Could herniated discs be the reason for all of this?

Hi all,
I've got a looong post to enter here. Please accept my apologies if it's not in the correct place.
I try to stay away from online forums like this along with WebMD & the sort. Don't want to "self-diagnose" but I'm almost at the end of my rope with everything. Thanks for taking the time to read this all. :)

September '08 I experienced the WORST headache of my life. Dark room, lots of advil...etc and it was pretty much gone by morning.
Later that week I felt like I was coming down with a cold so I went home early from work. On my way home I felt like the right side of my face was numb, (that crazy feeling you get when the Novocaine is about to wear off). It was odd but I didn't think twice about it. By the time I looked in the mirror the right side of my face was swollen and puffy. My right eye and the corner of my mouth were droopy. This remained for just a few days. My Dr. diagnosed it as possible Bell's Palsy and thankfully it went away within a few days.
Awful right temple sided headaches came out of the blue around the clock and the facial symptoms (swelling, droopy-ness...etc) came and went periodically. Rarely at the same time. I might be sitting at work and look in the mirror and I'm all puffy and droopy not even knowing it.
A reddish rash appeared on my face that would sometimes be bright red and other times be a light pink color. This has evolved to huge blotches of capillaries or telangiectasia I think it's called. They are on my cheeks, my nose and below my chin on my neck. My Dr. discounted rosacea due to the appearance and location.
Twice over the holidays a blood vessel burst in my right eye that would resolve itself...it just looked awful for a little while.
Lucky enough to have shingles on my back (herpes zoster) for my 30th birthday in February and now fastfoward to these last two weeks. I woke up Monday morning in excruciating pain. Hard to walk, move or breathe. I thought maybe I slept funny or pulled a muscle or something. I took some advil and went to work thinking it would loosen up with moving around. It didn't. My legs were "twitchy" like I had been just squatted 1,000lbs and they were exhausted. The pain went around my lower back to the front and to my hips. Straight down my legs to the point that it was hard to walk. My toes were tingly and periodically numb. Both legs.
I had a neurologist appointment scheduled already for Wednesday so I told myself that this has to all be related and if I could just get through to Wed. the nice neurologist would make this all better. After practically collapsing in his office after the 10 minute walk across the parking lot *dramatic, I know :) I get to see him for MAYBE 10 minutes when he writes me a prescription for headache medicine and recommends I see my primary physician for my back pain and he says he has no idea what's wrong with me, my face or my back. Maybe see a dermatologist too.
I got to my car after the appt.and just broke down and cried. I called my regular dr. and said you have to either see me right now or I'm going to the ER. They got me in . :)Scheduled for an MRI that evening w/ prescription for vicodin and the offer for valium for muscle relaxant (I passed on valium...I'm not a big medicine person)
The pain in my lower back isn't so bad anymore. More like a dull ache. My primary problem now is numbness and weakness in my arms and legs. My arms feel so tired even typing and my legs have electricity running through them. Just last night the fronts of my feet (the ball of my feet?) went entirely numb. Laying in bed at night is a challenge because my arms and legs fall asleep before I do and wake me up with the pins and needles. Two nights ago the weirdest thing. About 3 in the morning arm pain woke me up i reach for my arm and I can hardly lift it. I picked it up with my right arm and can feel it but it feels like I'm touching someone elses' arm. Completely numb. It went away within half an hour or so. This is happening to both arms and legs. Along with a sharp pain right in the middle of my spine when I lay down. Doesn't hurt when I'm upright. It's all so strange but I wonder if it could all be related.
I got the MRI results yesterday. Here's what it says:

Right paracentral disc herniation at L5-S1; central to left paracentral disc herniation superimposed on mild central spinal canal stenosis with mild bilateral foraminal stenosis at L-4-5. Degeneration of the L4-5 intevertebral discs. L5-S1 right paracentral disc herniation associated with an annular tear.
At L4-5 bulging of the annulus with degenerative change in the apophyseal joints and ligamentum flavum hypertrophy producing mild underlying central spinal cord stenosis with mild bicentral foraminal stenosis. Superimposed on the bulging annulus, there is a central to slightly left paracentral disc herniation associated with an annular tear.
Hemangioma or focus of fatty replacement of the L1 vertebral body. Conus is at the T12-L1 level.

I see the spinal surgeon Wednesday with no idea what he'll say or if this is even that bad a thing. I'm not in that much pain anymore, more the numbness and funny feelings. My Dr. all along has said it's either viral, vascular, auto-immune or OTHER.
I'm an otherwise healthy (at least until September) 30 year old. Shingles? Degeneration of my spine? Blood vessels everywhere and headaches and facial swelling? This has got to be related somehow right?
Any input at all I would so greatly appreciate. Thanks for reading all of this. I didn't realize how "desperate" I was until I just wrote this all out.
Have a great weekend all.
Lisa

[kittyluv1]

Welcome to the Back and Neck Community.  The members are here to provide assistance and support to individuals experiencing symptoms related to possible abnormal conditions of the cervical and/or lumbar spine.  The advice given is non-professional and is primarily based on personal experiences.  Feel free to post on the Expert Forum and one of the medical doctors will respond as appropiate.

I am sorry to hear of your prolonged health problems.  Your varied symptoms certainly present some difficulty in diagnosing the underlying causes and whether they could possibly be inter-related.
Your primary physician seems able and willing to have you undergo appropriate diagnostic testing.  I wish I could say the same regarding the neurologist.  I'm wondering if he even tested your reflexes for signs of abnormality?  His willingness to prescribe medication for a headache without determining the root cause for why the headache is present is a puzzle --- at least you won't be depending on him to treat you anymore!
You did have an MRI of your lumbar spine and the results do so degeneration of the intervertebral discs (the cushiony material between your vertebrae that allows the spine to move without problems).  Once the discs start drying out and losing their moisture content, the risk of poking through the annulus covering and having a disc herniation are present and increase with continued wear and tear as we age.
The loss of moisture can also produce loss of disc height and the stenosis or narrowing of the disc spaces resulting in central canal (spinal cord) stenosis.  If the narrowing is increased, the discs can put pressure on the exiting spinal nerves and potentially contact the spinal cord itself.  Hence, the symptoms of pain, numbness and tingling, weakness of the extremities, etc.
You do have a herniation at L5-S1 which is the lowest disc in the lumbar spine and can correlate to the symptoms of back pain and radiation to the legs.  You have an annular bulging at L4-L5 as well as a small herniation at this same level. This has contributed to the mild central canal stenosis.  
The report does not specifically state any pressure being placed on the nerve roots, but the foraminal stenosis is related to the opening through which the nerves exit.  The stenosis can increase over time, the herniations can become more pronounced and the nerves can become more compromised, leading to more pronounced symptoms.
The stenosis is a progressive condition and can remain stable for quite some time or it can progress more quickly.  The hemangioma is a collection of blood (and or fatty tissue replacement) of a portion of the L1 vertebra which is a fancy way of reporting some disc degeneration referred to as DDD.  
I am wondering if the arm symptoms could be related to a similar process in your cervical spine.  If you did not have a cervical spine MRI, I would anticipate the surgeon would request one in order to evaluate your arm pain/weakness/numbness.
When you see the surgeon on Wednesday, he will hopefully review your MRI findings in greater detail and explore treatment options with you.  He will probably determine (if no significant nerve compressiion exists) to start with conservative treatment which can include physical therapy, anti-inflammatory meds and possibly steroid meds such as a Medrol dose pack.
As for your facial problems/eye problems, it is difficult for me to assess if they are connected to the spinal issues addressed above.  It is definitely worth mentioning to the surgeon on your consultation visit.
Please post back with the results of your exam and what options for treatment have been suggested.
Best wishes-----

[JeepChick]

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my whole post. I will post an update once I meet with the surgeon on Wednesday.
I tried to post this on the Neuro (ask a dr) forum but it seems they only accept a few questions per day. I thought maybe this was all somehow related to the shingles / herpes zoster virus. This is frustrating to say the least.

Thanks again & have a great weekend!

[tanglewood]

Have you been tested for Lupus? the red rash on the face is what made me ask that question.

[JeepChick]

Thanks so much for your reply.
I've had so much bloodwork done I can't recall what I've been tested for and what I haven't been.
What, exactly, is done to test for Lupus? Once I can determine if I have or have not I'll post here!