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Neurology (Expert Forum)
peripheral neuropathy??
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peripheral neuropathy??
by s_m_sri5, Sep 24, 2006 12:00AM
for the past 5 days i have muscular weakness in my finger tips adn toes of the legs even my calf is tender. i am diagnosed by a neurologist as having peripheral polyneuropathy.
but my symtoms are of exactly 5 days nothing significant was found in my medical histroy.
i want to know how much time will it take for my condition to heal up, bcos iam a dentist i cant do vthout my hands. i ahve only muscular weakness no other sensory symptoms, my reflexes are also good. pls advice
but my symtoms are of exactly 5 days nothing significant was found in my medical histroy.
i want to know how much time will it take for my condition to heal up, bcos iam a dentist i cant do vthout my hands. i ahve only muscular weakness no other sensory symptoms, my reflexes are also good. pls advice
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-SH, Sep 28, 2006 12:00AM
First of all, keep in mind that I am unable to diagnose you because I am unable to examine you, this forum is for educational purposes.
The symptoms that you describe are non-specific, and may respresent a range of pathologies. I am not sure what tests were conducted to diagnose a peripheral polyneuropathy, but this is an uncommon diagnosis to have with only 5 days of symptoms. Rapid onset of weakness such as you describe can occur with conditions such as Guillian Barre Syndrome (GBS), inflammmatory myopathies, toxic neuropathy and spinal cord dieseases. The reflexes are sometimes preserved in early GBS then disappear as the disease progresses. I would recommend a lumbar puncture to evaluate for GBS (associated with a high CSF protein), MRI of your cervical/thoracic spine) and some blood work including CPK, Aldolase, ESR, CRP, B12, TSH, HGB-A1C, glucose tolerance test, monoclonal protein screen, heavy metal screen and paraneoplastic panel. For dentist it is important to test B12 since nitrous oxide (laughing gas) can cause an acute B12 deficiency.
Without further information, it is impossible to predict when your hands will begin to recover. If your diagnosis is GBS, it will depend on you getting appropriate treatment. If your diagnosis is diabetic polyneuropathy (the most common form) it may not get better, but the symptoms can be controlled. I would recommend that you see a neurologist that specializes in neuromuscular diseases.
I hope this has been helpful.
The symptoms that you describe are non-specific, and may respresent a range of pathologies. I am not sure what tests were conducted to diagnose a peripheral polyneuropathy, but this is an uncommon diagnosis to have with only 5 days of symptoms. Rapid onset of weakness such as you describe can occur with conditions such as Guillian Barre Syndrome (GBS), inflammmatory myopathies, toxic neuropathy and spinal cord dieseases. The reflexes are sometimes preserved in early GBS then disappear as the disease progresses. I would recommend a lumbar puncture to evaluate for GBS (associated with a high CSF protein), MRI of your cervical/thoracic spine) and some blood work including CPK, Aldolase, ESR, CRP, B12, TSH, HGB-A1C, glucose tolerance test, monoclonal protein screen, heavy metal screen and paraneoplastic panel. For dentist it is important to test B12 since nitrous oxide (laughing gas) can cause an acute B12 deficiency.
Without further information, it is impossible to predict when your hands will begin to recover. If your diagnosis is GBS, it will depend on you getting appropriate treatment. If your diagnosis is diabetic polyneuropathy (the most common form) it may not get better, but the symptoms can be controlled. I would recommend that you see a neurologist that specializes in neuromuscular diseases.
I hope this has been helpful.
Member Comments (4)
by caregiver222, Sep 30, 2006 12:00AM
Very ocasionally, this problem is caused by an abnormal number of platelets, which do not pass through the the blood vessels. The simplest way to test this is an aspirin challenge. If the aspirin relieves the symptoms, you owe me a chicken dinner. There are other medications available.
by caregiver222, Sep 30, 2006 12:00AM
By the way, "House" is my favorite medical TV program, next to "ER". I love that guy. I mention it on this board because there is a lot of good medical stuff to learn in terms of differential diagnosis, and in an approach to seeking etiologies.
by s_m_sri5, Oct 11, 2006 12:00AM
thankz a lot guys i was diagnosed as having GBS but it was very mild and i have recovered 90% vth 15 days. thankz a lot for the support