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Neurology (Expert Forum)
frustrating symptoms
This forum is for questions and support regarding neurology issues such as: Alzheimer's Disease, ALS, Autism, Brain Cancer, Cerebral Palsy, Chronic Pain, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Headaches, MS, Neuralgia, Neuropathy, Parkinson's Disease, RSD, Sleep Disorders, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury
frustrating symptoms
by cbr, Aug 21, 2001 12:00AM
I am 53 years old, normally very active and healthy. No high blood pressure. 3 months ago I woke up feeling tired, with shaky hands, pressure in my head and buzzing in the ears. I thought it was flu. After a week of extremem fatigue and mentally in a fog, I went to the doctor. I had noticed the hand tremors were worse when I reach for something or do a task such as button a blouse or flip though papers at work. The doctor did blood tests which ruled out such things as blood sugar problems, thyroid, infections, mono, etc. I was sent to a neugologist. The office exam was fairly normal except for the tremors in the hands and also showed tremors in the feet and legs. Also if I stand with feet together and close my eyes, I fall to the right almost as if pushed over. I also have difficulty talking, my tongue gets hung up and won't form the word. The doctor felt I had had a mild stroke. I had an MRI. Nothing abnormal except cysts in the left ventrical of the brain that are enlarging the ventrical. The doctor seems stumped. She says the cysts do not account for the symptioms. The symtoms have worsened. Tremors are now in the lower jaw, I have trouble sleeping, night sweats and a feeling of pressure in my head and ears. Not much pain, mostly constant mild headache. I am not on medication except for HRT after menopause, and not depressed. I need ideas of what other direction to look into. Do these symptoms sound familiar to anyone. If not the cysts, then what?
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT, Aug 28, 2001 12:00AM
I'm sorry to hear about your symptoms. Without personally reviewing your MRI, I can only venture to say that it doesn't sound like the cysts are causing the symptoms. Common things are common. Is your Vitamin B12 level ok? Is your dose of HRT too high or too low? On a more serious neurological side, one of the things I would be concerned about is a problem with the cerebellum, a part of your brain that is involved with coordination of movement, speech, and balance. A problem here could cause tremors, imbalance, and slurred speech. These would include tumor or stroke. A rare problem would be a tumor-related disease called paraneoplastic syndrome that's found in women with breast and gynecologic cancers. This affects the cerebellum in a progressive manner. Talk to your doctors again and get some of the routine studies done if you can. And obviously if your symptoms worsen, see a physician as soon as you can. Best of luck to you.
also, to sunshin, some migraines can create numbness./tingling feeling in the face, scalp and even in half the body at times and can create some funny feelings otherwise, usually migraines start in the temples though, but you should still get anything that seems out of the ordinary checked out by a neurologist, dont let people say its just stress getting to you, cuz you never know sometimes, you just got to make sure.
It bugs me because just about a month ago I went to go see a eye doctor for my yearly checkup and the doctor said that my nerves were a little swollen so she sent me to get a MRI. So after I got my pictures back they sent me to a nueral optamologist. The wierd thing about it is that I really haven't had any symptons, so my doctor was stumped. But then she found a blind spot. So then she wasn't as confused. It's for sure that I have papilledema but they still have to check for PTC. So this month I have to get a lumbar injection (spinal tap) and I am really quite scared and nervous of what they might find. I just need some help understanding what this all means. So if you would please anyone write back and help me understand a little more. Muchly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Austa Pasta