"asymmetrical" symptoms - the left side of my body is sick!

river

Weird topic time!

I have a lot of minor health problems (not necessarily ME/CFS related) that seem to occur exclusively, or more severely, on the left side of my body.

For example:

multiple styes in my left eyelid
severe acne only on the left side of my back, and more pimples developing on the left side of my face than the right
severe swelling and inflammation in my left tonsil (I have chronic tonsillitis so both tonsils are large, but I can only feel discomfort in the left and it is visibly larger)
infected ingrown toenails only on my left foot
left-sided vulvodynia and peripheral neuropathy originally triggered by a candida infection
pain and tightness in the left side of my neck and shoulder
allergy symptoms in my left nostril only (when my nose runs it's literally only my left nostril)

Basically if something is going to go wrong in my body, it almost invariably goes wrong on the left side exclusively. It's getting to a point now where its almost comical. There's probably more I'm forgetting.

It doesn't feel serious enough to ask my GP about, and I don't want anyone thinking I'm anxious and being a hypochondriac about it. I truly just find it weird and fascinating and want to know why this would be happening.

I've tried to think of logical explanations. For example, maybe I sleep on my left side more than my right? But I don't think so. I usually switch sides regularly throughout the night as I don't sleep deeply and constantly wake up and roll over. Maybe my nerve endings are just more sensitive on the left, so I feel pain more? Again, doesn't quite add up when you consider that things like styes and acne have nothing to do with the perception of pain.

I'm starting to wonder if there is something wrong with my lymph nodes on the left side of my body. If my lymph drainage isn't working quite right on that side, could inflammation and infections persist more on that side? Is there any other plausible explanation I haven't thought of? Is this something I should actually be concerned about? (I just can't imagine any doctor taking me seriously if I say "things keep going wrong on only one side of my body")

Edit: hmm, another theory just occurred to me... I'm right handed and have more developed muscles and veins on my right side, so maybe my right side gets better circulation and can fight of infections and stuff better?

river

I should add - so far this seems to only be a thing with infections and chronic inflammation - I don't get one-sided headaches or muscle weakness. I would definitely go to the doctor if that was happening.

Jeshyr

Fascinating!

Not to that degree, but I'm definitely asymmetrical too, with the left being weaker and I get more migraines on the left side. My arm on the left is more "curled in" (I'm not sure if there's a proper word for this even) when it's at rest, whereas my right arm looks normal at rest. All of these things seem neurological though, not immune-type things like you described

As I find myself saying over and over with this damm disease, it's amazing how different we all are!

river

@Jeshyr interesting your issues are also on the left. Are you right handed? If so I feel like there's probably a connection

Jeshyr

@river Yes, I'm right handed