Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Need an advice and help

Hello everybody,

I need an advice for my situation. It is already about 4 months that I have some unidentified health problem.
My main problems at the moment are: burning, aching and numbness in all of my extremities and also in the lef side of my face. It started with
with slight burning at the wrists of hands and the same part of legs. During the 4 months the symptoms progressed:
I started experience some dull pain (especially in the arms) and even more disturbing - my palms and soles were getting more
and more numb (still I can feel them, but the sensation was lost considerably). Also the burning and numbness seems to slowly progress from
the distal parts to the proximal ones.
During this period I made a lot of tests (including MRI of spine and brain). A lot of blood work was done. All negative.
Doctors assured me that I probably have anxiety or GAD problem. Never had any special anxiety or stress before my symptoms
started. Anyway , at the beginning I was ready to accept that vague diagnosis. However , with time passing and my symptoms
geting worse day by day I understood that anxiety explains nothing. The doctors supplied me with a lot of antidepressants (like amitriptyline,
xanax, zoloft etc). Some of these medicines helped to reduce my symptoms. Especially xanax. Then my brain got used to 1mg of Xanax
per day and asked for more. I knew that xanax is dangerous so I stopped taking it after 3 months. Then all the symptoms came back
with even worse presentation than before. And I understood that Xanax was just masking my body symptoms, not treating them.
One month ago I made one more test named QST. And this was the first test of all that showed the abnormal results. My small fibers in hands and legs
were missing some of the senses. The same moment that I got the results the doctor informed me that what I have is a condition which cannot
be explained and have a name of idiopathic small fiber neuropathy. He also informed me that almost 50% of all small fibre neuropathies are unexplainable (e.g. idiopathic). He sent me back home asking to come back after one month.
So I wait for one more month. And I asked the doctor to repeat the Nerve conduction study test (NCS) which I already did 3 months ago and which was negative.
When we got the result doctor informed me that everything is OK and that all my problems are probably Anxiety related. This was the same doctor who ordered an abnormal QST test for me 1 month ago. I was kinda surprised. Anxiety ? Again ?  
When I got back home I started to read the latest NCS test report. And compared it to the one I made 3 months before. What I saw was that
11 of 12 results testing my sensory abilities in arms showed the obvious deterioration (around 10 to 17 percent). And that was exactly what I felt is
happening to my arms for these 3 months. As if that was not enough I saw that the doctor mentioned in this report that the patient (me) has done NCS and QST test in
the past and the results were NORMAL. What? This same doctor one month before produced a report of my QST test clearly stating that the results were ABNORMAL.
He just did not remember that! This moment I understood that I need to change the doctor ASAP.
Please, give me an advice for the course of action for me. I know something wrong is happening to my PNS and it is getting worse day by day. I know also
that in some cases the early intervention can prevent the serious disability in the future. I don't want to sit and wait until I get really sick.

Thank you!
0 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Neurology Community

Top Neurology Answerers
620923 tn?1452915648
Allentown, PA
5265383 tn?1669040108
ON
1756321 tn?1547095325
Queensland, Australia
1780921 tn?1499301793
Queen Creek, AZ
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease