25 Year Old Male..Could this be??

[BoB1616]

It all started for me August 2013. I was leaving the gym on a very typical day summer day and as soon and I got into the car had the strangest feeling over take me. My first thought was this is it...game over...I basically couldn't move very much could barley talk it was like a shock to my system. I got out of the car laid down on the grass and vomited which made me feel better for the most part. I ended up still feeling a little strange and went to the hospital were they performed and EKG and Echo test on my heart as well as blood tests. All of them were normal with the exception of slightly elevated liver enzymes. (Quick background....I am 25 Years old, 6'2 and 200lb with athletic build and consider myself to be in good shape as I go to the gym 4-5 times a week and have not had any health issues with the exception of some acid reflux and stomache and bowel issues which started the year prior. ) Back to the story..the next day I went to work and started feeling a little dizzy and having these weird body tremor type things. I went to an ear nose and throat doctor who put me on agumentin for a sinus infection...a week later I thought I was getting a little better but I also started noticing what my doctor describes as postural tremors in my hands. When both hands are suspended above a keyboard for example they bounce up and down at a high frequency and when I open my hand and make a fist they have the same rigid type movement. The ear nose and throat doctor ran and MRI with contrast which came back normal with the exception of a sinus infection which is why he ran it in the first place. He then put me on levaquin which I took and had adverse reactions to but he insisted I stay on it however I only took it for 3 days. Next...when I flex my muscles then shake so when I flex and move my arm up and down for example or if I lean forward and move my neck up and down they have the same shaking movement and stiffness. I also began having muscle fisculations all over my body. Both legs, arms, face, neck(a lot), and even abdomen. I went to a neurologist who ran tests and said no chance for MS ect. and looked at the brain MRI with contrast which she agreed was normal. She didn't seemed concerned with me hand tremor which baffled me. I went to a new neuro who is well respected and he did all the tests for reflexes eyes ect and he doesn't feel it is MS and instead feel that It is a result of the levaquin and it will take time to feel better.....I started going back to the gym and now I experience numbness in both hands in the ring and pinky fingers when I sleep at night and I have to shake my hand to make it go away...which is does and comes back(no issues during the day) I also recently had numbness at night in my left upper thigh which also goes away when I get up and walk on it. Lastly one of the most notable symptoms is cracking of joints all over. My neck cracks, my wrists, ankles, shoulder, back ect.

All of these symptoms have been consistent since August with the exception of the dizziness and light headedness which is off and on.

Summary of Symptoms
-Lightheaded dizzy
-postural hand tremor and fingers bounce when I make a fist and open hand.
-Muscle fascinations all over especially in neck
-Cracking neck, shoulders, back, wrists ect.
-Pain in arms
-Stiffness
-New symptom is numbness only at night in both hands and recently upper left thigh that goes away after I move around.

Tests:
-Brain MRI with contrast - Clear
- EEG - Clear
- Heart Echo - Clear
- Blood Tests normal with exception of slight elevated liver enzymes
- C spine MRI no contrast - Clear
- Neck Doppler - Clear
- Two nueros have not found any issues with reflexes ect.

Any help would be appreciated...pretty desperate.

[BoB1616]

EMG normal, and I had another brain MRI with contrast on a t-3 machine which was normal. Most notable symptoms remaining are isometric/Postural tremors in hands when flexing or making fist like motion they ratchet basically.  Also whenever I flex or tense most of my body especially my arms they tremble.  Cracking all over most notably neck, occasional pain and numbness in left thigh when lying down and sometimes in hands when sleeping which goes away with movement.  

[kwarendorf]

Hi - I wouldn't rush to the emergency room. I would continue to work with the neurologist.

In a vacuum the brain MRI would not provide conclusive information. It needs to be interpreted by a neurologist. The radiology report from a stand alone MRI will be more confusing than helpful.

Let us know how the EMG goes this week.

Kyle

[BoB1616]

Thank you again for your comments.  I guess the most concerning thing has been this strange numbness every night I go to sleep.  I wake up and shake it out to get rid of it but I don't understand what is going on...so strange.  The nuero has a EMG scheduled for next week but doesn't seem overly concerned and is still thinking it is levaquin reactions.  Part of me just wants to go to the emergency room and see if I can get a brain MRI with contrast again to lessen my anxiety with this.

[kwarendorf]

Hi -

Very little related to MS happens all over the body. MS attacks individual locations in the central nervous system. Therefore symptoms are focused on the limb or function that uses the particular location.

Tremors, including postural tremors, can be associated with MS. They can also be caused by many other things.

As to muscle fasciculations, I get them occasionally, but the are confined to random small locations. I might feel a mild vibration in the outside of my right calf, or my left thigh or my left bicep... The last maybe 5 seconds.

Kyle

[BoB1616]

To everyone who commented thank you for taking the time.  For the most part I believe that my sinus infection has been resolved however these strange symptoms have persisted.

Couple additional questions:
The tremors In my hand I have had since this all started have been labeled as postural tremors, is this consistent with MS? Most notable when I am resting my wrists and have my fingers suspended above the keyboard and they also have cog wheel like motions when I open and close my hands almost like I am flexing my hands. Lastly I hear sometimes that muscle fasciculation are not part of MS however many people still experience them...do they typically happen for 20-30 second intervals all over the body or in singular places.

Thanks again for taking the time.

[kwarendorf]

Hi BoB -

I agree with those that have said your symptoms don't add up to MS, in my Non-Doctor opinion. For example, numbness caused by MS does not go away with movement.

You have seen 2 neuros and neither one thinks you have MS. There is agreement that you have a sinus infection. I would deal with that first. There are lots of antibiotics available. You should be able to find one that will not cause any adverse reactions.

Keep us posted!

Kyle

[Lulu54]

It's easy to understand your concern when you go from feeling ok to having all these unexplained symptoms.  There really is nothing you are describing here that screams MS to me, but I am not a medical expert.  

Many of the problems you describe are muscular/structural, such as the cracking joints.  I agree that the sinus infection needs to be resolved. Your symptoms could come from something as simple as a viral infection - even after we think we are better, the viru remains in our nervous system and can cause the numbness and tingling such as you described.  

Most important though, if you don't feel better, continue to work with your doctors to find what the problem might be.  I hope it is something simple and feeling better happens soon.

[karryon55]

Hi there & welcome to the forum,

I think you need to go back to the doc that prescribed the antibiotics for your sinus infection. You didn't finish the course & these were prescribed because an MRI showed a problem in the sinus area. It is best to not dismiss this because you could actually be quite unwell. Sinus infections are tremendously difficult to get rid of but as you haven't taken the antibiotics you most probably still have a problem there.

I can't say if you have MS or not as I am not a neurologist but I can say that what you have explained doesn't sound MS'ish in my opinion. That doesn't mean that you don't have something going on with you. Often you have to move on to a different doc to get a second opinion. I think you first & foremost need to address the sinus infection. If you are still having symptoms after treatment for that then I would ask for a referral to a neurologist.

Good luck.

Karry.

[BoB1616]

Thanks for your comment.  No I don't take any supplements.

[PeninaD]

Are you taking any supplements towards your bodybuilding?
Sometimes, even if you don't want them, there are steroids and other chemicals in the brands marketed to athletes and bodybuilders that are not listed on the labels.  

[BoB1616]

Thank you for taking the time to comment it is very much appreciated.  I usually make sure to stretch and do the proper exercises when in the gym and after this incident I actually didn't go to the gym for roughly 4 months which is a long time for me.  All of my symptoms have basically been consistent for months with my postural hand tremors seemlingly getting a little better at night.  The numbness however is very new and quite scary however it does usually wake me up and go away after I shake it out.  It also occurs in both hands however I have been sleeping on my back which is strange to me and for the second time my left upper thigh has become numb at night which also goes away after moving around.  It is concerning not to have any answers and I am sure you can obviously guess where my fears lay.  The joints cracking, light headed feeling randomly throughout the day, postural tremors, muscle fasculations and overall unwell feeling have been consistent however.

[Fluffysmom]

It took seeing many specialists, multiple tests, and four neurologists before I was diagnosed with MS.  That being said, from what you describe, my opinion would be that MS is not your issue.

Most of what you describe could be attributed to over-training at the gym - I know that from experience, unfortunately, ha ha.

Dehydration could cause dizziness, nausea, and fatigue.  Hmm, so can a sinus infection, for that matter.

Tight muscles that haven't had time to recover between workouts can pull on joints & tendons, causing muscles to flutter and joints to creak and crack.  That can also cause the tremors; think of it as muscles all knotted up, then fighting to loosen up.  I've had tremors from working out as well as from MS, and there are differences.

The numbness you describe can be attributed to pinched nerves from those tight muscles; when you shake your hands, the numbness goes away.

Do you do stretches after you exercise?  I've found out the hard way how important they are, so do take the time if you aren't.  Also,  make sure you are using proper form when lifting weights or doing squats or anything like that.  Sorry to sound like a mom, but I hope some of this helps.  I know how freaky it is to have tons of weird symptoms messing with your life.

Wishing you the best...