Feelings of Disequilibrium / Heaviness / Pins and Needles

[Sean010]

About 14 months ago I experienced tingling over my entire body below the neck.  The sensation lasted for about three weeks.  During that time I didn’t have any muscle weakness or motor issues—I generally felt fine aside from the pins and needles sensation.

About three weeks ago I began to experience a constant sensation of disequilibrium and imbalance.  I’m still experiencing this sensation today.  When I try to walk in a straight line I feel as if some “force” is pushing me left or right.  I’m not stumbling or tripping, but I do feel like I’m pushed slightly off course.  I find that I sway slightly when I’m standing up.  For two weeks I experienced a feeling heaviness over my entire body (this feeling has gone).  Occassionally, when I'm trying to fall asleep, I'll feel as if the bed is shaking.  The disequilibrium, dizziness symptoms are starting to fade.  

I visited a primary care physician for both incidents.  My first doctor told me she thought I was experiencing symptoms that were a result of compression on my nerves from inactivity and studying (I spend long hours sitting at a desk studying—this is still true today).  Second doc thinks that the dizziness, disequilibrium and heaviness are being caused by a viral infection causing focused symptoms.  He ran blood work and said that everything looks fine.

Both physicians said that they think MS is very unlikely (I don’t know on what either based her or his opinion).  This is unsettling to me since I feel like I’m running through the checklist of MS symptoms.

What is your opinion?  

Thank you so much!

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-CS]

These symptoms can be seen in MS patients, but are not diagnostic of MS. I think it is reasonable to ask for a consultation with a neurologist. Then particular functions can be assessed and perhaps an MRI of the cervical spine and brain can be performed. It is possible that the balance and dizzy symptoms can be related to a post-viral state. Good luck.

[Sean010]

I wanted to add (but ran out of room): Thank you in advance for your response to my questions and concerns.  I have such a great respect and admiration for this forum.  It clearly provides enormous help to those who are positions of doubt, questioning their health, and looking for answers.  

Also, my feeling of dizziness is starting to become very faint now.

[Sean010]

One last thing (I'm so sorry I keep making additions): I'm a 26-year-old male.

[Spring-02]

I had nearly exactly the same symptoms you described when I first started having these weird problems.  I was affected by vibrations and it seemed that I was vibrating from the inside out.  After I had about five physiotherapy treatments for my "foot drop", I asked the therapist if I should be feeling dizzy after the treatments. She said no and she advised me to go back to my doctor and advise him of my symptoms and weird electrical like impulses.  I had to lie on the couch with a cold cloth over my forehead and an eye mask to try to get it under control. Little sounds seemed to be magnified in my head and the hum of the refrigerator, tick of a clock or the furnace running would make me almost sick to my stomach.  The physiotherapist told me she thought that I had taken a stroke when she first saw me.  My mother died of a stroke at age 48 and there is a history of stroke on her side, but I don't have high BP.  

It has been over two years since my foot drop and the arch on my left foot has been left higher than the right one.  I had an MRI, EMG to left leg and right arm, but they were all normal. My knee reflexes are hyper and the sole of my left foot is continually sore and very sensitive.  When my GP scraped the sole of my left foot earlier this week, I nearly jumped off the table.  My right foot is normal but the cramping, pins and needles pain is now appearing in the toes and top of that foot as well, but only intermittantly.  I now have numbness in my hands and fingers and I have left sided weakness.  I go for clinical massage treatments and the therapist tells me that both legs and arme are very tight but the left leg is worse.  I also sway when I walk and seem to stray to the right after a few steps.  I lose my balance when there is the slightest change in slope or when the ground is uneven.  I have to wiggle my bum in order to get in and out of the car and sometimes use my hands to help get me out of the chair.  My foot and leg can be numb and cold in the daytime but it turns to hot and burning in the night.  Pernicious Anemia runs in my family so I have been getting B12 injections (four to date) but there hasn't been any change in my symptoms.  I am very stiff in the early morning and late at night.  My neck is always sore and stiff.  I have to go to fitness class and pool therapy just to remain functioning.  I also stutter, slur my words at times or have problems word finding, which is totally weird for me as I never did that before.  I am 56, female and healthy in all other respects.  I have a younger brother, who had foot and leg problems as well and they first suspected he had CMT, but found later he had a bulging disk in his spine.  I don't have any back problems and the X-Ray of my foot was normal. However, the last two toes on my left foot are constantly numb and seem more turned in then my right ones.  

So, it is rather frustrating to see your quality of life go downhill and not have any explanation for it.  I also am hypersensitive to sudden noises, bright lights or sudden movements, so you can imagine how embarrassing that can be when I suddenly scream for no apparent reason.  MS is found in my mother's cousins and some grandaunts but not in my immediate family. I have a history of allergies, Bell's Palsy and neuralgia like pain.

If you ever find a cause for your dizziness and walking problems, I hope that you post it to this forum.  My special custom made foot orthdotics have not helped my walking.

The Canadian

[SacredWholeness]

Wow.  I started having these same symptoms last March.  The left side of my body started vibrating intermittantly and at times when I would lie down for a nap I thought the whole bed was shaking.  I could hear the rushing sound through my head and started getting dizzy.  After three months I felt my head explode in light, but no pain.  I thought I had a stroke.  My blood pressure skyrocketed, the dizziness and nausea was incapacitating and my left hand started closing suddenly.  I had a brain MRI and was tested for a stroke but all came back negative. I actually have used meditation to combat the symptoms and it works pretty well as long as I continue.  I have recently noticed the patches of numbness in one finger.  
I'll be searching too for some answer.

[vna]

This tingling phenomena is quite upsetting.  Two weeks ago I started to feel slight tingling in the pinky, ring and middle fingers bilaterally.  The symtpoms change and infrequently disappear.  I also developed slight tingling in both legs.  Any comment is appreciated

[whatamess]

Hi,

I also have the tingling and vibration feelings, along with dizziness, leg cramps, muscle twitching and random sharp pains in the body and jaw.  I've seen a neurologist, rheumatologist and doctor and all say they can't find anything wrong with me.  I find the vibration feeling the most disturbing, last night I felt like I was sleeping on a vibrating bed and I also had a buzzing sensation in my head.  Every doctor I've seen has said that these symptoms are just due to stress but I wasn't stressed at all when it all started.  I was really surprised to find SOOOOO many people who have the same sort of symptoms and no answers.  Good luck to everyone, if you find anything out please post here for the rest of us to see.  Thanks.

[SacredWholeness]

I am wondering if any of us suffering from these strange symptoms have any commonalities in our work.  I am female, 45,
a postal worker and work with energy healing.  Can any of you offer your information?

[Orphan Annie]

I've been going to Doctors for a long time for this and can't get a diagnosis.  Starting in 1993, I would get absolutely exhausted and started getting muscle pain, tingling and numbness.  It goes away, but comes back and has been getting a little worse each time.  The neurologist suspects MS, the rheumatologist suspected fibromyalgia, then RA, and possibly polymyalgia rheumatica...blood tests fall into slightly elevated in the ANA.  It's a strange thing...sometimes my left side just doesn't work the way it usually does and the feelings of numbness are similar to having plastic wrap over my skin--I can still feel things, but not like  the right side of my body.  Tired a lot, too but try to workout to keep my energy up.  I work full-time, take care of elderly family members, and I'm married.  I try to keep a balance of things, but the numbness, tingling, headaches, etc. are taking their toll to where I want to go to work part-time.  Any ideas where to start building health back up?

[kwag]

This is what I think about all of this neuro stuff going on:  I have this numbness, tingling, vibrating, dizziness, weird skin sensations, headaches, forces pushing me forward, etc,,, I think it is toxin overload.  Therefore detoxing is in order.  I believe that with the diet, exercise, steam saunas, supplements and what ever is natural and detoxes the body will help.  Also to avoid as much toxins as possible.  Look into this and do some research yourself.  May God bless your efforts

[lotsacats]

Hi.  Don't let doctors try to pass on what they don't know as stress.  It seems with my problems also that as soon as they realize they have no idea what is wrong, they slate it as stress.  It's a real cop out.  I started having a severe hypersensitivity to most medications after a herpes 1 infection 6 years ago and am still suffering from the effects of being treated with meds which ended up making me worse.  The doctors are baffeled when you have something unusual but I know I was not under ANY stress when this started but I sure am now.  Keep looking for an answer, hopefully you'll have better luck that I have with doctors.

[Garhart]

Hi, Several years ago I had the symptoms you experienced. It turned out to be an inner ear infection... no pain but severe eguilibrium problems.

Something to explore.

[Lisa1]

I had a tummy tuck operation back in July,2003. I woke up from this sugery with this dizziness and a fullness in my ears. I have been going to Doctors for 8 Months now trying to find out what is going on. The fulness in my ears has gone away, but lasted for several months. During that time I had been treated for vertigo, inner ear problems, Meniere's disease and depression. I was having panic attacks in the beginning because the whole dizziness thing just freaked me out.. I also had an MRI done of the brain and a CT scan of my neck so far. Nothing has shown up.I've had Blood work and been tested for Lyme disease and regular blood work up. Nothing. I also go to a Chiropractor for pain in my neck and lower back, and was hoping that maybe it was just a pinched nerve... but no relief.I'm at a dead-end. I am going to go see a Neuroligist in March and hope he can tell me something. The dizziness gets worse some days than others but does'nt go away. It is driving me crazy... I'm always thinking about it and It's ruining my life.. At times it gets so bad all I can do is lay down, but thats not always possible. I have 2 kids ages 2 and 6 and not alot of free time to myself. The last Doctors I saw both told me they think it's Begnign positional vertigo. ??? and that it would go away eventually., and left it at that. All medicaction I have been prescribed for inner ear, vertigo, menier's and depression,have not worked so far. Hope we find a solution.... I get nervous though every time I hear symptoms for some kind of problem or disease that even slightly resemble mine because I don't know what is going on. Good luck everyone!

[tonk45]

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