I am adopted and recently started looking into my biological families history. From what I have learned my family is very mixed with Scotch, Cherokee, English..etc. descent. Some claim to be more Cherokee, Choctaw than others. Some claiming just to be white in general. They are very intermarried and are mountain people. Mainly living in the Ozarks.
The family originally came from SC,NC, VA, KY but settled in AR, OK and MO.
I came across some surname information that matched up with what seems to be this Melungeon race (Cole, Wright, Carter, Baughman (Bowman), etc. so
,I looked up this disease off a website called Bechet's disease and I have several of those symptons. I have been suffering from some of the symptons since my pre-teen years. It seems to flux and isn't always apparent. I suffer from fatique, chronic headaches (both since early teens), water retention in hands and feet, stress disorder?, neck and back pain (severe), supposedly I have systic acne, I also have very painful liasons (not sure of spelling) skin boils that show up from time to time. I am only 30yrs old. Could I possibly be suffering from this disease? I was taken to a doctor when I was about 12 to see if I was diabetic or was suffering from thyroid problems but nothing showed up. I know that I have several features of the Native American peoples but some of these features also refer to the Melungeon people. The shoveled teeth, my earlobes, I have crooked pinky fingers or fingers in general...not in a deformed way. I am very attractive with high apple like cheekbones, tall..etc.
How could I get tested for such a disease? If anyone knows please contact me. Thanks