Can Anyone give me some Insight As I wait for test results

[howgoit]

Hi, I have been having nuero symptoms as my hands and arms and legs and feet get the tingling pins and needles almost all the time.numbness and my hands get very clumbsy. I have slight narrowing disc space in my neck C-7 and low lumbar. But my neck is what pans me the most. Then I get this chrunchy noise or shock sensation when I put my neck forward and I get sharp nerve pain in different areas on my calf and thigh and then I will get itchy feeling but no rash I think it is from the nerves. I went to the neurologist, She ran a buch of reflexes and motor skills test seem to come back ok then she tested my sensory nerves with a cold metal thing and I could not feel the cold in the lower leg and feet until she went high up on my thigh. then she did the same thing with my hands and arms I could not feel the cold until she was higher up near my sholder. I also have Carpal tunnel syndrome that flairs up once in a while. But when I get that pain its different because I feel burning in my wrist when its inflamed but its not all the time. I don't work I just take care of my disabled husband due to a drunk driver he is 22 years older then me I am 36. Been Married for 16 yrs. I wear my wrist braces when I am doing anything repetative. Any way the nerve pain seems to get me worse in the afternoon and I just get exhausted like my body is over working its self  so I try to take an afternoon nap it helps. Anyway the nuerologist is sending me for a sensory nerve test in October because they only got one guy doing it a kaiser hospital. But until then she refered me over to the spine clinic. I talked to the spine doctor and hwe wanted me to go to physical therapy as due to there protocal. I told him I have had this problem and its gotten worse and I started excercising 2 hours a day doing core excercises and then 45 minutes of cardio on the eliptical. Anyway With my husbands disability I don't have time or money to go to physical thearpy. As I know the proper stretching and back excercises and I am not getting better I told himI want an MRI of my Cervical spine And My Lumbar Spine and my Brian. Well he said he is not a brain doctor just a spine guy and so he said he would order the cervical spine and Lumbar spine MRI. Well Last Friday I went for MRI AND I waited an hour afterword so I could get a copy on a disc. So they gave me a copy before the Radiologist reads it and sends mr his report. So I am Waiting. In the mean time I looked at the MRI And Did some comparisons online. and I know I am not an expert but I say a big bright spot at my cranial base of my skull which kind of worrys me as thats the area I am feeling the shocking sensation. I also at the bottom of the brain  part that I could see from the cervical MRI it showed another Bright spot as you turn the MRI THRU ALL THE FILMS. Then I look at the spinal cord going dow from the base of the skull. it Looks like the mylen coating is inflamed and another lighter bright spot but still looked like a bright spot also a small black spot and lower where it looks inflamed looked like a tiny black line. As I look at the spine itself it looks like only a tiny bit of arthritis and a  slight bit of narrowing disc space at C-7 but that part didn't look to bad. I did have a few bad migranes when I was in my teens and early twentys. I have also had bladder leakage problem and bladder emptying problems, And I was diagnosed Last year for Moderate Pulminary Obstructive disease. But I had to have my medicine swiched from Qvar inhaler to advare 500/50 as my qvar wasn't keeping my airway open I was taking to much Albuterol. But my main concern is the MRI the sections of my cervical spine film also showed some bright spot between the different vertibra. Can you give me some insight as I wait for my radioligist results. Marj AKA Howgoit

[howgoit]

Thanks for your Information, Its much apreciated. I have a call into the doctor as my results are back and hopefully he will call me back today. I agree about the carpel tunnel thats why my other symptoms are so hard to seperate what they are caused by. As soon as I get my results I am going to request a full brain mri as the bright spots I see concern me and hopefully my doctor will understand my concern. What bother me about the doctor is they get so busy at Kaiser over worked and they just want to blow everything off. Because they don't have the problems they are not very sympathetic for patients who are suffering every day. thanks I will keep everybody updated Marj

[Heather3418]

There can be a real danger trying to read our MRI's.  It takes years to learn how to read MRI's.  All of us have been guilty of looking at our MRI films and trying to figure out what is a bright spot and what isn't.  It's just impossible to know, unless we have years of training to rely upon.

The symptoms you have in your arms and hands, sounds like it IS coming from carpal tunnel syndrome.  I had the same situation for years.  The on and off symptoms you describe are more suggestive of CTS than something neurological.  Could it be neurological, of course it could.  I am not a Neurologist.  I just speak from my own experiences with MS and CTS.

The lack of true feeling in your calves and thighs can be caused from peripheral neuropathy as well as something going on in your lower spine.

I would get an MRI of your brain with and without contrast dye.  

When you get your copy of the report from your spinal MRI, you need to make sure that your doctor goes over it with you, so you can understand what you are seeing.  You wouldn't be the first person that tried to read the MRI's yourself and you won't be the last.  Without the proper training, there is just no way a layperson can figure out what we are truly seeing.  Some arthritis is easy to see on spinal MRI's but the bright spots and black spots, need to be explained by a properly trained radiologist.

Please let us know what the report says and keep us updated on your medical care.  Push for the MRI of the brain.

Best of luck to you and your husband.  You have your hands full.  We all look forward to hearing more about your testing.  We will be here waiting and offering support.

Best Wishes,
Heather