Tremors, finger nail hemmorhages, conginitive dysfunction, numbness, rash

[inmemoryofdad]

Hello,
I have been dealing with chronic fatigue and "spells" for 15 years since I had mono. This year, my "spells" have gotten more frequent and I have many more symtoms and much worse.  I always have chronic fatigue, no matter if I'm in a spell or not.  But the symptoms I deal with in a spell are bad congitive dysfunction (lose my sense of time, peripheral awareness, short term memory).  When it gets really bad, I quit driving becuase I pulled out in front of cars twice this year.I deal with mild muscle aches and joint pains that seem to be getting worse, mild tingling in my head, blackouts occassionally as I stand up and begin to walk, muscle jerkiness in my arms and head that come and go, tremors, slight numbness in my arms and hands, splinter hemmorhages under my fingernails, weight loss. I also have a rash since January that looks like ringworm.  I was treated with dyfucan and it had no affect.  I use a steroid creme on them and it takes the reddness out but I can tell the rash is still there. They are on my arms, breast and legs. They are flaky and circular. They tend to get larger without the steroid creme. I have tender sores (bumps)on my fingers and palms of my hands that are deep under the skin. They last for several days and then leave a small circle of dry skin. Blood work and lupus panel all ok. Being sent to neurologist. Is that the right Dr. I need to see? Have any suggestions on what may be going on with me?  My Dr. is puzzled and says she can tell I am sick but really has no clue. This is very hard on my family as they do not understand how I feel. Thanks!

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-PW]

I cannot give you a formal medical opinion over the internet unfortunately as this site is purely educational

It may be useful to see a neurologist. The symptoms you describe are not specific for any one primary neurological disorder but a neurologist could evaluate a number of possibilities, for example, sleep apnea is often underdiagnosed and can result in daytime sleepiness and cognitive dysfunction. Obstructive sleep apnea can be effectively treated with resolution of symtpoms. They may be able to evaluate whether these spells could be medication or drug related, rule out a neurodegenerative disorder, and evaluate for possible seizures which can result in intermittent periods of confusion. A good history of your symptoms by a neurologist should be able to differentiate between all of the above

Good look

[inmemoryofdad]

I forgot to tell you that I am a 29 year old female.

[ozark]

have they tested you for lymes disease since it sounds like a bulls eye rash?

[inmemoryofdad]

Thanks for your replies.  I don't think its lime disease since its been going on for 15 years.  Only in the past 6 months has it become unmanageable.  The rash is not the same as lyme's disease either nor do the symptoms fit too good.  But thanks anyway!

[inmemoryofdad]

Hmmmm..... interesting.  I will look into this further.  Thanks a lot for the info.

Chris

[heart2heart]

Have you had a sed rate done or a C-Reactive protein test?  It's a blood test that would show some kind of inflammation in your body. It sounds like there's something going on. I think if I were you I'd go to a rheumatologist, it sounds something autoimmune.

[Kalio1]

How frustrating. One illness that can come and go and cause odd symptoms and persist undiagnosed for many many years is hepatitis c. Have you had your liver enzymes checked? Have them do a full liver function test on you if you haven't already. I'd also have them add hep a b and c to your blood work test just to be sure. They don't test for it automatically, many people think it would show up if lots of testing is being done, but that isn't the case, it is often missed. Hep c can cause a wide range of seemingly unrelated symptoms and though it is commonly thought of as a disease only IV drug users get, that isn't true. Lots of people pick it up somewhere that never used drugs and never find out how they got it. I agree with others, I'd also test the thyroid and Lyme's. Lyme;s can be missed too.
I am sorry you are dealing with this, good luck to you.

[snorky7777]

If this problem is so serious I would have a full array of tests performed.  There is no excuse living in a state where you do not know what is wrong with you.  With today's technology anything can be diagnosed rather quickly as long as the right tests are performed.  You mentioned that you had blood work done, sometimes doctors only do the basics like blood cell count.  If you haven't had a complete blood analysis I suggest you do so, as well as a urine sample.  With your blood work check enzyme levels as well as electrolyte and mineral balance.  Also, ask for a complete allergen screen, a simple solution might be that you're just allergic to something which is causing flare ups under your skin (I've seen this before, especially with seafood and chocolate allergies)  The allergen sometimes isn't associated with a particular food because the allergy does not manifest itself until much later after the food has been eaten.  Also, ask to be refered to a specialist in autoimmune diseases.  I'm sure your symptoms are also very stressful and mentally draining which can lead to anxiety and depression.  The tremors, tingling, numbness, and aches can all be due to anxiety and stress.  Get a full diagnosis and if nothing is found wrong, relax, meditate, and don't worry, everything will be okay.