Aa
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In early 2001 I began hearing my pulse so strongly that it would wake me from my sleep, and my muscles and joints hurt constantly (age 39). I saw a dr. who suspected arthritis and ran an ANA test. I had a positive titer of 1:160, but even saw a rheumatologist who found nothing definite. I had occasional numbness and tingling in hands, and in one instance woke to find my left hand and forearm covered in little petechial spots. They were gone in a couple of days. Over the next couple of years I took Vioxx, Celebrex, and Neurontin for pain. I had several sinus infections a year, and frequent headache. By 2004 I often had a burning sensation in my head, face, and/or nose. Before my menstrual cycle I began experiencing sciatica, which continues to this day.
What brings me to your forum is this:
I woke on 2/1/07 to find that my middle finger, lt hand, was numb, which lasted all day. The following morning I found that the same hand was covered in petechial spots (again). I saw my physician who could not determine a cause, I thought it might be related to severe pain and numbness in my right foot, but that turned out to be a Morton's Neuroma. He gave me a steroid injection for the foot. I also complained of severe neck and shoulder pain, I saw a Chiropractor 2 weeks later and that helped the neck & shoulders. In April I began to think that my right contact lens was dirty and began changing it frequently. I finally saw my Opthalmologist in June for what now feels like a spot in my vision, but she saw no nerve problem or anything else. Mid-April I was hit by vertigo while sitting at a traffic light. Had to pull into a parking lot for 10-15 minutes to feel better. It came and went for weeks, until I had eventually learned to move my head differently for fear of it happening again. I still have occasional dizziness (which had never been a problem before). In May I kept getting a feeling in my ears as if they were "wet", and they occasionally felt like they were full of fluid. On 5/11/07 I saw my dr again for a 2nd steroid injection because my foot was hurting again, and mentioned the vertigo to him. He said that women my age (now 45) sometimes develop Menierre's ?) disease, and it could be that. A couple of weeks later my right calf began to throb, then the left. Now they do so constantly, and often feel like someone has a hand around them gently. By June I realized that something wasn't right, because all I could think of was sleep. I often took naps after work, and began needing 10+ hours of sleep as opposed to the 7 I normally need. I didn't want to clean the house, do errands, or even bathe. It all seemed too hard to even think about, much less do. I saw a FNP on 6/5 for the problem, who prescribed Cymbalta. It seems to have helped, although I still have lingering feelings of exhaustion. On 6/29 I saw the FNP again, this time for a headache that had awakened me at 4:00 a.m., and had stayed with me all day. My face and ears also hurt. She said that my ears looked clear, but gave me an antibiotic just in case. All week I continued to feel pain and a burning sensation in my head, with constant eye/ear pain (rt ear).
Went back a week later, because "earache/sinusitis" hadn't gone away. She gave me a second antibiotic (Z-pack).
The following Saturday morning (7/14), vertigo woke me up.
I thought the antibiotic still didn't knock my infection out because I felt rotten, and I was planning to see the FNP again almost two weeks later, when I experienced a stabbing pain in the back of my tongue and throat on my right side. The next morning (7/20) when I woke with another bad headache and stabbing ear/eye pain on my right side, I thought it might have something to do with the throat & tongue experience, so I went to my GP. He diagnosed Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia and put me on Lyrica, 50 mg, 3xdaily. I told him a week later that it seems to help, and I told him at that time that it had even made my eye quit hurting and twitching (had been twitching constantly for over 2 weeks). He said to continue medicine for one month, see how I'm doing, and ween me off it asap. I asked for a neuro consult, as my dad and maternal grandmother both died of anurysms, and there have been a number of brain tumors in the family (more distant relatives). I will see a neurologist this coming Wednesday. Do you have any ideas or suggestions?
Thank you in advance for any light you can shed on my weird experiences.
Smcneel
In early 2001 I began hearing my pulse so strongly that it would wake me from my sleep, and my muscles and joints hurt constantly (age 39). I saw a dr. who suspected arthritis and ran an ANA test. I had a positive titer of 1:160, but even saw a rheumatologist who found nothing definite. I had occasional numbness and tingling in hands, and in one instance woke to find my left hand and forearm covered in little petechial spots. They were gone in a couple of days. Over the next couple of years I took Vioxx, Celebrex, and Neurontin for pain. I had several sinus infections a year, and frequent headache. By 2004 I often had a burning sensation in my head, face, and/or nose. Before my menstrual cycle I began experiencing sciatica, which continues to this day.
What brings me to your forum is this:
I woke on 2/1/07 to find that my middle finger, lt hand, was numb, which lasted all day. The following morning I found that the same hand was covered in petechial spots (again). I saw my physician who could not determine a cause, I thought it might be related to severe pain and numbness in my right foot, but that turned out to be a Morton's Neuroma. He gave me a steroid injection for the foot. I also complained of severe neck and shoulder pain, I saw a Chiropractor 2 weeks later and that helped the neck & shoulders. In April I began to think that my right contact lens was dirty and began changing it frequently. I finally saw my Opthalmologist in June for what now feels like a spot in my vision, but she saw no nerve problem or anything else. Mid-April I was hit by vertigo while sitting at a traffic light. Had to pull into a parking lot for 10-15 minutes to feel better. It came and went for weeks, until I had eventually learned to move my head differently for fear of it happening again. I still have occasional dizziness (which had never been a problem before). In May I kept getting a feeling in my ears as if they were "wet", and they occasionally felt like they were full of fluid. On 5/11/07 I saw my dr again for a 2nd steroid injection because my foot was hurting again, and mentioned the vertigo to him. He said that women my age (now 45) sometimes develop Menierre's ?) disease, and it could be that. A couple of weeks later my right calf began to throb, then the left. Now they do so constantly, and often feel like someone has a hand around them gently. By June I realized that something wasn't right, because all I could think of was sleep. I often took naps after work, and began needing 10+ hours of sleep as opposed to the 7 I normally need. I didn't want to clean the house, do errands, or even bathe. It all seemed too hard to even think about, much less do. I saw a FNP on 6/5 for the problem, who prescribed Cymbalta. It seems to have helped, although I still have lingering feelings of exhaustion. On 6/29 I saw the FNP again, this time for a headache that had awakened me at 4:00 a.m., and had stayed with me all day. My face and ears also hurt. She said that my ears looked clear, but gave me an antibiotic just in case. All week I continued to feel pain and a burning sensation in my head, with constant eye/ear pain (rt ear).
Went back a week later, because "earache/sinusitis" hadn't gone away. She gave me a second antibiotic (Z-pack).
The following Saturday morning (7/14), vertigo woke me up.
I thought the antibiotic still didn't knock my infection out because I felt rotten, and I was planning to see the FNP again almost two weeks later, when I experienced a stabbing pain in the back of my tongue and throat on my right side. The next morning (7/20) when I woke with another bad headache and stabbing ear/eye pain on my right side, I thought it might have something to do with the throat & tongue experience, so I went to my GP. He diagnosed Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia and put me on Lyrica, 50 mg, 3xdaily. I told him a week later that it seems to help, and I told him at that time that it had even made my eye quit hurting and twitching (had been twitching constantly for over 2 weeks). He said to continue medicine for one month, see how I'm doing, and ween me off it asap. I asked for a neuro consult, as my dad and maternal grandmother both died of anurysms, and there have been a number of brain tumors in the family (more distant relatives). I will see a neurologist this coming Wednesday. Do you have any ideas or suggestions?
Thank you in advance for any light you can shed on my weird experiences.
Smcneel
The doctor actually suspected Lupus, but said nothing was conclusive, and I have never had a rash or sensitivity to sunlight, so he ruled it out. I have had another ANA test this year by my new doctor (I moved from South Carolina 2 years ago back home to Texas), and it was negative (he didn't give me numbers). What do you know about Lupus that makes my condition seem similar? Thanks!
Must of us in the forum know about MS and what you have described doesn't sound like MS.
Your positive ANA test to me is something that needs to be followed up. There are a variety of diseases, disorders and syndromes and some with the symptoms you described. Have you been checked for Lupus?
Here's a link that may help explain the possibilities of that positive ANA test.
http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/ana/test.html
I hope you fell better.
JonM
Your positive ANA test to me is something that needs to be followed up. There are a variety of diseases, disorders and syndromes and some with the symptoms you described. Have you been checked for Lupus?
Here's a link that may help explain the possibilities of that positive ANA test.
http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/ana/test.html
I hope you fell better.
JonM
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