I'm currently taking Lovastatin and Lovaza for high triglycerides and low LDL levels due to a fatty liver. This past December I pulled a muscle in my back which turned into a muscle spasm. I was prescribed Diclofenac SO EC 50 mg, Skelaxin 800 mg, Tramadol HCL 50 mg. Two days after taking my medications I had a bad reaction with a 103 degree temperature. I went back to the doctor and he said it wasn't due to the meds and blamed it on bronchitis right after saying that I didn't have symptoms of bronchitis. Another doctor confirmed it was due to a bad reaction to the meds. The day after my temperature broke my feet started to burn and tingle. My feet have burned ever since. A week after my feet started burning my fingers started tingling. Now the tingling travels throughout my body at different times and locations but my feet continue to burn. I am always tingle and burn free in the mornings. By lunch time my symptoms are back. I went to a Neurologist last week and saw the nurse practitioner. I brought blood test results from my doctor that showed that my B12 levels are at 346 and should be at least 500. She scheduled an EMG test and sent my blood off for testing. After learning about EMG tests I canceled the appointment and wanted to schedule an appointment with the doctor and was refused. (I was going to be able to see the actual doctor if I had the EMG test) It seems that an expensive and invasive test should be done after other avenues have been taken. An EMG test will tell them if I have Peripheral Neuropathy so they can treat the symptoms. I am interested in treating the underlying cause and possibly finding a cure. Wouldn't it be safe to assume that the Paresthesia was caused by the meds I took for my back sense the symptoms started immediately after the fever? It seems to me we should wait for the blood test results to see if I really am B12 deficient before having the EMG test. I researched the side effects of Diclofenac, Tramadol and Lovastatin and they all list Paresthesia as a side effect. I've also found that statin drugs increase the likely-hood of getting Peripheral Neuropathy by 16 times. Two days ago I stopped taking Lovastatin to see if my symptoms subside. I am waiting for a call from a nurse from the Neurologist. What risks am I taking by waiting to see if my symptoms go away? Am I totally off base? I've heard that nurse practitioners can't make judgement calls and have to follow protocol. Why take an invasive and expensive test when the cause of my symptoms seem to point to a toxic reaction from the medications?
Any and all advise is appreciated, thank you in advance for taking time to reply to my post.