Numbness in Fingertips & Toes

[Lindsey403]

Hello. I am a healthy 25-year old woman & have recently experienced numbness in my fingertips and toes. (Fingertips meaning only the part from the last joint up...the pads?) The first few times it happened were quite awhile back; it was only a single fingertip or two, I thought it was strange and carried on. Then it was a few toes and a fingertip or two. Sometimes only toes, sometimes only fingertips. The incidents were far enough apart that I never thought about them.

I've only become concerned now because the last few times have affected a greater number of fingers and toes, and have been relatively close together. All of my toes on one foot, or even both feet. Today from the balls of my feet up, 4 fingertips, a spot on my tongue. It took about 30 minutes for my toes to go back to normal, I was fine for about an hour and now 3 toes are again numb as well as a small spot on my tongue.

The numbness does not hurt or tingle...it kind of feels like when your leg is completely asleep. Or the strange feeling you get when you touch a scar, you can poke at it with a fingernail and you don't really feel it, kind of dead feeling. Wiggling them or touching them, walking around, sitting, elevating them... nothing works to take away the numbness. Sometimes it lasts a long time, other times no. When it leaves it leaves all at once I'm pretty sure.

I know that I do not have diabetes as I've been fully tested. (I get very shaky/light headed if I don't eat/snack very regularly - which would be the only other 'symptom' in my life). I am not overweight, I lead a very healthy and active lifestyle, eat a very balanced nutritious diet, drink a lot of water.

I live in Canada, so will have to see a general practitioner & just want some information so that I can better advocate on my behalf. I've never really had to deal with the medical system before and the symptoms seem so vague and weird I'm worried that if there's something wrong it will get missed. Thank you!

[Sreedevi]

Hello. I am a healthy 38-year old  working woman(teaching and research in Chemical Engineering is my occupation). I  have recently experienced numbness in my fingertips and toes. (Fingertips meaning only the part from the last joint up...the pads?) The first few times it happened were quite awhile back; it was only a single fingertip or two, I thought it was strange and carried on. Then it was a few toes and a fingertip or two. Sometimes only toes, sometimes only fingertips. The incidents were far enough apart that I never thought about them.

I've only become concerned now because the last few times have affected a greater number of fingers and toes, and have been relatively close together. All of my toes on one foot, or even both feet. Today from the balls of my feet up, 4 fingertips, a spot on my tongue. It took about 30 minutes for my toes to go back to normal, I was fine for about an hour and now 3 toes are again numb as well as a small spot on my tongue.

The numbness does not hurt or tingle...it kind of feels like when your leg is completely asleep. Or the strange feeling you get when you touch a scar, you can poke at it with a fingernail and you don't really feel it, kind of dead feeling. Wiggling them or touching them, walking around, sitting, elevating them... nothing works to take away the numbness. Sometimes it lasts a long time, other times no. When it leaves it leaves all at once I'm pretty sure.

I know that I do not have diabetes as I've been fully tested. (I get very shaky/light headed if I don't eat/snack very regularly - which would be the only other 'symptom' in my life). I am not overweight, I lead a very healthy and active lifestyle, eat a very balanced nutritious diet, drink a lot of water.

I live in Delhi, India, so will have to see a general practitioner & just want some information so that I can better advocate on my behalf. I've never really had to deal with the medical system before and the symptoms seem so vague and weird I'm worried that if there's something wrong it will get missed. Thank you!

[Lindsey403]

Oh, I should have seen that the actual doctor forum was full & they weren't accepting questions. Oh well. Guess I will just wait for my appointment.