neurological concern

[cmanthomas]

Hi I tried to post in the ask an expert area but that always seems to be full.

Anyways, here's my problem: Back in 2006 I had radial nerve palsy from leaning on my elbow, and experienced "wrist drop" for about 1.5 months. Eventually my nere healed and the wrist returned to full functionality. Shortly afterwards, I began experiencing pinprick like sensations around my body (especially on arms and legs) and small muscle twitching throughout (especially in legs). I saw a neurologist who performed a complete physical exam and said everything was normal and decided not to investigate further. Since then, I have continued to experience body wide muscle twitching (only at rest) and off and on pinpricking (occurs randomly throughout my body). There has been no noticeable increase or change in these symptoms over the past 6 years.

Recently, however, I began experiencing panic attack like events that last for about 30 minutes--feeling like i was going to get dizzy, very anxious/nervous, overheated feeling followed by pounding heartbeat in neck and eyes--all followed by tiredness from the neck up. I have been unable to sleep at night, usually averaging about 4-5 hours broken up over the course of the night (leaving me very tired throughout the day, with heavy eyes, yawning, and sometimes lightheadedness). Finally, about 5 weeks after experiencing the first anxiety attack-like event, i started to feel a fleeting feeling of weakness in my right arm and both my legs--almost like an internal itch through the nerves stemming from my fingertips and soles of my feet, and radiating up my extremities. Typically these come and go throughout the day, but there doesn't seem to be any actual weakness either during or after the occurrence.
Note: the arm issue seems to be agitated when i type or use the arm for any strenuous activity, and is sometimes relieved by shoulder massage. Aswell, the leg weakness began after i tried the babinski test several times on the soles of my feet with a hard wooden stick (but i cant entirely connect that with the full leg sensations i get that leave my legs feeling almost rubbery)

anyways, doctors say my physical neuro tests dont indicate anything, but i am still experiencing all the pinpricking, twitching, tiredness with lightheadedness, and now potentially connected arm and leg symptoms that come and go throughout the day...


Any thoughts?

[cmanthomas]

MRI was also normal

[cmanthomas]

(This message is for the benefit of those people 1, 5 or 10 years from now who happen to google their symptoms and find their way to this forum)

My Nerve Conduction Study was normal and my neurologist said that with a perfect physical exam and with my atypical signs of the major neurological diseases, I should let it go...

(Just be cautious when researching diseases online, everything causes "fatigue", "weakness" etc...DO NOT SELF DIAGNOSE)

[SarahL2491]

we are talking about mimic diseases that can be ruled out with blood tests, those along with the basic ones you have had done.  bear in mind that the nerve conduction tests will not confirm MS, only confirm nerve conduction in muscles, things like that.  

Im with your GP, start with the anxiety first and then see what's left.  A neuro is going to need reasons to run MS testing, which can take years,  and if your s/s don't lead him/her in that direction, then they are going to want to know WHY you want all that done.  Dx for MS is not an easy or inexpensive  task or for the faint of heart.

There is no "controlling" MS....I had to smile at that comment.  It marches to its own beat, we just try and manage as best we can.  It presently cannot be cured and the drugs to hopefully slow and prevent future lesions are quite expensive, many people are not on them due to finances.  

I am not trying to discourage you, and am hoping you do not have MS, but hoping that you get some answers.  My suggestion, based on reading your post, is not to approach him demanding answers but with a list of your s/s in cagetories if you must, and let him/her give you some ideas.  Some MS patients never get the s/s that you describe.  

Perhaps someone has or could put it more eloquently but personally I spent 30 yrs before I got a Dx...

[cmanthomas]

hey thanks for the comment.
I had all the blood tests come back ok including calcium, sodium ect...aswell as every heart test imaginable (echo, holter, ekg)--all normal.

My GP wants me to ignore it and try anxiety meds for the loopiness but i pushed for a neuro appointment and am going to have nerve conduction test this month.

when were you diagnosed with MS? Is it difficult to control?

[supermum_ms]

I agree with doublevision, it doesn't sound like MS or even of neurological causation to me either. My sensory sx (tingles, numbness etc) are in spots or areas on the left side of my body, they dont move around but over time (years) i've added more spots and more obvious neurologically caused issues.

The way you describe your situation is atypical for MS, 'red flags' leading away from conditions like MS, so i would suggest you go to your general practitioner and get tested for things like Celiac, Chronans, Diabetes, Hypoglycemia, heart etc etc I would also get assessed for mental health conditions eg depression, health anxiety etc because you've started having anxiety attacks and that really needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

Cheers............JJ

[doublevision1]

It doesn't sound like MS to me, particularly the panic-like attacks.  The body-wide randomness of the sensory symptoms also dont strike me as typical for MS, especially early in the idsease.  I have RRMS, and in my experience, my sensory symptoms started in one spot and sort of spread from there, rather than randomly moving around my whole body in the way that you describe.  There is somewhat of a pattern for me.  First figers, then spread through hand, then spread up my arm, then gradually over to the other hand, spreading in the same pattern.  On another occasion, started on the sole of one foot, spread up that leg, then other foot affected similarly.   All affected areas worsen with fatigue and overheating.  My neuro said this is the typical presentation in MS.  Others here may have a different experience.   What kind of testing did you undertake it?   Were you tested for peripheral nerve disease?