Tingling, stabbing and shooting pains, so many tests and no answers!!

I'm a 23 year-old female, and my symptoms have gone through periods of being awful for 1-3 months to being absent for 1-4 months for the past 2 years.  It began with my left arm and hand being tingley and numb.  Eventually I was experiencing excruciating stabbing pains in my arms, hands, legs, feet, face and chest area, along with continued numbness and tingling.  I've had a black floaty area in my left eye for years that has never seemed to be of concern to a doctor, but lately I feel as if it has gotten quite a bit worse.  My skin has been sensitive my whole life, but for the past couple of years I've been struggling with unbeatable "exczema (eczema)" in the form of itchy, red circular dry patches; a large one on my left calf, a smaller one on my right calf and one on my back near my armpit.  I have also begun to experience panic attacks.  I don't know if any of these things are related to the others, I just figured I should lay it all out there.  When I started experiencing the pain and tingling, my family doctor sent me to a neurologist, who sent me for multiple blood tests, an EEG, an MRI and a spinal tap.  She seemed to think it was multiple sclerosis, but everything came out normal. Being the optomist that I am, I hoped that it would just stop and I'd never know why it happened.  Unfortunately, it keeps happening again in stints and I still don't know why it's happening.  It's exhausting living like this, and I'm beginning to feel as if I'm losing my mind.  Does anyone have any suggestions or thoughts about what may be ailing me, or any ideas of where I should go from here?

[Jenny Wren]

Maybe Lyme disease.  From what I have read, these are common with Lyme disease.  MS and Lyme has familiar symptoms. Many people are told that they have MS and it turns out to Lyme.  Hope you get some answers.  Good Luck!!!

[Hityty]

Yeah, Lyme & MS can mimic each other, and you mentioned symp's that many of us here have been experiencing too, and it could be thyroid related, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, CFS, or something entirely different. The worst part about all this is many of us keep getting told over and over that the tests were negative to anything suspected, or how we're "fine". So, keep in mind that you're not alone, and you're not crazy, that's for sure! I'm not a doctor, but I would suggest seeing a neuro, and keep in mind that tests for Lyme are often inaccurate, many people have it and are told they don't, they are fine, or they have something else like MS or FMS, etc. Don't give up!
You may want to check out The "Marshall Protocol" and "Hypervitaminosis-D symptoms" on marshallprotocol.com. It's a curative therapy for people with multiple symptoms and disorders, and it has SUCCESSFULLY treated HUNDREDS. (I started it in August, so I'm still new to it, but I DO see that it is working for me. Just my opinion, but I think it's worth at least checking into!) This is a link from their website that I think explains the MP really well in a nutshell:
http://www.marshallprotocol.com/forum2/4213.html
Let us know how you are doing, K!

[notcrazykate]

Thanks for your responses, I feel very lucky to have stumbled upon this forum and I hope to continue to get your input!

Makina, I read your most recent post, and it sounds like you've been through all kinds of stuff.  I'm sorry this has been such a long ordeal for you.  If you don't mind sharing, I have a couple of questions for you.  What's the pain management you spoke of, and what medicines worked for your pain?  No doctor has even mentioned anything about pain management to me, other than eat right and work out (both of which I've been very particular about for most of my life).   Also, have you spoken to a doctor about Lyme Disease?  After having it brought up by a couple of people, I did some research and it's sounding like a real possibility.  I'm scheduling an appointment with YET another doctor tomorrow to discuss the possibility, as well as another one with a neurologist.

Good luck, and thanks so much for your time!

[makina]

Hi

i am so sorry u feeling bad.  reading your post reminds me of me.  you are so young.  my problems started at 20 also.  i am now 28 and 8 yrs later no answers.  i have had many tests and hve y our symptoms.  i would sugest go back to the neuro and repeat all the test if it has been two yrs since last.  there are meds that help with the stabbing, shooting and tingling pain.  i hope youu uget an answer or heal and get okay for ever.

[DLarie]

Hello,
I just read an interesting small book called "What Time Tuesday" about a man with Trigeminal Neuralgia or TN, an incurable nerve condition, also known as the 'Suicide disease' because  the excruciating shooting pains make life unbearable. He had periods where the pain would completely go away and then it would come back with a vengeance and it kept getting worse as the years went by. He found permanant remission in treatments from an Upper Cervical brainstem specialist. I hope this isn't your case, but if it is, good luck.