Numbness, Tingling Feet, 'Pulsatile' Tinnitus Getting Worse

[emeraldspray]

Hello,  For about five years now I have had intermittent numbness and tingling in my feet from mid calf down.  Same thing with"Pulsatile Tinnitus" (MD heard carotid bruits).  I've had a brain MRI twice.  First was ok.  Second showed "calcifications in the carotid siphons"  A Carotid Duplex Ultrasound showed "less than 50% stenosis of the right internal carotid artery" and "less than 50% stenosis of the left internal carotid artery"

When I wake up in the morning, symptoms are bearable.  As I go through the day, it becomes almost crippling.  I'm reaching a point where I just have to crawl into bed early evening.  I can tell that it is getting worse because in the beginning, it was at least tolerable.  Now the noise in my ears is pulsing and unbearable (in evenings)

Why do they not do anything about carotid arteries which are blocked "less than 50%"?  Could all those symptoms come from that?

I also had a mastectomy for CA in 1989.   Thank you.

[emeraldspray]

I want to thank you all for your help.  I want to share my new information with you, in case it may be helpful for anyone.  I had a CT chest scan and a 'Thyroid nodule' showed up, along with 'mediastinal nodes'.  Dr. called me today.  Remember I told you that I had a history of Breast Ca? Well, it looks like I'm going for a trip down memory lane.  Tomorrow I call to schedule a thyroid scan, and, have been referred to an ENT.  Interesting....I'll write again, and, want to express my gratitude to people who responded.  You're so very kind.

[Floxie99]

For anyone who has been experiencing these sensations: have you, in the past year, been treated with a fluoroquinolone-based antibiotic (levaquin, tequin, cipro, floxin, etc)? If so, you are likely suffering from a severe adverse reaction to that drug. These reactions can come on long after you are treated, and cause long-lasting pain and other symptoms. Very often those hurt think they have MS, or ALS, or fibromyalgia, or a host of other maladies. They spend thousands of dollars getting MRI, blood and other tests done. Doctors just give them more drugs and tell them it's all in their heads.
The reality is, they have been poisoned by an antibiotic that wasn't thoroughly tested before being released on the public.

If you are suffering these weird symptoms, I suggest you check out the following sites:
www.medicationsense.com
www.fqvictims.org
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/quinolones

[emeraldspray]

Thank you again,  I/m a retired RN - blind as to my own care.  I'm going for copies today......getting the book out, in order to be more knowledgeable when asking him about the two meds.  I thought 'jerk' too, recently.

[heart2heart]

Your stenosis may be getting worse which could be the reason for the pulsatile tinnitus. Time to get another carotid doppler, I would also ask for a neck MRA. As the for tingling and numbness, it sounds like some kind of neuropathy..are you diabetic? How is your spine? Do you have any kind of herniated discs? Do you have a neuro you go to?

[emeraldspray]

Thanks again.  PVC is a 'Premature Ventricular Contraction'.  It is experienced physically by a heart skip which can be felt like a 'boom' in the chest.  It also shows up on the EKG as a very widened distinctively different looking beat.  It obviously was caused by too much medication as it is gone now.

I was on Norvasc 5 mgm. twice a day, and, Lisinopril 30 mgn. per day.  The Norvasc was added shortly before I got the 'heart pounds' which scared me.

It has been decreased to Norvasc 5 mgm once a day and Lisinopril 10 mgn once a day.  Looks like I was getting twice as much as I needed.  

The carotid worry remains, and, I am wondering if you or anyone knows what type of Doctor I should search for to take care of  difficult to control BP and the blocked carotid arteries, which certainly do not help BP?

I'm grateful for this web site.

[emeraldspray]

Thank you, Demiguise.  I do have high BP - recently had a hospitalization for 200/100.  Monitored for four hours, it stayed in that range.  They added meds.  Four months later I was hosp. again with PVC's which, it was sort of 'decided', came from tooo much BP med.  I'm in limbo now, and, appreciate your help.  What a great web site.  I'm going to look for a more specialized MD I believe......