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Numb scalp & ears, Photophobia, Can't taste anything

Hi! I hope someone can help me.  I have had a numb scalp (hair loss also, may not be related, but..figure that if I am not possibly getting blood to my scalp, then hair loss makes sense), tinnitus, numb ears, numb face, lack of ability to taste most foods, photophobia is also an issue. I had cervical disc fusion in  10/2008, and wonder if there is a compressed nerve (Neurosurgeon refuses to follow up)..I had bone spurs also and stenosis. I went to my regular GP who ordered a brain mri to rule out MS. I did show "few non-specific hyperintensities on t2/flair". So, DR said not MS at this time. The  uneven pupil dilation & photophobia comes and goes...however, has been present now for 2 & 1/2 months steady. Eye Dr said poss nerve inflammation, gave me prednisone drops, but am very sensitive to prednisone & had to stop using them. They did'nt help anyway. I do have slow gastric emptying as well,( and was dx'd with IST & Cardiac entrapment after taking Levaquin.) What I would like to know is, could the numbness in my eyes & ears  be related to blood pressure, or  cervical disc surgery? Could it be vagus nerve inflammation? Will that cause inflamed eye nerves & ear nerves? I have been on 15-20 mg vicodin(lortab) daily for about a year & 1/2 for muscle,hip & back pain. I have noticed muscle wasting in my left arm also. I can't see a neurologist due to no insurance. I am very concerned, as it seems everyday, there is a new symptom.  I know that levaquin assaults the CNS, but the photophobia and hearing probs did'nt start til 3 yrs after the levaquin. The ears seem to be aggravated by the vicodin, though it did'nt cause the problem to start with. I obviously have some sort of nerve inflammation from the neck up. Please help ! Thank you!
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Avatar universal
Thank you so much for your response! I am so confused about MS...I even though maybe some sort of vascular problem, sinse I do have Innapropriate Sinus Tachycardia & Cardiac entrapment, which, I was not born with the C.E. About 1 & 1/2 yrs ago, I had an awful head pain, felt like someone literally took an axe to my head & split it open, It was very painful, & lasted just a few minutes...a head pain like I have never had before. (I only had it that one time) I am not a headachey person, I do get pain behind my left eye a lot, but eye dr said not optic neuritis. Anyway, I wondered if the non-specific hyperintensities could be due to blood vessel disease ( I have been smoking 20 yrs & am a very tiny person) ...just a thought. Dr. Sharma, it is so hard to get to the bottom of this because I cannot afford insurance, and most drs in my area don't seem to want to help when you don't have insurance! Sooo frustrating! Again, thank you so much for your time!
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Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi there. I read your history and would like you to be investigated for multiple sclerosis by your neurologist. These white matter signal changes on brain mri need to be correlated to the history, clinical examination and other ancillary investigations. Your doctor will need to investigate you for multiple sclerosis where the disease phase is characterized by active phase and remissions. It has multiple symptoms and signs and is a diagnosis of exclusion. The symptoms of multiple sclerosis are loss of balance, muscle spasms, numbness in any area, problems with walking and coordination, tremors in one or more arms and legs. Bowel and bladder symptoms include frequency of micturition, urine leakage, eye symptoms like double vision uncontrollable rapid eye movements, facial pain, painful muscle spasms, tingling, burning in arms or legs, depression, dizziness, hearing loss, fatigue etc. The treatment is essentially limited to symptomatic therapy so the course of action would not change much whether MS has been diagnosed or not. Apart from clinical neurological examination, MRI shows MS as paler areas of demyelination, two different episodes of demyelination separated by one month in at least two different brain locations. Spinal tap is done and CSF electrophoresis reveals oligoclonal bands suggestive of immune activity, which is suggestive but not diagnostic of MS. Demyelinating neurons, transmit nerve signals slower than non-demyelinated ones and can be detected with EP tests. These are visual evoked potentials, brain stem auditory evoked response, and somatosensory evoked potential. Slower nerve responses in any one of these is not confirmatory of MS but can be used to complement diagnosis along with a neurological examination, medical history and an MRI in addition, a spinal tap. Therefore, it would be prudent to consult your neurologist with these concerns. Hope this helps. Take care.
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