tingling

[jheath]

Hi, first time posting.  My wife has had persistent tingling in one hand that becomes weakness in her arm.   Said she feels the weakness in tricep area primary.   At first it was only the right arm/hand, but now appears to be effecting both arms.  She does a lot of office work so I thought it could be carpeltunel(sp?).  However this does not explain arm weakness.  She also has hasshimotos(sp?).  Could this be a factor?

[LivingInHope]

Did the ankle break come with missing a step or because of twisting an ankle or does she feel it was owing to another cause? Did the neurologist run The Serum Free Light Chain Assay test when trying to determine the cause of her peripheral neuropathy?  See private message for more info.  I'm glad the spasms and arm weakness seem to be getting better!  

[jheath]

We completed the MRI and all blood work, it all came back normal.  So we are still undiagnosed, but she was feeling better.  However in an unrelated incident she broke her ankle coming down some stairs.  He spasms have gotten better and arm weakness appears to be getting better too, but we now know its not MS, so that does help.  Her neuro thinks she might have put pressure on nerves causing the tingling, but did not seem too concerned.  We will be going back to her endocrinologist soon, even though thyriod numbers came back normal.  

[LivingInHope]

What blood tests were ordered and have you gotten all those results back?  Did you get a copy of the blood test results?

[jheath]

A weird addition to symptoms, she started getting muscle spasms in right leg which lead to the leg kinda cramping and having trouble walking.  I would feel the thigh muscle and it would feel very tense.  It also kind of feels shaky at times.  She also started getting the muscle spasms in other areas, face a few times in back and in shoulder (not as bad as the thigh, but still there).  In morning her symptoms seem to be not as bad, but as day goes by and she it gets worse from use.  We also found the last two nights I have massaged her hand and this makes the tingling go away.  Once again in morning hand is not tingling, but as day goes it starts up.  She also thinks her right arm is sore from the emg needle in bicep, but still kinda has weakness in the arm.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
Tingling and weakness in one arm can be due to carpal tunnel syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, multiple sclerosis, peripheral neuropathy as in diabetes/hypothyroidism/Lyme's/lupus, pinched nerve in neck/shoulder/elbow or due to scalene myofascial pain syndrome.
Since I cannot examine your wife and know other related conditions she may be having, nor is a detailed history possible on net, I have listed the various possibilities that should be looked into. Please consult your PCP to run tests and examination to clinch a diagnosis.
Take care!

[LivingInHope]

I hope the insurance will approve... please let me know the results?  Does the neurologist have any other ideas about what might be causing the symptoms?

[jheath]

We went to nerologist and he ran an Emg which was normal.  He set an mri for today and the follow up for Friday (insurance permitting), we will know more after that.  The neuro said if its ms it is presenting weird because of symptoms, so we will see.

[LivingInHope]

I do too!  Please let me know if the doc orders the MRI for her!  

You may even want to post on the multiple sclerosis forum here on medhelp and get some input there!  
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Multiple-Sclerosis/show/41

Is an endocrinologist closely monitoring her for her Hashimoto's?  Also, you may want to get some input from people in the thyroid disorders community:
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Thyroid-Disorders/show/73

[maatson]

Being an auto-immune condition Hashimoto's can present with other connective tissue disorders like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.

[jheath]

We see the neuro Monday and I think will get MRI scheduled from there.  In mornings the hands don't tingle that much but as day goes they get worse.  She also feels it a little in forearm.  The left hand has some tingleing but not that bad.  Yesterday she had pain in various parts of arm and right hand was stiff and swollen.  Hope we figure this out soon.

[LivingInHope]

MS had come to mind, but you didn't list many symptoms...I sure hope it isn't that either!  In addition to the tests you mention her doctor ordered, did the doctor order a brain MRI or spine MRI in re: trying to rule out MS?  It definitely is a good thing to cast those cares on the Lord in these scary times!

[jheath]

Thanks for the info.  We saw her doc who referred her to a neurologist.  She does have a family history of MS, we hope thats not the case.  Her doc thinks its a pinched nerve and also ordered a round of blood tests.  We are nervous and praying.  I also found some sights in which people with hashimotos have similar problems, we will just have to wait and see.  

[LivingInHope]

Welcome to medhelp!  I'm sorry your wife is having a rough time of it.   When your wife had the tingling then weakness in her arm, did any doctor check to see if she may have suffered  a T.I.A. (mini-stroke)?  You want to make sure the issue is not related to the circulatory system.

  Has your wife had her potassium level checked lately? (Low potassium can cause weakness and tingling in arms.)  How about her vitamin B-12 level- is it low? (Low B-12 can cause tingling in hands and feet.  It looks like on one website I looked at that Hashimoto's thyroiditis can cause weakness and tingling bi-laterally in the arms.  

Looking at the cervical spine as Sue suggested is a wise idea.  They can look for pinched/compressed nerves, herniated discs, etc. with an MRI.  

Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by a number of things, and sometimes a neurologist can determine the cause, but not always.  But since they can determine the cause part of the time, it's worth getting a referral to a neuro doctor to see if they can so they hopefully can offer treatment.  I have a parent who went to a neurologist with peripheral neuropathy in their feet, and the neurologist determined something called MGUS to be the cause.  

[Sue9510]

The Hasshimotos is probably not a factor if her thyroid function tests are all normal.
Most likely she has one or more of the following, look these diagnosis up.
Thoracic Outlet syndrome
A ridiculopathy (pinched nerve) in the neck
See your family physician for an mri of of cervical spine. If she has an impingement on a nerve then you will need to see an orthopedic surgeon for steroid injections or maybe even surgery.
Best regards