numbness of the left side of body

I am 56 yrs old, female, workaholic, hypertensive. A week ago, my bp shoot up to 228/116. Next day i had headache on my right side of head, then numbness of my left leg. I took my maintenance med & rested at home. But numbness progressed to my thigh, then left side of torso. I went to the hospital & was admitted on the third day after high bp; stayed there for 3 days. But numbness remains until now. I can move my extremities but during massage, I feel a sensation I can't explain. By the way, my sugar also shoot up to 300. Now I feel much better, with 8 kinds of prescription meds, but still my left side is numb. I placed my left hand into the freezer & I couldn't feel the freezer tempt. My left body can't feel the warm water fr the shower. My LS spine APL impression reads degenerative osteoarthropathy lumbar spine. Can anyone please explain my health condition? I will have a ST scan this week. Thank you

[Christopher R Newey, DO]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

One-sided numbness of the body is most commonly due to a problem in the brain (as opposed to other areas of the central nervous system such as the spinal cord or peripheral nerves). Many possibilities exist, and depend somewhat on your age, your risk factors, and the nature of your symptoms (whether or not the numbness started suddenly or gradually, whether it is a complete loss of sensation or a tingling, whether it is an objective finding on examination or it is only a feeling that you have etc).

The most concerning cause of numbness on one side of the body is a stroke. Please understand I am not trying to imply you have a stroke, but only that this is one possibility. Strokes occur predominantly in people with risk factors: smokers, high cholesterol, diabetics, hypertensives, and people over the age of 55. However, they can occur in any age. If your numbness was due to a stroke, it would start somewhat suddenly (over minutes) and would likely persist without significant improvement.

There are other possibilities of one-sided numbness (such as multiple sclerosis, seizures, etc). Given your history of hypertension and uncontrolled diabetes, it is good that is good that you were admitted and worked up; did you have a scan of your head/brain during the hospitalization?

I highly suggest you follow up with a neurologist. You will need to have stroke prevention management – such as controlling blood pressure and blood sugars, and perhaps checking your cholesterol. Additionally, you should discuss with your physician if you should be taking an aspirin.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.