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Neurology (Expert Forum)
weird symptoms
This forum is for questions and support regarding neurology issues such as: Alzheimer's Disease, ALS, Autism, Brain Cancer, Cerebral Palsy, Chronic Pain, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Headaches, MS, Neuralgia, Neuropathy, Parkinson's Disease, RSD, Sleep Disorders, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury.
weird symptoms
by VAgirrrrrl, Feb 25, 2002 12:00AM
I've waited so long to post a question and now I don't even know where to begin. I have SO MANY weird symptoms. I will try to remember them all. Sometimes I have them at the same time and sometimes not. I will go weeks with the symptoms and then weeks without them, but they ALWAYS return. I don't know if they are related; hopefully, you can help me with that. I think it's best for me to just list them. Here goes: Sharp pains in my head, burning and tingling in my head, pain in the upper neck/bottom of head, constant dizziness even when sitting or lying down, sometimes my lips feel as though they are drawing up, my hands are numb EVERY MORNING when I wake up and seem to feel 3 times their size(goes away after a few minutes), have had numbing/tingling in all parts of my body at one time or another (including my tongue), I have a head tremor, sometimes my legs feel very heavy as if they were filled up with cement. I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting and I'll be mad when I remember. I HAVE been to Neurologists and I can't seem to get ANY of them to do ANY test on me. They ALL say it's just anxiety. I have a cousin with MS. Could these be MS symptoms. I also have a great grandmother with Parkinsons Disease, although, I don't think I have any of those symptoms other than the head tremor which I'm told is usually the last symptom to appear. I realize you can't diagnose without examining me and I realize I have many crazy things going on, but I would love to get your opinion on what this could be. Sorry this is so long. Thank you in advance.
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT, Feb 26, 2002 12:00AM
Sorry to hear about your symptoms. From your description, it doesn't sound like the symptoms are from parkinson's nor do they appear to be characteristic of MS, although it could still be a possibility. A formal neurological exam that shows objective findings consistent with weakness or sensory changes as well as any other clinical deficit would help point towards an appropriate diagnostic workup. You may be experiencing atypical headaches/migraines which could potentially be treated if properly worked up, side effects of any medication that you may be on, or stress. It's hard to say without examining you. If there are truly "crazy things going on", these symptoms may represent your body's reaction to the emotional stress. Good luck
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Many people do suffer from anxiety, but MDs shouldn't shurg off symptom without testing. I suggest to all three of you to insist that test be done. I went for years with symptoms that could of been treated sooner before my disks became a major problem. If disks are bugling and they aren't treated, they can herniate and all hell can happen. If you have neuro symptoms that are not getting better in a few eeks, INSIST on tests. Keep a log of everything you experience and when and were you experience them and share this with your MDs.
Take care.
Let me ask you a question, all the MDs you saw who said you are suffering from stress or anxiety, has any of them attemped to give you a treatment for anxiety? Because if they did, and you still were feeling what you discribed, then you can go back to them and tell them something else is wrong...(and prove them wrong). Or if treatment for anxiety actually helped you, then you would be all the better.
Good luck!
Fibromyalgia (FM), formerly known as fibrositis, is a common musculoskeletal syndrome that causes pain in the connective tissues, muscles, joints, and ligaments, as well as an assortment of other symptoms such as sleep disorders, fatigue, and depression. It’s estimated that as many as 3% - 6% of the U.S. population has FM. It is a confusing condition because so many of its symptoms overlap with those of other illnesses, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, myofascial pain syndrome, and temporomandibular joint syndrome.
Many millions of Americans suffer from fibromyalgia. According to the American College of Rheumatology, FM is 7 times more common in women than in men. Although it can occur at any age, it is more common in 20 through 40 year olds and most common in women of childbearing age. It has shown some familial patterns, suggesting that it may have a genetic basis.
Symptoms
Pain and tenderness
Widespread pain and tenderness are hallmarks of FM. Some patients may feel the pain mainly in their joints, whereas others may complain of muscle soreness. The pain may be aching, burning, throbbing, or constant. It can involve the legs, arms, chest and back. The pain might be so bad that a person isn’t able to carry out their normal daily activities, even though muscle strength remains normal. The pain is often worse in the morning and improves during the day, though it gets worse again at night.
People with FM have multiple tender points in specific muscular areas. A tender point is a pressure point that, when pressed, feels sore. Diagnosing FM involves checking all of these tender points. People normally have about 3 to 4 tender points; people with FM have 11 or more.
Sleep problems and fatigue
Most FM patients have trouble sleeping and, because they don’t get enough sleep, feel fatigued during the day. According to the Fibromyalgia Network, the particular sleep disorder that most FM patients suffer is what is known as the alpha-EEG anomaly, which affects deep sleep and leaves a person feeling very tired and heavy when they wake up in the morning. The fatigue can be mild or so bad that it is incapacitating. Patients may have trouble concentrating or may feel as though their arms and legs are as heavy as bricks. FM patients may experience other types of sleep problems as well.
Other symptoms
* stiffness after being in one position for a long time or after waking up in the morning
* sensation of swelling, though there is no physical evidence of it
* increased sensitivity to pain throughout the body, not just at the tender points
* higher incidence of migraine and tension-type headaches than the general public
* symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome
* numbness or tingling in the body
* propensity for mitral valve prolapse
* higher incidence of depression than in the general population
Factors that worsen symptoms
Often a person’s condition is made worse by weather change, emotional stress, new or unusual physical activity, or menstruation.
Fibromyalgia (FM), formerly known as fibrositis, is a common musculoskeletal syndrome that causes pain in the connective tissues, muscles, joints, and ligaments, as well as an assortment of other symptoms such as sleep disorders, fatigue, and depression. It’s estimated that as many as 3% - 6% of the U.S. population has FM. It is a confusing condition because so many of its symptoms overlap with those of other illnesses, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, myofascial pain syndrome, and temporomandibular joint syndrome.
Many millions of Americans suffer from fibromyalgia. According to the American College of Rheumatology, FM is 7 times more common in women than in men. Although it can occur at any age, it is more common in 20 through 40 year olds and most common in women of childbearing age. It has shown some familial patterns, suggesting that it may have a genetic basis.
Symptoms
Pain and tenderness
Widespread pain and tenderness are hallmarks of FM. Some patients may feel the pain mainly in their joints, whereas others may complain of muscle soreness. The pain may be aching, burning, throbbing, or constant. It can involve the legs, arms, chest and back. The pain might be so bad that a person isn’t able to carry out their normal daily activities, even though muscle strength remains normal. The pain is often worse in the morning and improves during the day, though it gets worse again at night.
People with FM have multiple tender points in specific muscular areas. A tender point is a pressure point that, when pressed, feels sore. Diagnosing FM involves checking all of these tender points. People normally have about 3 to 4 tender points; people with FM have 11 or more.
Sleep problems and fatigue
Most FM patients have trouble sleeping and, because they don’t get enough sleep, feel fatigued during the day. According to the Fibromyalgia Network, the particular sleep disorder that most FM patients suffer is what is known as the alpha-EEG anomaly, which affects deep sleep and leaves a person feeling very tired and heavy when they wake up in the morning. The fatigue can be mild or so bad that it is incapacitating. Patients may have trouble concentrating or may feel as though their arms and legs are as heavy as bricks. FM patients may experience other types of sleep problems as well.
Other symptoms
* stiffness after being in one position for a long time or after waking up in the morning
* sensation of swelling, though there is no physical evidence of it
* increased sensitivity to pain throughout the body, not just at the tender points
* higher incidence of migraine and tension-type headaches than the general public
* symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome
* numbness or tingling in the body
* propensity for mitral valve prolapse
* higher incidence of depression than in the general population
Factors that worsen symptoms
Often a person’s condition is made worse by weather change, emotional stress, new or unusual physical activity, or menstruation.
I have just read all your comments, and like you all i have been around the world on the internet trying to find out what is wrond with my mother... She has just been told she has SMALL FIBER NEUROPATHY...She to was treated for all the thind you all said but came to nothing...I just want to try and help cause when i was looking for answers in other message borads no one answered me or even gave me any ideas... I have never heard of this small fiber neuropathy so i am looking around the internet now to find out what it is and how its treated.... My mother was only told yesterday what she had... She is 56 and has been feeling like this for the past 6 months.. We live in Ireland...
Take care all of you
sherald
***@****
Most of the women in my family have gone threw menopause in their early to late 30''s. I am 28. Do you experience frequent facial breakouts, a good indicator of hormonal imbalance? My mom was 32 when she went threw menopause and only experienced mood swings and hot flashes. This is the second time I have experienced the headaches this severe with all of the above plus your previous mentioned symptoms. The last episode was back in august/september. Also do you ever experiance severe pain in one of your arms in the upper forearm part? For me when all this happens that is the first symptom I have, which the doctors say is because I carry my son around who is 2. Which I disagree with because I don't lug him around that often. Maybe between all of us we can figure something out to take to the doctors with out them having us think we are crazy or hypocondriacts....
Last May I think it was I start expericing different types of pains in my chest. These vary in type and Severity. These are still ongoing. At around the same time I got sensations (and still am) of a bubble under my skin, Again this happens all over my body and maybe up to 40-50 times a days – I read on the internet that these are known as Fasciculation. I sometimes get Electric type shocks in my chest, which really frightens me as the pain is excrutiating.
I have twitches all over and involintary movement of my legs and arms etc .. These vary but it seems to be worse when I am resting or trying to get sleep. I also have strange feelings like Flushes.. It’s hard to decribe a feeling will start in feet and rush up through my body .. These happen frequently as well. I also have Palpitations quite regularly. When I am in bed to go to sleep at times it feels like my system is going to stop and I have to jump up to get myself together again.
I have been to to a GP and have an ECG done with showed nothing and a stress test done, Also Blood tests etc. but have not been given a answer that I happy with. They say it maybe stress but I do not think so.
I exercise everyday, Football twice a week and walks for up to hour most other days.
I feel at stages that all of these symptoms are going to drive me crazy as I never seem to be able to get an answer for these.
PLEASE HELP.
Maybe you can look there and take it from there, like i say it seems easy to understand... The Doctors have started to treat mt Mam and so far so good she feels a bit better, they said it will take 3 week for the drugs to really kick in... So i am praying hard...
Take care and i hope you find what you are looking for..
sherald
I share your frustration!
I DO have a very very stressful job - project manager in the IT business at a Fortune 500 company and I also tend to wait and go to a doctor when things are broken. But I tell you I don't appreciate the way my doc brushed me aside with my symptoms. It took me a year to go in for my tendinitis in my hip- I walked around w/ a limp for months. So I am definately no hypochondriac! In fact quite the opposite, I haven't even been in for my "annual" in over 3 years which I know is bad bad. But medicine seems more like "witch doctory" to me these days.
Anyway here are my symptoms:
pins/needles in arms & fingers
slight hand tremors
dizziness
pins/needles on bottom of feet
Now pins/needles feel stronger on just the left side of body
with numb toe
Muscle twitches upper/lower limbs
EXTREME fatigue
Hyperreflexia including Clonus
My PCP just told me it was probably all psychological and due to stress. Said not to worry unless something goes completely numb with no feeling or I became paralyzed. How refreshing! :>
He did refer me to a Neurologist - appt. in 6 weeks. If it is just "stress" and "anxiety" then the medical community better come up with a better and more PROFESSIONAL way of helping their patients manage these distressing symptoms!
There is also another condition out there known as LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS and it also has simialr symptoms. You might check into that but usually that only affects middle age to older people but can affect younger people as well. I am no0t a medical proffessional I have just done alot of research because I have alot of health problems. There is another sight called www.mic.ki.se/Diseases/askdoc.html#askneuro which allows you to ask a proffessor from harvard medical school neurology department any medical question you want and they will email you back at your personal email address the anwser in detail. Hope that helps you some. Good Luck.
It sounds to me like Fibromyalgia may be a real disorder that matches your symptoms, but is also abused by doctors who lump in folks who don't really have it. In other words, your friend who said Fibro was just a doctor's excuse may have been right in many cases, but not in yours; you may really have it. This thing about hands feeling like lead weights sounds like a pretty distinctive symptom to me.
The real problem then is, they don't know how to treat it, or what causes it, or anything. I know they haven't given up on it, and various research is being done, but so far no solutions.
Stress is definitely used as an excuse for doctor's not knowing, in the same sense that a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome often really means Irritable Doctor Syndrome.
Stress, after all, was the known cause of peptic ulcers for decades. Everyone knew that ulcers meant that the patient was to blame for an excessivly stressful lifestyle and it was the patient's fault for being a "type A personality". Then a rogue researcher discovered that Helicobacter Pylori, a well-known and harmless bacteria, was causing the ulcers. They knew the bacteria was there all the time, they even knew about the hypothesis that it caused ulcers. But for decades they told patient after patient that it was a harmless bacteria and the ulcers were their own damn fault (not in so many words, but I'm sure you know what I mean).
Now I understand a short course of specific antibiotics permanently cures an overwhelming majority of ulcers. And so far I haven't heard the medical community say "Oops," Have you?
The truth is, there are bzillions of types of bacteria, virii, and other potential causes, and lots of unexplained disorders that may be caused by them, singly or in some combination. Individual docs have no way of indentifying an agent as a cause even if they see it right there in front of them, because there are just so many of them. If H. Pylori was overlooked, you can bet lots of other agents can be.
So, the medical community needs data mining badly. Data mining uses software to look for any correlations between factors, not just correlations predicted by researches. Then, once they are found, they must be verified using traditional research methods, to be sure they are not the result of chance given the large numbers of relationships being examined.
Btw, in defense of the doc above, you (vagirrrrrl) used the phrase "crazy things going on" to refer, I think, to your symptoms, and the doc interpreted it as events in your life, stress causing events and so on. However, he said:
"If there are truly "crazy things going on", these symptoms may represent your body's reaction to the emotional stress. Good luck"
Does the doctor have any evidence that stress ever causes any of the following symptoms?
"...Sharp pains in my head, burning and tingling in my head, pain in the upper neck/bottom of head, constant dizziness even when sitting or lying down, sometimes my lips feel as though they are drawing up, my hands are numb EVERY MORNING when I wake up and seem to feel 3 times their size(goes away after a few minutes), have had numbing/tingling in all parts of my body at one time or another (including my tongue), I have a head tremor, sometimes my legs feel very heavy as if they were filled up with cement. "
Why do doctors feel authorized to say A may cause B without empirical support only when A is emotional stress. Note that he also interpreted "Crazy things" in a way that implied the emotional stress, which you never indicated, just when he needed it to make this diagnosis! Neat, huh? This is how bias works. Study, children, study.
Similarly, if the other docs said you had anxiety, did they treat you for it? Did they get your "worked up" for it? I bet not. To my knowledge, anxiety disorders are measurable and include a general feeling of anxiety, obsessive or compulsive thoughts or actions (neatness, handwashing, etc.), uncontrollable phobias (of cats, heights, leaving the house, etc.), panic attacks (while driving, etc.), and maybe others. Certainly not the symptoms you describe above. If these symptoms don't seem to describe you (at least ONE of them!), then you probably don't suffer from an anxiety disorder. (I'm no doctor, of course; if you think you might have anxiety, check with a much better source than me!) Also, if anxiety were a cause, I would think a Xanax would alleviate the symptoms, at least partially. I bet it wouldn't.
To my knowledge, emotional stress is not known to cause physical symptoms without an intermediate mental illness, such as depression, anxiety or schizophrenia (I am no psychologist, but I've heard the "stresscuse" too many times). These illnesses are measurable and in every case in which a doc suspects "stress" the patient ought to be referred for mental health diagnosis. In other words, if they think you are crazy, they should tell you so and proceed accordingly. Otherwise keep looking for a physical cause.
So it sounds like you may have Fibro, and Multiple Irritable Doctor Syndrome (MIDS) :) Which is worse...?
I am glad to hear that i am not the only one out there with these wierd symptoms. I am a 32 year old who had a baby a little over a month ago and since then I have developed leg cramps(drs ruled out blood clots) waking up with achy, tingly fingers mostly left side, tingling on bottom of my feet and toes, severe headahes started a couple months ago but have gotten very bad the past week or two-I have them from time I wake up til I go to sleep, wake up with them. They get worse if I move my head. I just had a CT yesterday for headaches. Have an appt with my PCP tomorrow to review CT-I made the appt. Nothing helps the headaches. I also have developed freezing toes, need to wear socks with flannel slippers to keep them warm. ANyone have any ideas what this could be? I looked up the pseudotumor ceribri but I am not overweight-do you have to be to have this? I do not have real vision problems but bright lights bug me, and occassionally a word looks funny-not blurry or double vision-hard to describe. Hope we can all find some answers soon!!
They will also want to do an MRI and with Pseudotumor Cerebri in order to be diagnosed all of your MRI's and CT scans must be normal and your Cerebral Spinal Fluid must come back normal as far as being free of bacteria suck as meningitis etc. But your Pressure levels must be elevated in order for your doctor to be able to clinicly diagnose you with Pseudotumor Cerebri. Now Most people with this also have The swelling of the optiv nerves (papilledema) but you can still have this and not have that so it's very important to see your eye doctor if you suspect that you have it. This is a very rare condition. Only 1-2 people in evey 100,000 people get it and it is 8 times more likely to happen in overweight women between the ages of 20-50.
But that doesnt mean that other people can't get it either. The medical workd really doesn't know what causes it yet. They treat mild cases with duretics and a water pill to help with fluid, the most common one used being DIAMOX. For the more severe cases there are surgincal procedures avalable where they can instal a Lumbar Shunt to drain the fluid from the Lumbar area to your abdomen or another procedure called an Optic Nerve Eye Fenestration where they make a slit behind the eye in the optic nerve which allows the fluid to drain thus allowing the pressure to release.
I have this condition that is the only reason why I am able to tell you all this. But you can also look it up on the web if you like. But if you really think you have it you need to see your eye doctor and tell him your suspicions and then tell your PCP and ask him to do a Lumbar Puncture and if your levels are elevated he will refer you to a neuro immediately.
Hope that helps you some. Good Luck.
I was put on Paxil for depression for about a year. Symptoms were still there.
Someone mentioned Perimenopause... I even thought that, some of my symptoms seemed to be worse during period. Docs said I was to young, I am 36.
I have been to many doctors with still no answer in sight. I did have an MRI done last year that showed some area that appeared to be demyelation(sp?) which is indicative of MS (which two of my cousins have), which is kind of scary. It is frustrating not to know what is going on with your own body. I hope you get some answers soon.
As for your head tremor, I don't find it listed as part of CTD. But essentual tremor disorder is what I finally was diagnosed with, after a change in neurologists! And to my shock, it can be treated with medication. (The meds only help partially for me, but I have tremors in hands, head, mouth, and eyes [nystagmus].) I find it interesting that you, like me, have symptoms of CTD and the tremor disorder. I say this because I also have trigeminal neuralgia, numbness and tingling of head, etc., but only found out when doing a web search on a weird fingernail symptom that I came across MCTD/UCTD symptom lists that included these things. While I have been diagnosed with UCTD neither my rheumatologist nor my neurologist mentioned (and I think they don't know) that CTD can cause these things.
Be sure to print out the symptom lists you find, highlight your symptoms, and take it to the doctor when you go.
Good luck!
I followed your discussions and all along the way I though at least some of your symptoms sound like high blood suger. Headaches, IBS, or pins & needles are these days always an indication of a blood suger over 5,5. High BS causes muscle pains usually in my right arm & low blood suger lameness in my left arm.
I understand that not all Diabetics have these symptoms. In a large group of diabetics one young man mentioned that he suffered muscle cramps. Everyone looked surprised, including the doctors.I was the only other person who knew what he meant.
Symptoms of IBS disappeared completely after going on insulin.
Hope you all find answers soon. Diabetes
I see I am not aloan in so many sicknesses.
I have just had a spinal x-ray, and have discovered I have a severe scoliosis and degenerative neck damage. this I am told can be linked to all of my other problems!
Shall I list them!
Constant back and muscle pain
siatica
vertigo
tvd
numbness, loss of sensation
constant headaches and migraines
peti mal epilepsy...absense seisures, light sensitivity
irritable bowel syndrome or is that crones disease...they can't seem to make up their minds! One minute I definately had crones, and I was on steroids for about a year, then I didn't have it! I'm sure the steroids didn't do my back any good!
Burst appendix, adhesions
tonsils out
maleria
viral meningitis
gyno problems
renal probs
pluracy
allergies
phnumonia
bladder infections and reflux since birth
I'm sure I've missed things...but you get the general idea!
I feel like a walking disaster area..and my docter just laughs...you have to realy! He says I'm a complete mystery to him.
My mothers explanation for it all is that I was her first baby...and she mucked up!
Oh...and anxiety disorder! Do you think this could be because my body is tottaly stuffed! There is no apparent trigger...I could be relaxing in front of the tv and all of a sudden I feel like I'm having a heart attack! Great fun...you should try it some time!
If you would like to chat about our pathetic state of affairs some time my e-mail is ***@****
thanxs for reading this rediculously long list of symptoms!
Smile everybody!!!!
If you do a search, look for Dr. Burrascano site.
It has been very hard to find what was going on...lot of praying and lot of searching...Good luck to you!!!