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Neurology (Expert Forum)
Ongoing Symptoms and no answers
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
Ongoing Symptoms and no answers
by Dracee322, Mar 23, 2004 12:00AM
Hello! I am growing increasingly more frustrated as time goes on. since the birth of my daughter two years ago, I have not quite been the same. I am 35 years old and considered myself an above average healthy person prior to this. I get a numbness/tingling sensation when I lean forward on the left side of my back(ribcage area). This is intermittent and began after I had my daughter.(I had an epidueral) I also get various other tingling sensations which seem to be mostly on the left side of my body but sometimes both (legs and feet, facial, left ribcage, left fingers). It seems to come and go. My muscles (usually in my left hand but also in both hands and arms and sometimes facial)twitch. This started exactly 2 months after my daughter was born. I also get very fatigued at times. I developed sleep problems last year. That seems to come and go as well. I have difficulty falling asleep or I wake up several times per night or early. It is usually a mix. When I don't sleep well my vision is affected. I feel like I have trouble focusing and my eyes feel dry. I also get headaches, sometimes migraine-like and this is several times/week. Dizziness is also a problem and in the fall I developed heart palpitations (several PAC's/hour). I had an MRI of head/neck = WNL. Could this all be related to this sleep problem? Sometimes I feel really good and almost none of these symptoms are present. They seem to "flare up". Am I safe to assume MS is ruled out by my normal MRI? I just stopped completely breastfeeding about two months ago. could it be hormone related? What could be going on?
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-CS, Mar 26, 2004 12:00AM
With a normal brain and spine MRI the diagnosis of MS is unlikely. You mentioned you are having headaches. These spells could represent a form of complicated migraine. These are migraine headaches that cause various neurologic symptoms (from numbness and tingling to complete paralysis which occur intermittently). There is no particular test for this, but once other disorders have been excluded a trial of a migraine prophylactic may be reasonable. Other disorders which I think are unlikely, but which need to be evaluated include lupus, other connective tissue disorders, thyroid function, and markers of inflammatory conditions. You should discuss this with your neurologist. Good luck.
You may want to look at two muscle groups that are often overlooked but have profound affects on the body. The SCM (Sternocleidomastoid) muscles and the Trapezius muscles. Both groups of muscles can cause the following symptoms:
Heaviness and or pain in the back of the skull (occipital area)
pins and needles along the face and down the arm
pain deep in the ears and behind the eyes
chest pain/rib discomfort (especially at the serratus)
upper diaphragm fullness/ problems with digestion
sensation of a lump in the throat
and others.....
Find a specialist who has a vast knowledge of the neuromuscular system and bring this sheet with you. Let me know how you respond to treatment if you decide to follow up on this.
Rich