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Neurology (Expert Forum)
MS like symptons, no positive diagnosis - what next?
This forum is for questions and support regarding neurology issues such as: Alzheimer's Disease, ALS, Autism, Brain Cancer, Cerebral Palsy, Chronic Pain, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Headaches, MS, Neuralgia, Neuropathy, Parkinson's Disease, RSD, Sleep Disorders, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury.
MS like symptons, no positive diagnosis - what next?
by 2kidsmom, Oct 19, 2002 12:00AM
See your prev answer to me(Aug)"what should i do now?"... HISTORY: Scale(1-best 10-worst)CONSTANT:dizziness(10),light headedness(10),weakness in limbs(9),fatigue(7),incoordination(9)(e.g. feel like going to fall),short term memory(6),inability to focus(7), ringing ears(9).SOMETIMES:numbness in left arm(5),tingling (pins/needles) in limbs(5). Symptoms have been increasing over time(years)-coming ang going,now mostly constant and seem to increase after being in heat (e.g. shower, etc). TESTS: MRI(normal),EMG(normal),BAER/Visual(VER)(normal),bloodwork(normal). DIAGNOSIS:Rhumatol.. ruled out Chronic fatigue, fybromalgia,Lymes,etc. Neurologist wants a Spinal Tap next. Plan to get 2nd opinion in Jan from U of Penn (no insur 'til then) NOW WHAT? What else (other than MS) could it be?The only thing not ruled out is MS, despite normal testing. I've read, even the spinal could be normal & still be MS. If so(normal spinal), what should i do next? Doctors seem stumped. Can they treat me for MS without postive diagnosis and see if I respond? They are not giving me/doing anything to make me feel better. No diagnosis either. If normal spinal tap - what next? I cannot care for my 2 small children w/o assistant from family-Thank You for taking the time to help others that are going through difficult times...your words and knowledge are comforting.
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT, Oct 21, 2002 12:00AM
Unlikely treatment for MS will be initiated if everything comes back stone cold normal, unless there is a very strong clinical suspicion that you really do have MS. 10% patients with actual MS do have a normal MRI on presentation. However, this needs to be taken into clinical context, depending on the history and exam. With normal results from the extensive testing, it should be somewhat reassuring that nothing requiring emergent treatment is going on. Hard to say what it could be as I have not personally examined you and everything has been normal thus far. U Penn has an excellent neurology program and it would be good for someone to take a fresh look at you. In the meantime, you should try symptomatic treatment which of course isn't getting to the root fo the problem, but it should help you function until you do. Neurontin or elavil may help with the tingling. Physical therapy or exercise such as swimming may also be of help. Balanced diet with multivitamin and rest should also be part of the regimen. GOod luck.
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I have one additional comment/question-sorry
If this is indeed MS I feel as though this would be the more progressive stage where my symptoms are staying rather than the remitting stage....Could it be possible to be in the progressive stage without evidence of the disease-basically what I am asking is can a person become progressive in a short term (1 year)? Sorry for taking up so much of your time. With Best Regards
jazov
my sister over the last yr has been to docs and been tested for things from ms to lupas.i emailed the artical to my brother in law. he gave it to her,she used to drink 4-5 diet cokes a day.with in a week of giving those up she was feeling 80% better now she feels like she is a whole different person.i don't have the artical anymore but sure i can find it if you are interested email me at ***@**** . sorry for all this missspelled words and grammer misstakes not my strong suit know what i mean lol
Thank you for responding. Jazov and Tlaw-I am very sorry that you too suffer from similar symptoms. I have been to so many doctors that do not know what to do for me that I too doubted myself. Because I live everyday feeling the way that I do I know that there is something wrong. I do not know where you guys are as far as physically but everyday is a stuggle for me to even bath or walk up steps or take care of my home. I very rarly leave home. Since you both seem to have similar symptoms I would be interested in hearing how you cope.
Brunobandit-Thank you for your comment as well. I am on a very strick diet....I rarly eat anything with sugar let alone aspertame. There is alot of information out there about that subject and I am always interested in hearing the latest
Thanks
I too was originally told that I don't have MS (back in 98)and was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which I have never been happy with as a diagnosis for my problems. I was recently sent for hearing tests and the doctor there is unhappy with the CFS diagnosis and is organising a further brainscan, although I had one four years ago.
I have previously mentioned, in answer to a couple of questions on this forum, that through trying to find reasons for my symptoms I learned of the problems caused by vitamin b12 deficiency. I also have read the accounts of many people who were either misdiagnosed, or simply not diagnosed at all, untill it was found to be a vitamin b12 deficiency at a late stage. The longer this condition goes unrecognised, the worse the symptoms get.
As I also said in the previous questions I responded to, it may not be anything to do with your symptoms and perhaps they have already checked this. However if I were you I would want to know very smartly if this has been checked out. If it has, ask what your level was, as there is a lot of debate about what is safe and what is not. If it is at the lower end of normal there are other tests which your doctor should want to do to ensure this is not the problem.
I hope we all get answers, but in the meantime just hang in there, there are a lot of us with you.
Best of luck
Graham
This was an article I found which I had this H Pylori makes me wonder. I don't use aspertame so it rules that out. I hardly cope don't get much done quit my job just can't funtion. Take lorazapam it does help with the anxiaty I pray all of us can find an answer soon but aleast I now know I am not crazy.
Hugs to all.
jazov
There are some doctors who take the view that if you do not have anaemia or enlarged blood cells (megablastic blood cells) that this cannot be the problem. There are countless reports that show this thinking is completely wrong, in fact there is evidence to suggest that those who do not develop anaemia can, for some reason, have worse neurological symptoms than those who do.
I think that Mike should return to his doctor had have his b12 and folate checked again. As he is in the low/normal range I would also ask they check his methylmalonic acid and serum homocysteine, which can be better indicators of true b12 deficiency.
Is he taking b12 supplement, if not don't start untill he has the tests done (it can reduce methylmalonic acid levels, which may be elevated and indicate deficiency)
I don't know about Mike's symptoms, but if they are anything like those people posting above, it has at least got to be possible.
Let us know how he gets on.
Best of luck
Graham
My husband began taking neurontin at the beginning of his illness (4/01) and at the beginning the dosage was 300mg qid and after two weeks he was supposed to increase to 600mg qid. On the 2nd-3rd day of the increased dosing, he began having the worst muscle jerks, especially in his neck but still was all over...it reminded me of tourette's (sp). It was awful. I immediately stopped that dosage and he went back to the 300 mg qid and called his doctor. Neuro had no problem with him remaining at the lower dosage and the horrible jerking stopped within a couple of days. He continued taking neurontin at the lower dose until this past July when he was admitted for renal failure (another problem mostly due to medication, we think). They reexamined all of his medicines and neurontin was removed totally. Part of his problem has been short-term memory loss, which was severe at the onset (nothing to do with medication but with this disease, whatever it "really" is), and over the last 18 months his memory has improved. However, I have noticed a tremendous difference in his memory and interaction since removing neurontin altogether. We still have a long way to go...but mentally he is much improved and I know it's because of the neurontin. It's a good drug, but it has some "mean" side effects. I wish you the best...(I kinda know what you're going thru as a caregiver) mea
Wendy
I read this, and it brought back so many memories for me, my mother has MS and has had it for 8 years. When she was first diagnosed, the doctors couldn't tell what it was, she had so many of the same symptoms. Several things that she has been doing to control the symptoms have been working better than any medication could ever have. Firstly it seems to be exaserbated by stress. She became so stressed and anxious about the symptoms that it made it so much worse. Also she changed her diet, which also helps with stress levels. She eats mostly organic foods, ie milk without hormones, organic eggs etc. Lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. She has also found that a magnesium supplement relieved a lot of the associated symptoms, like fatigue and headaches. Ms is probably one of the hardest diseases to diagnose because they don't really know why you get it. I have watched her disease for over eight years, she went from being un able to walk to walking on a regular basis.
I am not a doctor nor do i have this disease but, I can say that I know what the effects are and I know that a positive enviroment and a diet change might really help you. But mostly remember to take care of your self. It must be difficult and scary to think that you are getting sick with small children to take care of. I truely hope that you all have supportive family and friends, remember you are not alone and take care of yourself mind and body...the two in combination are what make us whole. Best of Luck and I will keep you all in my prayers.
it was determined lymes disease, and chronic fatigue sydrome after treatment , i still had all the same symptons.
i also had 4 different parasites found in a blood teat that was overlooked as well as h-pilori after tretment for that and many many prayers later i actually woke up , got out of bed without pain, foggieness, and lethargy,that was 4weeks ago and every day i get better and better , happier and happier
i believe with all my heart and soul it was GOD , i gave myself whole heartly to Him i pprayed continuesly , i read the bible , i stopped dwelling on all the negatives and started reading alot of inspiratioal books to help me along a righteous path
AND THATS HOW I GOT HEALED , PRAISE GOD
NO MORE SMOKING, NO MORE ALCAHOL (alcohol), AND VERY MIN. STRESS ; NO MORE 10 DIFFERENT MEDS , ONLY WELLBUTRIN NOW WHICH HELPED ME QUIT SMOKING
IF I CAN HELP IN ANY WAY , LET ME KNOW, I'LL B PRAYING FOR YA ALL
did you ever find out what the twinkling stars/vision problems were?
the reason i ask is because i ve been having the sme type vioson problems similar to that, for the past year and a half, and have yet to find out any solution.
along with many other symtoms (dizziness,headaches,numbness of arms while sleeping,ect.)
ive been to m.d,optometrists,ophthalmologists,neuro-ophthalmologists,neurologists ,e.r's and have had blood tests, c/t scans,mri of the head,thyroid tests,all normal. and still everybody seems to be dumbfounded about what it could be.
our next avenue is to do the lumbar puncture .
anyway 2kidsmom i saw the posting you did a while back and you had described the same type of vision problem im having and was wondering if you had found out what it is.
thanks
toro
Hi....to answer your question I never did find out what these twinkling things are. I have had just about every test (neurological). With all of my other problems for some reason that just doesn't sit high at the top of the list. I too am supposed to schedule a lumbar puncture...I will probably schedule before the holidays....I hope you find yourself in good health as for so many of us are too young to be this sick.
With Best Regards
HM
please look into "Olivio Ponto Cerebellum". My son-in-law was recently diagnosed with this. Had all the symptoms of MS - early diagnosis was a gluten allergy, tried the diet for months with no change. Finally found a doctor that diagnosed him with the above.
There is a website .. couldn't hurt to mention it to your doctor and check out the website. Good luck to all of you.
I've heard many things here from A to Z... and only a smidgen of actual dx's. Have any of you ever heard of "autoimmune disorder"? Did any of you ever take a flu shot before your symptoms began? Ever heard of CIDP? That's Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. It seems like there are so many neurological illnesses out there...
Perhaps the answer lies in "genetics"? Perhaps your family is predisposed concerning certain autoimmune disorders? Familial history is real important, so check it out.
Take care All.
I`ve posted on here before, and do often because my symptoms seem to change. 2 weeks after the birth of my daughter, I started having tingling / burning in hands and feet, abnormal sensations and cramping in right wrist, tendons would tense up when I bent down and my muscles twitched. Well most of this has went away except I`m still slightly twitching and the tendons in my left heel still tense up when I bend down, and I still get a slight tingling in that ankle. But I`ve also seemed to have developed a new symptom... My left knee seems to "pop forward" when I`m walking sometimes, and my left leg feels tired continuously, even after rest.Could this be considered weakness? I`ve had a brain MRI- Normal, bloodtest - Normal, strength test- Normal, and a nerve conduction test. The doctor said my nerves were conductin slightly slow, but it was normal. I really didn`t understand that though. Has anyone with MS had any of these symptoms, or anyone who`s just had a baby? I`m frustrated!
I was wondering when your symptoms started? Did you have them before the birth of your first child? My pregnancy seemed to have triggered mine. I have a few of your symptoms, but a lot I don`t. I doubt you have MS. Try not to worry. My neuro doctor says MS almost always shows up on an MRI, even though theres that 10% that doesn`t, it usually does. I hope you get well soon. Good luck to all...
I want to add my support to what Nikibug mentioned about a Chiari. All of the symptoms you describe could be consistent with this, although of course that doesn't by any means mean that you have it. The diagnostic categories for a Chiari are shifting, so it's not necessarily an abnormality that will jump out at the radiologist in all cases. Many patients who have ended up with this diagnosis had had their MRI's initially read as normal.
I also agree that when mysterious neurological symptoms continue, one must look at the spinal cord as well as the brain. In addition to MS, there are some potentially serious disorders affecting the spinal cord that are frequently misdiagnosed as MS:
1. Arnold-Chiari Malformation
2. Syringomyelia/syrinx of the spinal cord
3. Arachnoiditis (can be caused by misplaced epidurals during childbirth, spinal anesthesia, blood patches, multiple LP's if blood vessels are nicked, spinal trauma, spinal surgery). This is generally described as a pain syndrome, but in some people (like me) the neurological symptoms are more prominent than the pain.
4. Spinal cord tumors (rare, but they do happen).
All of these disorders can cause numbness, weakness, frequent muscle twitches/fasciculations in many areas of the body, persistent muscle stiffness and tendon tightness, burning pain. The tend to progress slowly over time, unlike other "normal" causes of these symptoms that may resolve on their own. Some of these disorders (like Chiari) are more likely to affect the nerves up at the brainstem, which control functions of the head, face, and neck. Some are more likely to be associated with bowel/bladder/sexual problems. There are many other symptoms that also are associated with each one, but they all present in a range of severity, often with mild symptoms in the beginning.
I don't mean to alarm people, the vast majority of whom have much more benign explanations for their symptoms. I'm just coming from the other perspective, as someone who did end up having a very serious cause of my symptoms (a spinal tumor, and subsequently arachnoiditis). All the disorders listed above are rare, but it has been disturbing to see how easily they're also missed when they do turn up. Even when doctors do MRI's, they may not image the right area, and some of these disorders have to be specifically looked for by someone with experience in the wide range of MRI appearances (especially with Chiari and arachnoiditis).
Sincerely,
Annika
I have arachnoid adhesions, commonly referred to as "arachnoiditis". It's kind of a misnomer, since the "itis" seems to imply some sort of ongoing inflammation within the spine (in the arachnoid layer). All I have is the adhesive scarring which results from that inflammation. The source of that original inflammation, and the eventual scarring, was surgery to remove a cauda equina tumor when I was 29 (I'm 32 now).
So my arachnoid adhesions are not the result of an epidural. However, arachnoiditis is a known possible complication of epidurals, and is thought to occur sometimes if the epidural needle accidentally punctures the dura to allow blood and/or other substances to enter the CSF space inside the spinal canal. Blood inside the intradural space is the main common trigger for arachnoiditis/arachnoid adhesions. That's why blood patches for CSF leaks can cause this problem, as can spinal anesthesia, spinal trauma, lumbar punctures (again, if they cause bleeding into the CSF), and, most especially, spinal surgery. I have to say that this is still felt to be a rare complication of epidurals/spinals/LP's, and most people have these procedures without any problems.
This has been described in medical papers, in medical textbooks, and many versions of the same basic story tend to get told by patients who end up diagnosed with arachnoiditis. There are some of those stories on this board as well, if you go to the archives. However, a big caution - these tend to be severe cases of arachnoiditis. Mine is pretty bad, not because I have a lot of scar tissue (I don't - you can barely see it on MRI, even though it was confirmed on reoperation to try to correct my problem), but because it is tethering my spinal cord.
Most of the information on arachnoiditis will talk about the severe cases. However, there's a huge spectrum. The basic abnormality is just that there are spots of scar tissue inside the spinal canal that are tugging on the nerves and/or cord. The reason we know there's a spectrum of symptoms is that many of us have a gradual onset of problems, so you can see how the early, subtle symptoms evolve into something that becomes easier to diagnose with time. There may be people out there, though, with minimal scarring, who never progress beyond these early, puzzling symptoms.
Scarring inside the spinal canal can cause a variety of symptoms, and one need not have all of them. These symptoms include: burning pain, squeezing pain, shooting pain, aching pain. There may or may not be frequent muscle twitches (fasciculations), weakness, persistent muscle stiffness and tendon tightness (due to the pulling on the cord itself). There may not be muscle symptoms at all - it took a year of other symptoms before I had any problems with my muscles. There may or may not be bowel/bladder/sexual problems of varying degrees of severity. Usually the lower body is affected most, but there may be upper body symptoms too - depending on where the scarring is, and whether it's pulling on the entire spinal cord (that's the case with me).
One key feature of arachnoiditis pain is that it tends to be very positional. Of course, that's true of many other disorders as well - but not so much the systemic diseases that affect nerve function in non-mechanical ways, like B12 deficiency or MS.
Arachnoiditis is diagnosed by history, and by MRI - but MRI is not foolproof, as not all scar tissue will show up in such a way that you can clearly identify it. In general, the radiologist needs to be told to look for this abnormality. He will look for evidence of nerve clumping and/or inflammation/scarrgin surrounding the nerve roots.
I don't want you to be unnecessarily scared, although I'm afraid that's exactly what I've just managed to do. So let me just say that someone with mild arachnoid adhesions can do a lot by gentle physical therapy and stretching. In genneral, activity is good, to keep things loose - but being careful not to put a lot of stress on the spine, or to do exercises thhat involve a lot of sudden movement of the spine.
If a person has arachnoid adhesions and doesn't know this is the source of her problem, she might undergo all sorts of invasive procedures that are only likely to make the scarring worse, and she might miss out on the benefits of physical therapy. So that's why I think it's important for people to be aware of this diagnosis. In addition to frequently being misdiagnosed as MS, another common misdiagnosis for patients with arachnoiditis is myofascial pain syndrome or fibromyalgia. But of course, people should also exhaust all the other possible explanations for their symptoms as well.
Again, I don't mean to imply this is what I think is going on with you. I know just how this all sounds, and I feel very bad about it. The only way to explain this problem is to explain what's known about the worse cases. I don't mean this to scare people who may have other explanations for their symptoms, or who may have very mild symptoms from arachnoid adhesions.
Sincerely,
Annika
This is just an addendum to what I wrote before. I don't mean to imply that arachnoiditis and epidural complications are the only causes for neurological symptoms that seem to come on during the period following childbirth. I just meant to explain this one condition (which I have myself, and so know more about than other disorders). Childbirth itself, and carrying a heavy infant, can cause mechanical strain to the spine. Some women may have an underlying disk problem or other spinal abnormality, that suddenly gets worse during the period after childbirth. So that's worth looking for too. If most of the symptoms are in the upper body, one might think about some sort of nerve compression around the cervical spine.
Sincerely,
Annika
Thanks for your comments. I don`t really think I have arachnoiditis, or even MS, I hope not at least, and I`m sorry to hear that you do have arachnoiditis. I hope you get completely well soon. I have an appointment with the neuro doctor tommorrow. He`s gonna be checking my neck MRI to see if I have a bulging neck disk. This will just be another test to help rule stuff out. Because my symptoms seem to come on and then dissapear...this thing seems to be more benign than anything. I really don`t think it was the epidural related though, because I didn`t get a headache or taste metallic in my mouth. I think it just slowed my labor and caused me to throw up during labor. Thanks so much, I`ll update ya on me....
Thru lack of anything else I was given the diagnosis Acephalgic Migraine. (Aura of Migraine). I DONT GET HEADACHES....I JUST GO NUMB LIKE I AM STROKING OUT.... I have had, on occasions those flash spots, which my neurologist says is Migrainal related. However, I only get those spots occasionally. Never during an episode nor after. My hearing would go. I can tell when an episode is coming if my hearing starts to go wacky. I not only get ringing. But I feel like someone is plugging up one ear and I can't hear out of it.....
I was given Depakote (500mg a day) and Verapamil (blood pressure med, even though mine was not high) The combo of the drugs have worked for me. Although I have had breakthru with the numbness and tingling and a few times I felt like I was paralyzed just on the right side of my body. The doctor is ready to remove medicine. I am losing hair in the drodes....1/2 my hair is allready gone. I fear that taking me off this med, which is an antiseizure/migraine pill. Will spiral me back in to the daily hell I lived in over ayear ago.....Why do I write this..I don't believe AURA OF MIGRAINE....I hardly believe that what I have is migraine I read all of your comments and realize I still am in the same boat. I only had medicine to work for a while, now I am scared to death about living without medication that works, Then I am afraid of being on medication to long. What if dementia happens earlier to me because of my "brain" problems, what if I am being misdiagnosed. But I really don't want to go back thru the hospital and test hell. I literally spent 3 months in and out of hospitals. TERRIFIED. I am 32 now a mother of 2 and I was 30 when this first started....Is the brain to hard to get correct diagnosis, I follow up with my nuero in Jan. I am considering going to MAYO for another opinion. And when I read all of these medical terms I have never heard of makes me want to make sure that all of those tests originally run, had some of these diagnosis in mind.??????????
How very frustrating. My own feeling as a patient (who has very different issues from your particular ones) is that complicated neurologic disorders may need many different expert brains to figure out what's going on. Don't be afraid of going for second, third opinions, as long as you have some central doctor who can follow the information as it comes back. If Mayo seems the natural place to go, that might be one option. The main danger with doctor shopping is if the information doesn't somehow get collected by one person who knows you well and can help make sense of this for you. Other than that, I think getting consulting opinions can be very useful.
In addition to what's already been considered, have they thought about intermittent hydrocephalus? That can sometimes be associated with transient sensory and cognitive problems. I'm not saying this is a perfect fit for your symptoms, but perhaps another thing to think about. There are some other people on the board who have had this.
Sincerely,
Annika
I re-read the details of your story, as well as your other post. While it's impossible to really get a sense of what's happening on-line, there are many parts of your symptoms that are the same as those that might happen if there were problems affecting the brainstem and cerebellum. These two structures are the ones that are primarily affected in a Chiari malformation. As I mentioned to 2kidsmom above, and which nikibug has also discussed, a Chiari can be tricky to diagnose. The MRI's really need to be reiviewed by someone who has experience with the newer classifications of Chiari anomalies. A Chiari can also cause intermittent hydrocephalus.
The people who tend to understand Chiaris are often neurosurgeons, because they see these patients the most. However, different surgeons' experience levels may vary widely. To really rule out this diagnosis in a patient who has symptoms that might be suggestive of a Chiari (and I wouldn't know if yours are - so many things become ambiguous when described in e-mail), it may be necessary to meet with a neurosurgeon who specializes in Chiari anomalies. I know that at Johns Hopkins, their neurosurgery department has been involved in some of the recent research on these disorders. For someone who is seeking evaluation, one might check out the web-pages of different neurosurgical centers, and see who lists this as a specific area of interest. You can start by raising this issue with the neurologist you are already seeing.
One key feature of a Chiari is that the symptoms are often affected by triggers that raise the pressure inside the head (like straining, vomiting), and by the positions of the head or neck (bending the head/neck forward, in particular, tends to bring on symptoms). But it can be somewhat fuzzy. Patients often have headache, especially at the base of the skull/nape of the neck, neck pain, choking sensations, trouble/changes with breathing, changes with hearing, feeling of pressure behind the ears, incoordination, feeling of pressure behind the eyes, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, pain/numbness/weakness down the neck/arms, facial pain/numbness, changes in the voice (hoarseness or clumsiness when speaking), difficulty/straining when swallowing, chronic fatigue, plus all the symptoms of intermittent hydrocephalus that can happen along with this syndrome. There are other symptoms which I am likely forgetting, because there are many ways this syndrome can present. Patients do not always have all the symptoms, and symptoms may range from mild to severe.
The basic abnormality in a Chiari is that the brainstem/cerebellum is located too far down into the opening in the skull where the spinal cord leaves the brain. This can cause changes in CSF flow through this area, or direct pressure on the brainstem/cerebellum. All the symptoms follow from these basic problems.
So Korie, the main reason why I am writing this up for you is so you can get a sense whether this in any way relates to your problems, or if it's totally out in left field (it might be). I'm speaking only as another patient and don't mean to try to diagnose you. I just understand that you've been struggling for some time with symptoms that aren't exactly no big deal. If I were in your place, I know I would be looking for information. I know there are many other things that might be going on.
Good luck,
Annika
A popping/cracking sensation is usually caused by bone against bone, or sometimes by tendon/ligament against bone. It's very nonspecific, meaning it doesn't tell you much about the exact cause, but it does tell you that when the joints of your cervical spine are moving during daily life, something is not gliding as easily as it should. Depending on where the cracking/popping is, it could be other parts of the musculoskeletal system of the neck too, but since the spine makes up almost all the joints in the neck, this is usually where the problem is.
This could be totally incidental to the other things that are going. It also could be related. The most common cause of bone cracking/crunching is probably minor orthopedic abnormalities in the cervical spine - such as the changes of osteoarthritis, bone spurs, imbalanced ligaments (that aren't holding the cervical spine aligned the way it should be). Most of them are no big deal. Calcifications in the soft tissues around the neck (from old trauma, say) can also do this.
One of the rarer causes of this problem is what I have: weakness of the neck muscles themselves (due to nerve damage), causing the whole structure to lose it's natural strong support during movement. I have a lot of crunching and snapping in the neck, and it happened very suddenly (at the same time that the nerve damage to the neck happened). But I have to stress that this is such a rare cause - almost always, the kind of popping/snapping you describe is due to wear-and-tear related changes in the bones and/or ligaments.
Your symptoms do make me wonder again about the possibility that a cervical disk prolapse is causing some of the numbness/tingling you describe. It would seem weird to me that you would have more symptoms in your legs than in the upper body, if a disk in this area were at fault. But I've given up trying to predict the nervous system, and it's very hard to tell what the full picture is by e-mail anyway. There are things in the cervical spine that can show up with leg symptoms before the real arm symptoms begin. A cervical MRI seems reasonable, at least as reasonable as the brain MRi (which they've already done).
Good luck,
Annika
Thanks so much for answering me so quick. I was wondering? How do u know so much about this stuff? U a nurse, doctor? Just curious... I`m just a civilian, and I`ve learned a lot on this stuff too from just researching. thanks...
I hate feeling the way I do...I have taken notes from your comments as well as reading other peoples issues. I did look up the names that you listed previously, however, some symptoms sound like me and others don't. I just hate feeling so strange sometimes and I have yet to see anyone out there who has listed. Acephalgic Migraine. Or been given any sort of migraine diagnosis.
I am definately considering the 3rd opinion for follow up to all of this medical stuff. However, when I asked my current neuro for a follow up MRI, seeing that I have not had one in almost 1 1/2 years, he stated he did not see the necessity for it. No major changes in any symptom....I felt that kinda of odd, since I am still suffering breakthru the meds and have yet to live the life I once used to....Any way I am not the Doc..But I definately am going to bring up some of what I have read to him and see if there is yet anything more I can do.
Thanks again for responding and I hope that your medical condition is getting better and under control as well.