unexplained sickness

[peteroy]

i am a 27 year old male. for the last month or 2 i have had unexplained weakness feeling in spine mainly in my neck sometimes it goes to my upper jaw. The severity of it comes and goes. It did go away for about a week but has came back and seems to get worse every day, mainly in afternoon and evening. when it gets worse i also have a sick feeling in my heart and sometimes my heart rate will go up and my arms and legs will feel like a burning sensation mainly on left side. also when my heart rate goes up  i start breathing harder. The doctor says it is panic attacks. Im starting to get very upset about feeling like this. It is ruining my life. 'it is hard to get excited about anything. i also feel lightheaded at times. I have had 2 ct scans and also a MRI and all that was found was a sinus infection. I also get lightheaded everytime i laugh,stretch,standup no matter how fast or slow i stand up,or if im just leaning over and then stand up. Please Please help me. This is ruining my life.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

After going through your recent posts,I am having three possibilities in mind in addition to the possibility of panic attack.Firstly,low potassium can be responsible for such symptoms. Potassium is an electrolyte present in the intracellular fluid and is present in abundant quantity. It regulates the neuromuscular activity of the skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle. The normal potassium level in the blood is 3.5 to 5.0 mEq/L (milliequivalent per liter).

In addition to numbness and tingling;the other symptoms of low potassium are nausea or vomiting, palpitations, passing large quantity of urine or a frequent sensation of thirst, abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) and  irregular psychological behavior like depression, psychosis, delirium, confusion or seeing or hearing things (hallucinations). Treatment is by oral or intravenous potassium supplements.

Second possibility is of heart valve disease(leaky valves have already been reported on your echo).Pls take a second opinion from a cardiologist.You may need angiogram.

Third possibility is of cervical radiculopathy,characterized by weakness in the muscles numbness in the skin or pain in the areaof the route of the nerve.Diagnosed by X-Ray and MRI spine.

Pls discuss these options with your doctor.

Hope it helps.Pls do keep us posted if you have any additional queries.

[peteroy]

I have had several EKG's and also an echocardiogram and holter monitor for 24 hours. The holter monitor showed my heart rate was high. between 112 and 169 but was all in normal rythym. Echocardio gram showed i had two leaky valves but Dr. said it was probably false because im so skinny. 5'8"  130 Lbs.  So she told me it was all normal. I have been on several antibiotics for my chronic sinusitis. That is the only thing that has been found, is my sinus problem. But that doesent cause my neck,jaw and sometimes back weakness. The weakness seems to go away after im laying down a while and gets worse as the day goes on. I am currently on xanax also but dont want to take too much because of possible addiction. It helps with panic attacks but not with neck and spinal issues. Thank you for ur input. Please right back. Jason. (peteroy)

[peteroy]

Thanks for the help. I have been evaluated by an ENT specialist. I have also had a VGR test done. All was ok. ENT said i had a sinus infection and a deviated septum,But told me to go to nuerologist before he would consider doing surgery on my nasal passages. I have had my thyroid checked twice. First time it was bad second time it was good. All blood work is normal except slightly lower levels of potassium.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

The various possibilities for your symptoms are panic attack,hypoglycemia and transient ischemic attacks.Also get yourself evaluated by an ENT specialist to rule out inner ear problems or Meniere’s disease.

Also get your thyroid hormones evaluated to rule out hyperthyroidism which may have some of the symptoms which you are facing.

Pls take a second opinion from a physician and discuss these possibilities with him.If it is panic attack then,antianxiety medicines have to be started.

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep us posted on how you are doing.

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

How are you?
It is quite possible that your symptoms are due to excessive anxiety or panic attacks. At the same time I would suggest you to consult a cardiovascular specialist and get a complete exam done since you have symptoms of neck and jaw pain, palpitations and difficulty in breathing.
Also make sure you get treated for sinus infection. Sinusitis can cause headaches, lightheadedness on bending and head movements.
Steam inhalation and OTC decongestants will help you. Take care!