A brain tumor? Wow! those other doctors were just milking your cash. How are things for you now? Did you ever get that tumor removed? Are you still alive? How is your stomach now?
Hi, remember this thread from 2007? Thought you might be interested in an update.
After 6 months of doctors telling me I have depression and anxiety I decided to pay for my own MRI scan. Turned out I have a brain tumor. Diagnosed over a year ago.
It's funny I only returned to these boards a few weeks ago to ask a question about a stomach problem and found this thread which I'd totally forgotten about.
Hmmmm...just a couple other items, then. Those symptoms a few years ago of nausea and your legs giving out, it is possible you were about to pass out. That can come from several things, including circulation problems, not enough oxygen pumping through the body. The tingling and anxiety can be heart-related too. Next time you have unusual feelings wash over you, check your pulse. If it's over 100, that's too fast, so deep breathing helps. Extra weight or sitting too long can put pressure on circulation, too. A simple EKG and a blood pressure reading can be done.
By the way, the Cipralex, an SSRI cousin of the Paxil you once took, can sometimes cause those "brain zaps," which feels like a surge of electricity to the head.
I hope someone else in this forum can talk about that burning sensation you have in your body, though. That's all! Best Regards.
Many thanks for taking the time to reply. I don't think you've said "too much" at all. It's all very relevant information and helps me build a picture from a different perspective. At the end of the day, it's me who's living in this body and not the doctor so it's very helpful to get feedback from people with similar experiences with THEIR bodies.
Interesting that you mention diabetes. I hadn't even considered it until I was sent for a blood test a couple of weeks ago. To my utter shock and disbelief the results showed that I was diabetic! But Hold On! "Did you fast before you before your blood test?" asked the doctor. Uhm..oops. Guess noone told me to fast and with all the anxiety about my ill health I kind of forgot. So drinking a high Glucose energy drink just before being tested for Glucose DOES give false results! Who Knew? :) A "Doh!" moment if ever there was one! Anyway, I had an extra week of added but unnecessary anxiety waiting for a second set of blood tests which nullified the diabetes diagnosis and confirmed that my pancreas was working ok. The euphoria of being in the clear was nice for a couple of days and lifted my spirits but it didn't make the original complaint go away.
I will in the fullness of time ask to be referred to a neuro. However this time I will try a different approach and concentrate on the initial "paralysis" episode with my back which seemed to precipitate these episodes. I'm sure that if anyone went to the doctor complaining that they'd suddenly lost feeling in their legs as I had the natural course of investigation would lead them to suspect a back problem. Unfortunately with all the "noise" in my medical history about anxiety and depression it's difficult to get health professionals to focus on physiology rather than psychology.
I should mention that I DON'T suffer from persistent back pain per-se although I do have a dodgy back at times but I've heard that you can have a "slipped disc" (sorry, I forget the current terminology for it) without feeling pain. My own GP seems to think that a problem in the lower back would not manifest symptoms in this way. Or contrary to your suggestion, "nerve issues travelling UPWARD" in the spine could not happen. Or so my GP seems to be saying. I'm not so sure myself. We'll see!
Thanks once again for your useful input.
Dear Fred,
I think I can answer this one, because I have both of your problems. I sometimes say too much in my posts, but I would rather do that than leave someone hanging.
Two things are probably going on. One is the most obvious, that you've got a pinched nerve in the low back that leads into the legs. The other less obvious problem may be diabetes.
If the nerves in your low back are goofed up, then sometimes you'll get that burning pain you had in your legs. Some call it sciatica. So, going to a new neurologist is an excellent idea, he knows all about compromised nerves. Also, if your low back and leg nerves are irritated, it can cause the temporary paralysis you had, too. I have low back problems, and one time I was at the top of the stairs, and when I put weight on the first step, my whole leg gave way. Really scared me, I take lots of care on stairs now. In addition, when you have painful nerves, one of the "complications" you'll get is anxiety! It is absolutely amazing how much pain can affect a person's attitude.
The neuro can order a CAT scan and he can see what's going on with your low back. Sometimes an ordinary exam will reveal some clues, but nothing like a picture. He can also recommend all sorts of things to help your situation, depending on what's going on, and that would include a physical program to relieve pressure on your low back. Sometimes people who have to sit for long periods of time will develop sciatica-type problems, so increasing motion in your spare time, gentle and rhythmic, can help. Surgery is sometimes an option, depending on how bad things are.
Now, diabetes, the other possibility, it can also cause burning leg pain. This diagnosis can be arrived at by simply drawing blood to check your sugar levels. So, of course have that done soon, by any ordinary doctor, as this MUST be taken care of, if that is your problem.
As for medicine, as soon as you find out what is going on from the neuro, your anxiety will begin to subside. Anxiety is common in people with nerve damage, this is a documented reality, but it is only a "side-effect" sort of thing, and NOT the direct cause of your condition! It's all fine and good to calm a person down, but the pain caused by a compromised nerve is the issue here. There is a medication called Lyrica in the U.S. that dulls nerve pain. I have to take it because I was in a car wreck, fractured my back big-time, the deformity over the years has goofed up my lower back, and no matter how many exercises or whatever I do, nothing is going to make it better. That medication, by taking away the nerve pain, eases my anxiety and made me feel worlds better. But I am still very careful when I move around in general.
So, there is hope for you, you are perfectly normal to be anxious about all this. And not only that, but you have been "victimized" by the health care system, since doctors are rushed and overworked, and then they dismissed you. This victim position is a hard one to deal with, but as long as you move foward, for example by arranging to see another neurologist, then in time you can overcome it. People in the U.S. constantly go to several doctors until they hit the right one. Also, since you've got it in your chart that you have anxiety, then do your best next time to be calm, so the doc will listen to you. I know, I've been there.
While you are waiting to see your neuro, this is a trick I do to relieve pain in my back. I lay flat on the floor, put my legs up in a chair, which takes all the pressure and weight off the back. Just let your arms fall out to the side, breathe deeply, and just let it all go. This is good for the back and anxiety. But get up mighty careful, so as not to strain your back. Also, start taking some short, easy walks in a flat area, hold in your tummy muscles, and that will help your back and help you relax. Just don't walk if it causes pain.
Good luck. This is a busy forum, and so your message may fall back a few pages each day, but I'll be thinking of you, and just know that others have been where you are, and they come out okay. Plus, once you do find an excellent specialist, they will be able to take care of other symptoms that may come from the original ones, in case they become problematic, like the ones you mentioned about your nerve issues perhaps traveling upward in your spine, or even originating somewhere else other than your low back.
GG