New Symptoms

[Annabelle1961]

Well...finally got the heart beating right, no pun intended, but now I have an interesting issue, ready?  Since last week I get intermittent tinglish, numbness on left side of face, some weakness in my left arm, feel woozy, can hear, speak, understand, etc.  My doc thinks it may be a pinched nerve.  Going to have a carotid doppler next week.  I'm worried it may be mini-strokes or something like that (I have HBP), she says she doubts it, but will check everything.  I am so sick of being sick....I'm 50 and I go to bed everynight not knowing if I'll wake up...very frustrating!  Any ideas?  How worried should I be?

[Annabelle1961]

Appreciate your feedback for sure.  Already went to my cardiologist.  He did a ekg, echo and complete physical.  Does not think it is my heart.  In the last 4 yrs I've had 2 catherizations, nuclear stress test, and anything else you can think of to determine heart problems.  He also doesn't think it is a stroke and is basically doing the carotid doppler to humor me.  He's not sure what it is, thinks it may be anxiety or hormonal.  I think I am having small strokes relentlessly throughout the day.  Sick, sick, sick of this, ready for it to end!  I've put my affairs in order and am now just hoping for the best.  

[ggreg]

I might add that if you had a pinched nerve, it would be in several places to match your symptoms, becuz the nerves that are in the face come from a different part of the spinal column than the weakened arm does.  A scan would reveal if you DO have a nerve problem, which a neurologist can order one to check into that.  But as I said, I'd talk to a cardio doc first.

[ggreg]

I do not think a pinched nerve is going to make you feel woozy!  Since you've apparently already had some heart problems, I'd go back to whomever provided your care when you went thru your arterial crisis and they can do tests to determine if it is indeed a clog in the vessel or whatever.  While the carotid artery doppler test will show how that is doing, it takes a few other tests to determine what particular location might be causing your symptoms, from what little bit I know of heart stuff.  But nerves, while they will indeed tingle and get numb if they're compromised, particularly in neuropathy, they let you know they're goofed up mainly via sensing pain, altho weakness can occur if the nerve can't ennervate the muscles correctly due to something pressing on it.  But you would not feel woozy... that is more a sign of heart trouble.  I do not know what caused your previous heart problem, and it's sad that you worry over having a heart attack or stroke.  Therefore, the cardiology people who helped you before should consider sending you to a nutritionist, at the very least, and recommend types of exercise to strenghten you, in addition to further investigations into why you've got these left-sided abnormal sensations.  I'm glad you're going for your doppler test next week, but I do think you need to see a cardio doc ASAP.  You are actually displaying signs of a heart attack.