Very Strange Symptoms

[scheuer]

I'm a 34 year old male.  7 years ago I started to get a strange sensation in my foot.  It was a general irritation/inflamation.  It would come and go during the day and last for a couple of weeks and then disappear for weeks.  This pattern kept going for a couple years and then switched from my foot to my hand.  Again the same feeling and pattern of occurrence.  This lasted for around 2 years also and then the symptoms in my hand stopped and I started getting lightheaded spells.  The same pattern of occurrence happend again.  I would get spells of dizzyness throughout the day.  This would continue for weeks at a time and then stop and I would be symptom free for similar stretches.  More recently new symptoms have cropped up.  Within the past 2 year I have developed nausea, the feeling of a constricted throught (swallowing and breathing aren't affected that much), and eyes that feel bloodshot (but do not appear so).  All these symptoms (dizzyness, eyes, throat, nausea) all follow the pattern of coming and going during the day.  Sometimes its only one of the symptoms or it can be all....it varies.  Now, however, the amount of time where I am symptom free are decreasing.  There are fewer and fewer days when I feel good (like almost never).  I have had tests for lymes, mercury poisoning, anemia, and an MRI all of which came up negative.  I had an episode of mild depression in college and have always battled it in small amounts since.  Could that have anything to do with it?  Any other suggestions?  It's becoming miserable.

[noops01]

Hi,

How high is your blood pressure?
High blood pressure can cause light headedness and dizziness and can be reponsible for some of your symptoms.
High blood pressure should be treated promptly as it can lead to grave consequences.Take care!

[scheuer]

Thanks for the suggestions.  I have been to a neurologist (thus the MRI exam) and he seems to brush it off as migraine related but I don't get the intense pain associated with migraines.  I have tried verapamil, propanalol, and tompamax with little success.  I used to get migraines in college (maybe once or twice a year) but haven't since.  I do get the occassional tension headache with these symptoms but that really isn't too bothersome.  The only thing that seems to relieve symptoms naturally is strenuous exercise.  If I hop on my road bike and ride 40 miles the symptoms will go away when I get my heart rate up for long stretches.  5 or 10 minutes after I'm done the symptoms will return.  Does this help at all or make things more confusing?  One more thing.....my blood pressure has always been slightly high but nothing that the docs are too concerned with.  My pulse rate is usually pretty low however.....around 60-65.

Thanks again.

Ryan

[Godofredo MD]

Hi.

Depression, when left untreated, can result in somatic symptoms, which often resembles symptoms of neurologic disorders. This is why there is difficulty in assessing for neurologic disorders in depressed patients.

At presentation, your initial symptoms would suggest some form of peripheral neuropathy. However, the presentation of the symptoms jumping from one body area to another would suggest either depression or some other systemic disoder such as endocrine abnormalities, rather than a fixed neurological damage to a nerve as seen in nerve impingement syndromes.

Do you experience high or low blood pressure? The absence of headaches may make migraines unlikely and probably point to the dizziness, nausea and constricting feeling as more cardiovascular in nature.

I would highly advise you to consult a physician as soon as possible, first to determine whether you are still suffering from depressive symptoms, and secondly, to assess for other underlying conditions which could be causing your symptoms.

Hope this helps.

[noops01]

Hi,

Have you consulted a neurologist? I feel you need to undergo a complete neurological examination.
Also please get your blood pressure and blood sugar tested.
Are you taking any medication for depression? Please let me know.