Numbness in hand and arm

[arsegja]

I am a 39 year old male.  I am 5’10” and weigh 175 lbs.  8 months ago I began experiencing pain in my mid right quadrant of my abdomen.  I also had a bout of dizziness where I fainted twice.  I also experienced numbness and tingling in left arm and hand.  I went to the emergency room, where they hooked me up to an EKG and did some blood tests.  All the tests came back normal and the EKG was also normal.  My blood pressure was low, so they gave me some fluids which helped to elevate the blood pressure.  Subsequent blood tests and EKGs were also normal. My cholesterol count was 179.  I felt weak for about a week.  I then regained my strength.  The pain in my right abdomen remained for the next few months.  Every so often I would experience a couple of days of tingling in my left hand and arm and sometimes in my neck.  It usually goes away after a couple of days.  

I was referred to a gastroenterologist for my abdominal pain.  He suspected the gall bladder as the culprit of my abdominal pain, but all my tests have come back negative for gall stones.  I did pass out from one of the tests they administered.  They injected me with CCK to test the ejection fraction of the gall bladder.  I soon became nauseous and passed out from the injection of CCK.  They felt that was unusual.

During the past two weeks the pain in the abdomen has returned.  Also the numbness in my left hand and arm returned, along with fatigue.  I purchased a home blood pressure monitor and noticed that my blood pressure was low (105 over 75).  I am wondering if the cause of these pains and numbness can be something other than the gallbladder.  I’m wondering if I should be concerned about my heart.  Prior to these symptoms I did exercise regularly.

Questions:
What could be causing tingling in left arm?
What could be causing low blood pressure?
Could it be related to the pain in my abdomen?
Should I be asking my PC to conduct tests on my heart?

[Cleveland Clinic]

arsegja,

Anything is certainly possible and the cause of your symptoms.

1) Given the chronicity of your symptoms and the overall course, they are not really consistant with angina.  Your episodes of syncope are a little more concerning, and should be the focus of your evaluation. An event monitor could be a start along with an echo.

2) the blood pressure you list is perfectly normal.

3) I do not know whats causing your abdominal pain, but it most likely is not realted to the blood pressure. The left arm and shoulder share innervation with some of the nerves that attach to your stomach and spleen. Sometimes ulcers or other abdominal processes can refer pain to the arm.

I think you need a careful physical and thourough medical history form an internal medicine physician to try to discern where the pain is coming from before any further referrals o specialist.

good luck

[tlcjuliet]

Maybe they should start looking for neuralogical signs.  This sounds all so familiar, to what I went through, right down to the pain in the abdomen.  It took 8 years before my heart specialist decided on an MRI, and then they finally realised I had Multiple Sclerosis.  I hope they check all avenues for you, good luck!

[arsegja]

Thank you for your comments.  My doctor has scheduled me for a stress test to test my heart as well as an MRI to test neurological functions.

[Desert Flower]

My daughter is 19 and will be 20 at the end of this month.  She has had symptoms similar to those described above.  Last summer she had abdominal pains and a high fever.  At first appendicitus was suspected but then a viral cause seemed likely.  The abdominal pains continued but gradually subsided over the next few months especially after starting regular use of ibupropen.  Then 2-3 months after the beginning of the abdominal pain she began to experience numbness in her feet.  After a couple of months it went away but now she experiences numbness on her left side (above the waist) and especially in her left arm and hand. (She has been seen by several doctors).  Now she has been referred to a neurologist who is testing her for MS (and I guess other possibilities).  Her aunt just suggested it may be a thyroid problem as she had similar sympoms and several members of the family on both sides have had thyroid problems.  We are hoping the problem turns out to be thyroid or a mysterious virus rather than MS.

[Snoozie]

I am experiencing numbness and tingling in my left hand, arm and shoulder to about the middle of my back.  I take a blood pressure pill each day and my blood pressure is normal.  What could be causing my numbness?

[Bob806]

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