Neck pain, stiffness, arm numbness, tingling and pain, anxiety...

In march 05 I was involved in a motor vehicle accident.  I have since had symptoms that have gotten worse over the last 10 months.  I have dizziness, severe neck pain with pain radiating from the back of my head/neck, terrible pain or numbness and tingling alternating in my arms and legs.
I have started having what I think are panic attacks as well.  I feel the tingling and numness spread up my arm and then it sends me into a panic.  I have also experienced dizziness, stuffiness in my ears, and stiffness in my neck with pressure in my head.
I have been diagnosed with so many different things only to learn I don't have it after all.  I have not seen a neurologist, but feel that everything originates in my neck/back of my head.
This is causing my so much distress.  I have five children at home and I've barely been able to function.  Some days I have very few symptoms and others I can hardly breathe with all of the awful things going on.  
I don't get any sleep at nightdue to the fact that I can't get my head or neck comfy.
I also spend hours in front of a computer, perhaps this could be making it worse.
It is all very frightening.  I get the feeling that I am going to pass out, but I think it might just be the panic.
I have been tested for all sorts of things as well as having had an MRI ct scan multiple x-rays etc...the neurologist is my last hope.  My doc is making me an appt in the morning, but she said sometimes it is weeks before you can get in.
Thanks in advancefor any advice.  I just want my life back so I can be a good wife and a mother again to my children

[5inthenest]

I forgot to mention that I get this weird feeling running down my arms, sometimes it feels like it is running from the top of my head to my toes, but it feels like warm water or something.  This is the weird feeling that sends me into a panic or gives me the anxiety.  Thank you so much for reading this.

[Shanghai SD]

Hi There
Hang in there!
As part of your medical investigations please also investigate the possibility of Lyme disease, even if you can never recall being bitten by a tick.
You need to be tested by a reputable lab and perhaps see a doctor who understands this disease.
Of course there are numerous things which could be causing your problems but this should be part of your differential diagnosis.
Cheers
Shangs

[lat67]

Hi,

First let me say how sorry I am you going through this.  I know exackly how you feel.  I am a mother of three who had similar symptoms two years ago.  For me the anxiety and stress came after the symtoms (symptoms).  These are very scary feelings and I understand totally how worried you are.  I to get the heat feeling but down my legs...it is truly terrifying.  My story is that after two years I was finally dx with Lyme disease.  I have had all the testing done for MS and MS has been ruled out.  I finally looked into lyme disease and was dx lasy may.  I am now 70% better.  If you would like any information on,lyme disease feel free to email me.  The reason I am getting better is because someone helped me get on the right path.

***@****

good luck.

Lesley

[monarog]

Sounds like my life...only difference is I also have weird amounts of muscle twitching, numb tongue and face a few times...and a documented herniated cervical disc at c6-7...though they claim it's not causing my symptoms - though all of these weird neuro symptoms began about 4 months after the herniation and have continued for the last 10 months. When checked I also have brisk reflexes. I've been through the testing mill...everything checks out "normal." Everything feels like it's coming from my neck, just like you.  I too had the symptoms first, then naturally anxiety kicked in as well.  I buzz, twitch, am numb, dizzy all day every day, my nerves feel like they're on high all of the time...if you get any answers please share and I'll do the same.  I hope you start feeling better soon.  Take Care.

[5inthenest]

I have also been waking up feeling like I have a hangover and I don't even drink, but I did when I was a teenager so I do know indeed what it feels like.
I was thinking perhaps I have a pinched nerve since all of this begn literally weeks after being in the car accident.  I was perfectly healthy before that day.  As far as I knew anyway.

[lat67]

One of my biggest complaints with lyme disease is how hung over I feel every morning....mornings were really tough for me and some days would be noon before I felt any better.  Now that I am feeling better and getting better mornings are not as bad.
The hung over feeling is a common complaint in Lyme disease patients.

Lesley

[desimontreal]

Have had similar symptoms, some have subsided over three years. Still headaches, head pressure, neck pain, neck stiffness, tinnitus, lightheaded, fatigue... stamina have increase.

Likely the anxiety is related to the problem.  Also loss my hearing on the left side, recovered after several months still having some pressure on the left ear and tinnitus .. ENT assume meniere but other symptoms dont align.  Again seem related to the neck - had disk herniated shown on the MRI although the doctors deemed its should only cause pain and ent doc say not related to dizziness or lightheadedness. But what is pain but nerve signals to the brain. So if its is a bad signal caused by a nerve pinch or damage to the nerve by viral infection etc it would be interpreted by the brain in many ways. So far, basically, doctors have all sort of dianosis but no treatement. MRI show normal except the neck herniation but doctors opinion varies from one to the other-some say yes to pain and tinnitus some say only pain (but doctors who would say pain i think are inaccurately describing). Internet search however show symptoms of neck problem vary widely.  taking clonazepham, monocor, and other blood pressure lowering drugs seem to have helped with the tingling. Ive try to avoid working on the computer too much, else i get lightheaded, possibly worst tinnitus. In addition, making sure i have good posture when sitting to avoid the neck strain.  Ive seen a neurologist, gave me the standard squeeze the hand and follow the finger and looked at the MRI results ... he concluded not likely neurological but then again what is MRI but a density chart... does not tell you function ... anyway, my take is get plenty of rest avoid stress, have good posture, avoid stress, make sure blood pressure is low, and keep on searching for the answer. Keep cool else the anxiety will make all worst.

[sugarmaple]

hi, i hope you still are on ,i use to have the hang over feeling back in 1990 and lasted for about 2 -3 years then the onset of vertigo and all hell broke out,you see hang over feeling ,i didnt have a word to put on it and dr. said meiniers disease... was treating that for 4 years till my doctor said thyroid,well its been a living hell and i had mri and then 3 years a go i started numbness on left side with sweats and sickness,,,i went to er with ekg and everything normal...went home and that winter i suffered,calling dr every week,had mercury test ,diabetes,and behold the lyme test coming back negative...i went into a depression and suffered again,severe pain,sickness and numbness and pain even with bp check.it is now sept 07 and i want to be normal and want to see a nero. but i remember that i was bitten by several ticks thru out years and had a bulls eye bite not knowing what it was at that time and just brushed it off...now i have problems with cold,movement and pains  ,sickness ,eye problem,joint pain,confusion ,memory loss,doing simple things screw me up,moodyness,and about 30 more things and when i went to see my dr. i felt he thinks im a nut...well i just wished i went and had taken care of ....i believe and heard that lyme disease test can be off if so im one that has had it for about 15-17 years

[DebbieDNTD]

[DebbieDNTD]

I had an entire post written only to find I had to register first and the post I had written  gone from the screen.

I'm also going through the same things some of you are describing above and had End Stage Lyme Disease about 9 years ago.  Can you tell me what you're doing about these symptoms and if you've seen any improvement?  

[DebbieDNTD]

     About your comment about the Lyme Disease test being off, I just learned yesterday there are different types of tests which can be done to detect Lyme Disease, especially if you've tested positive in the past, then a whole different set of tests need to be done if it flares up again, which I also learned it can do.  I've been suffering with all of the same symptoms now for a few weeks and ended up in the ER yesterday after literally passing out from them, however, the diagnosis came down to two things, either I'm suffering from anxiety attacks (which Lyme Disease mimics) or my Lyme Disease is flaring up.  Your doctor shouldn't think you're nuts and if he/she does, then it's time to find another doctor until you feel better.  I went through that nine years ago with my initial diagnosis until a doctor randomly decided to test me for Lyme Disease.  I had never known I was bitten by a tick, had never seen a bullseye mark or had symptoms until it was end stage.  It did leave me with Epstein Barr Syndrome, also known as Chronic Fatigue.  The last thing you want to hear is that all of your symptoms are in your head.  I had no reason to have anxiety attacks come out of nowhere, especially yesterday morning at 6:30 AM when I was enjoying a cup of coffee before I found myself passing out and waking up on the floor.  I let the ER doctor go on about it being stress and anxiety.  Who isn't stressed these days?  Then I brought up my past history of Lyme Disease and I could see his expression change.  So now I'm back on 10 mg of Lexapro daily and .5 mg of Xanax every six hours until the Lexapro kicks in, which could be in as little as a week.  Yes, an anti-anxiety or antidepressant med can fix the problems associated with Lyme Disease too.  
     I hope you're still coming to this board to read my comment.  There is help out there for you and there is no reason you should continue to go through this.  

[whiteorchid]

I'm experiencing the same syptoms (symptoms) -- all as a result of whiplash.   I've had thyroid issues for years and anxiety issues since going on synthroid.  The anxiety seems to have worsened after the neck injury.  It started with just a little tingling/burning in neck area - then came on full blown the next day. Shooting pain up the back of the neck, then trembling(tremors) and then the stiffness in neck started.  I have more range of motion after phsycial therapy and now I'm seeing a chiro but the anxiety still seems to take over.  I have an internal shaking feeling, and it makes my neck feel even more stiff.  It's a bad cycle I'm trying to brake.  Even with the anxiety I've felt over the years since going on synthroid, these symptoms are much more severe -- I've never felt non-stop anxiety like this ever.  It's horrible.

I'm thinking it could be lyme or b12 deficiency or something as well.  I feel dizzy at times, too (like I'm swaying) although it's not horrible, just more annoying.  I'm looking into somatics as well -- training my muscles to relax.

Good luck to everyone who is experiencing this because it is hell -- I just want my life back.

[kcferret]

It's creepy to see all the responses that are identical to the one I want to type.  The answers aren't any different from what my docs have been testing for as well and that is truly frustrating.

I started off with various illnesses like Bronchitis and walking Pneumonia (both of which I had never had before) six months ago and things went downhill from there. I started getting numbness and tingling in my extremities, chronic fatigue and dizziness. At one point the panic attacks started and that really freaked me out. I had never had one before and one of them was so severe I ended up in the ER because I couldn't move most of my face and my speech was slurred.  The docs said I was suffering from migraines.  I'm at a point now though where most of the issues have subsided to a degree. I still have constant numbness and tingling in the back of my skull and tension in my neck/shoulders and horrible trouble waking up in the morning. I feel drugged most days.

I have had tests for Lyme disease, Thyroid, B12 levels, MRI's out the wazoo (found out I have minor Chiari syndrome through that but is unrelated apparently), Muscle reflex studies, nerve conduction studies, and about 100 other blood tests...all negative or looking normal.  

My PCP prescribed me Diazapam (Valium) and Amitryptaline (sp?)  an anti depressant. The Diazapam helps tremendously but I really hate being dependent on this stuff. Now my insurance is trying to contest the nerve/muscle conduction saying it was unnecessary and wants me to foot the $2500 bill. Just what I need when I am already have nerve issues!!! So now I get to go through the whole appeals process and get a statement from my Neuro saying he ordered them....*sighs*.

While I feel alot better than I did, I am still no where near as well as I felt before. Having 2 very small children at home makes the whole situation even worse. I am also out of sick time on top of it all so can't even do the follow up appts requested by my docs for now.  

In any case, hope everyone else is faring better in some regard. This really IS miserable.

[JHGSaratoga]

Hello. I read your post from Jan. 2007. I was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident nearly 90 days ago and I am experiencing the same symptoms you described in your posts. The first few weeks were extremely challenging because I started to experience this HOT rush in my ears and neck that would sometimes run down my arms and legs. It would not last long, but the byproduct of that was anxiety. Now, I experience severe fatigue and dizziness to the point of near collapse. The unfortunate aspect of this is that I tested positive for mono in mid March. So, my PCP always channels us back to mono when my instinct tells me otherwise. Sometimes I get this overwhelming feeling I am being crushed, does not last very long. It was profound in the first few following the accident.

My e-mail is ***@****, name is Jonathan. I am 41.

Hope you are well and recovering.
Jonathan

[ock212]

I was reading all these posts because after about 9 years of being "symptom free",  I am having so many of these similar issues again.  Someone mentioned feeling shaking inside.  9 years ago I was so bad with quivery legs that it was hard to sit down, tingly arms, the most vivid dreams that I felt like my mind was awake all night long, so got no rest.  I probably had panic attacks related to all this, but didn't realize that that was what it was.  After the same nerve tests, CAT scan, MS diagnosis (neurologist said was wrong), I finally found someone who diagnosed it as fibromyalgia.  I read several books on the topic, completely changed my diet...took out sugars, fake sugars, white bread, shell fish, farm raised fish, caffeine, fake butters, etc. and added lots of vitamins.  Within a few months I felt so much better.  Haven't had much problem since although I have crept back into some bad food habits.  But recently I started having the tingly feeling in my entire arm again, and the worst neck ache.  I am also thinking this might be Lyme Disease.  Haven't talked to the DR. about it, so am hoping he will take me seriously and get it tested.  Do I need to fast for the test?  Or anything special like that.  Does anyone know?  I have had a number of ticks over the years, but never the bull's eye.  So my advice might be the really check your diet and take at least a multi-vitamin.

[AllSweetness]

Please check out knowthecause.com Many people have went through some of the same things as many of you have described.  If you want to know the CAUSE of your symptoms and get rid of the source and not just live on drugs for the rest of your life that just cover up the symptoms, then please take the time to search the site and watch the daily shows that are streamed Live from there.