away on its own, and the muscle twitching was normal for a few days. I finally went back last week (have been back 3-4 times before that) when he was promising me a blood test to check for an infection and he is refusing me, he says we only have 10 minutes and I have too many symptoms, and even that he never said it was a virus infection.
So the few symptoms that he will look at are sending us down completely the wrong path, I don't want to keep chasing symptoms when we should be going after the cause.
I called the NHS directly and they told me to demand a blood test, but the doctor still declines. He even went as far as to tell me I don't have the symptoms I was telling him I had.
So on Wednesday this week I called a private doctor, got an appointment two hours later, she looked at my entire list of symptoms (15~) and checked me over, confirmed I have an extremely high temperature, inflamed throat and swollen glands. Had my blood tests today and I'm going in for the results tomorrow. That's more action in 3 days than my NHS doctor managed in over 3 months. I just hope it'll all be over now, as I've been trying to launch a business throughout this.
Before contacting the private doctor I felt like id slipped through the net and it was useless. I've not even been checking HN much lately so it was pure randomness that I stumbled upon this thread.
I still have a referral for neurological tests and a brain scan with the NHS if required. But I have been adamant that its not a family running disease because both my Mother and Sister have the same symptoms, all occurring since roughly the same date. If it wasn't for that id possibly still be following a (hopefully) less likely route.
A drop in the water compared to what you've been through, but I think I can relate at least a little to some of the initial frustrations that you've had to deal with. Thanks for sharing your story and I'm glad that you eventually pulled through all the confusion and are getting the treatment you need.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didier_Delsalle