Do you think I have CIDP?

[StrongWill773]

Hello there,
I've had this strange sensation on top of my left foot in 2006 - when touching the top of the foot, the toes were feeling the touch.  Then I had strange pains on the left side of my left foot that got bad enough for me to see a Dr. in 2007.  All possible tests came back normal.  In the end of 2007 I had slight numbness in my left arm that came and went, so when it was gone I tried not to think about it.  In the beginning of 2008 I fainted in the middle of the night and my husband said I was trembling on the floor before coming to consciencousness.  That was a time of tremendous stress in my life, I had exercised a lot and the right side of my neck was so strained, I couldn't move my head.  I also had a very bad cold.  Naturally I saw a dr. - all tests came back normal, except that I was getting more inexplicable symptoms: from twitching of arm muscles, sudden numbness and pins & needles in the left back below shoulder bone, electrical shocks on the face, feeling of fading out coupled with dizziness - vertigo and terrible nausia.  The primary sent me to a neuro and asked for an MRI.  The brain the T section of spine on MRI came back Normal, the ear test the neuro requested came back normal, except that MRI showed slight bulge of C5-C6 disc.  The neuro concluded that was from the disc and sent me to a Physical Therapist.  After 5 PT's and more time the symptoms calmed down and didn't go away.  The 2nd neuro didn't think it was due to the disc - besides it was on the right side while the symptoms are on the left.  Another primary put me on a anti anxiaty drug that somehow calmed me down and most of my very strange feelings like heart palpitations overall stress about my health went away.  
all other symptoms stayed with me in much milder form.  In 2009, a month ago another neuro looked at my test results and tested for IgM and IgG - all came back negative.  I kind of learned to live with the numbness and tingling, but in the last few days my whole left side - from toes to the fingertips - feels not only numb but also very weak.  This gets real bad after a 30 min. moderate work out on the treadmill but only a couple of days later. The left leg is so weak, the knee buckles when I forget to lean on my right side, my left arm and hand tremble when i type to long (it's time to hang my arm to rest).....I learned on line about CIDP, Does anyone know anything about this disorder?  Any suggestions?  any experiences?????? please help.

[Steph1234567]

Hi! I'm hoping you can help me ! I got my h1n1/flu shot this September 4. The very next day I felt unwell and came down with a bad headache that lasted a few days, an exact week afterflu shot I went to sleep and my left foot felt numb and tingly... I didn't think much of it until I woke up and it was still there. I then was throwing up a few times and had a sever pain in my lower rig abdomen. The tingling went all throughout my body, my left arm feels kinda week and I swear it looks different in the palm of my hand.my right arm and hand is tingly at times. My legs are very sore that come and go. My two feet remain tingling most of the time. I have fasciltations throughout my body, mostly legs.I am really not sure what to think. Does this relate to your experience at all?? I am not sure if I have a mild case of GBS or CIPD.

[superscope]

Very informative post. Thanks!  i just wonder how early a neuro will agree to infusions with no DX.

[chirpybirdy]

Hi, I am a 46 year old female recently diagnosed with CIDP. I also had a very mild numbness on the top of my right foot. Saw my GP and she couldn't diagnose the problem so I took it upon myself to go to a neurologist. She did an EMG and NCS. Both my legs came back showing moderate slowing in the function test. She did a big batch of blood tests...all came back normal so no underlying disease causing the demyelinating. She did a spinal Tap. My total protein in the spinal fluid was increased the IgM and IgG were within normal range. My MRI was negative too. But I was progressing and now having tingling up to my knees. My legs shook after walking for any time. I felt weak in the knees when going up and down steps. My hands started to burn on the top side and I started to drop small objects. Also more pins and needles in my feet at night. So even though my IgM and IgG were negative she diagnosed me with CIDP in the early phase. Said maybe the IgM and IgG were not yet showing up in my CSF. I had my first round of IVIG infusions. I have seen good things from the IVIG. My hands no longer burn and I don't drop things. My knees are not so weak and I am not tripping when I walk. I still get fatigued easy after doing anything too long and I get pain in my legs when I finally lay down for the night and sometimes during the day. But I feel a lot better and sometimes forget the small symptoms and feel almost as I did before the CIDP. So maybe you could benefit from some IVIG infusions. She said that since I am benefiting from the infusions that my diagnosis was probably right because most CIDP (not all people) will respond to IVIG infusions. I will probably get IVIG every 4 to 6 weeks to maintain my CIDP so that I don't start to demyelinate and cause further damage. The hopes is that I caught my CIDP early and did not have a lot of damage to my nerves and that I can maintain it at this stage. Oh one more thing. My reflexes have and are still normal. I am told that diagnosing CIDP is really about the clinical evaluation, symptoms and test results. Not one thing will point to CIDP. Some will have classic test results and some will have some normal lab tests but if the symptoms present themself as CIDP and you are progressing... Oh yeah, my numb foot started about 10 days after the H1N1 flu vaccine which also points to CIDP since i did not seem to have GBS. The flu vaccine was the trigger of my CIDP disease. Good luck.