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506621 tn?1214350225

Drs put me in too hard basket

I am a 37 year old mother of 7. I am a Registered nurse and naturopath. In 1993 I had a laminectomy L4/L5, L5/S1, due to total foot drop. 6 weeks ago I started feeling really strange mind and body wise. My left arm started to go numb in waves particularly my little and ring finger a couple of days later I developed chest pain on the left side I thought I was having a heart attack so I went to the hospital. On arrival my BP was 160/90 (mine is normally 90/50) they ruled out any heart involvement all blood tests were fine because of my history they did a CT cervical spine and sent me home before the radiology could report on them. The hospital rang me the day after saying there were disc bulges at multiple levels indenting thecal sac and a prominent central disc protrusion and T1/T2 impinging on nerve root and they advised I see a neurosurgeon.
A couple of days after this I felt really terribly wanted to sleep all of the time the tingling and numbness was there constantly now in my left arm we ended up going to one of the city hospitals . There I started to have fits and black out on head extension and when coming too my tongue and lips would be numb which they said would not be neck related. They did a CT head and cervical spine as they suspected spinal cord compression however there were apparently too many shadows so they did an MRI which came up clear Did brain MRI to rule out MS also clear, so they sent me home (still feeling really bad and blacking out) and my left foot had started to tingle but they didnt even listen. They said could be stress.
Since then I have progressed too numbness, tingling and weird sensations left hand upto elbow and soul of left foot and 4 litttle toes are numb. My left knee gives way not enough that I fall but it gives so I walk like a merry go round. I saw a neurologist who basically said the way I was walking aould take more strength and didnt show that anything was weak I tried to explain my soul of foot and toes were numb but he didnt listen just mocked me.
Another weird symptom I told him was that I had to sleep on my left side (numb side) cause if I sleep on my back or right side everything is really bad. He basically said that nothing makes sense the arm doesnt relate to the leg different spinal dermatomes in his opinion it was psychosomatic. Because I explained my previous foot drop he is sending me for a nerve conduction and full spine MRI next week dont see him for 6 weeks.
After my visit with him my mother discovered a mass about 10cm in diameter in my subscapula region but on the right side my dr says probrably a lipoma and nothing to worry about nor is it related to anything I am going through coincidence that I found it.
I feel really lost and now people are starting to take the its in my head approach I know something is wrong but nothing is showing and even the first CT with the disc protrusions is apparently a load of rubish according to the neurologist.
I am paying good money to hopefully get better but apparently my symptoms dont fit any text book picture.
Mean while I am struggling to care for my kids and have been unable to open my naturopathic clinic for 6 weeks now.
Every symptom is worse for movement, bending, lying flat and on my right.
When I go to use my left hand I have involuntary spasms that feel like they come from my spine.
Hopefull someone here will listen and relate.
The only treatment I have been offered is some antidepressant drugs which I didnt take as I can treat myself with herbs.
Sometimes my symptoms feel so bad the room spins I find it hard to breath and swallow I feel like I am dying.
Thanks for listening.





















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506621 tn?1214350225
Thankyou for your reply. I have managed to get hold of my first CT and films as well. Having nerve conduction and MRIs next week. My GP is starting to get annoyed with me and I dont think I will go back to the neurologist he made me feel like an idiot.
I am seeing a spinal rehab specialist on the 25th and he will be able to refer me on to a neurosurgeon if warrented I hope. Will try anything as oposed to surgery if I can.
I am just really worried if it takes anylonger I will end up with neurological defecit that will not return. I was lucky last time to only have lost my achilles reflex and regain my foot movement.
I remember feeling out of it and dizzy, tired etc prior to my lumbar surgery. I only wish that my old neurosurgeon hadnt retired I would be on my way to recovery now. I also remember my back surgery as being the worst time of my entire life now thats pain.
Thanks heaps for your suggestions someimes you just need someone to say " you are doing the right thing"'.
Will keep you posted.
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Avatar universal
In your first paragraph, you said you had a CT scan of your cervical spine when all this began.  You said radiology called you and said you had disk bulges impinging on nerves.  You need to get your hands on that first report or make sure your family physician gets it.

Okay.  Then you go to another place and another CT scan suggests spinal cord compression, and they follow with an MRI that comes up clear.  Something is very wrong with that MRI report.  Either they only did an MRI of your head, or they did one of your spine and head.  I'm going to assume they did indeed include your spine.  And I say if you had two separate CTs prior to the MRI that showed a problem with your spine, there is NO WAY the MRI of your spine came up clear.  And if it really did, I would want a CD of the pictures from that MRI.

As you know, the nerves that come out of the upper spine affect the upper body.  The nerves out of the lower spine affect the lower body.  Since your legs are now goofing up again, apparently your neurologist is forgetting or does not realize that you had the surgery on your lower back.  And how he can say the results of the first CT scan of your cervical spine is rubbish is beyond me.  Especially when the second cervical CT scan also showed some spinal cord compression, not to mention your symptoms.  But it does explain why he ordered a new MRI.  He is thinking perhaps there WAS something missing in the first MRI.

I think the results of that new MRI, which you said is coming next week, ought to confirm what the original CT showed, as well as what the second CT suggested.  When you go get your MRI next week, tell those radiology people that you want a copy of the report of that MRI sent to you and/or to your personal family physician.  I think you should also endeavor to locate the report from the very first CT scan you had that showed specific disk bulging and also have it sent to you and/or your personal family physician.  

In this manner, if the new MRI comes back and something is amiss, and your neuro doesn't phone you within a week of it, go to a brand new neurosurgeon, with the new MRI report and the first CT scan report in hand.  This is just the logical way I would approach your situation if you were me.  You are getting swept away by the system, too many eyes are looking at too many different reports, some reports are not following you to the doctors you have visited, and all this needs to stop and you need to consolidate all the information, and that way you will be able to start from square one with a solid basis for an informed diagnosis.  

The reason you're wanting to sleep a lot and cannot work is because you are in pain.  Back and neck pain, as you know from your first lower spine surgery, makes for a miserable existence, it can distract your mind, it can cause your whole body to tense up to compensate for the pain, and you, my dear, are a wreck.  Give yourself a break, see will your family doctor give you some pain meds, just so you can get a few good nights' sleep, to power up for this new proactive stance you are being forced to take with your health care.
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