[e-mail]

My 21 yr.old daughter is being scheduled for a brain and neck MRI asap. She has numbness of the left side of her upper chest around to her back. It stops almost exactly in the middle of her chest and back. When she runs her fingers across her skin it makes a numbing feeling. Drs. have not given us any possibilties of what they are looking for. Any ideas?? She had surgery on her right elbow for Tommy John Ligament damage last May but other than that has always been healthy. Father died of hodgkins disease at age of 35. Looking for some type of  ~ anything. Thanks.

[Cleveland Clinic]

Thanks for the email and sorry to hear about your daughter and her problem. Make sure that the MRI also includes the thoracic spine since that seems to be the area of skin change. The history would be concerning for a lesion affecting the thoracic cord. Lesions in the cord often cause transverese myelitis or inflammation of the cord. Cord lesions often cause sensory symptoms that do not cross the midline. It does not sound like a brain issue but at her age they may be looking for demyelinating changes (MS) in the brain. Causes can be multiple and do include tumors, demyelination, viral infection, trauma to name a few. Shingles can also present in a similar form but it is usually associated with a rash and pain. She could also be checked for Vit B12 deficiency as that can cause simialr problems. I agree with the MRI and wish you and her the best. GS