neurological problems

[leealee]

I have been experiencing twitching in various parts of my body.  Mainly both eyelids and sometimes my arms and fingers.  I have weakness in my left arm/hand.  I can pick things up and still do everything with it; however it is a general weak feeling.  Mostly I have extreme pressure and a decline in vision in my left eye.  The decline in vision I was diagnosed with a couple months back from a retina specialist with no explanation.  However, lately I have all this pressure behind my eye and for the past two days it is slightly painful.  I have neck pain in the base of my head since about June but I thought that was due to the way I sleep but now I am experiencing weird sensations in my head, not painful, just weird.  

I sleep wonderfully at night, never woken up except to use the bathroom because I am pregnant.  I have a doc. appt on Friday to see a neurologist and just was wondering if you could offer any suggestions?  I also have had a cold for about a month that will not go away even after my doc. prescribed me a z-pack.  constant post nasal drip and stuffiness.  

One more thing, every now and then I feel like I see floaters in the air, but eye doc never said I had any.  Just worried that I could have something bad and since I am preg there is not very many tests that I can have done.  Thank you,

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-SH]

First of all, keep in mind that I am unable to diagnose you because I am unable to examine you, this forum is for educational purposes.

   Painful vision loss in a young female is always concerning for optic neuritis (inflammation of the opitic nerve), which can be the presenting symptoms of multiple sclerosis.  If this is the case then the ophthalmogist should be able to see swelling around the optic nerve in the back of your eye.  Optic neuritis is generally treated with steroids, but you should contact your Obstrectrics doctor if the diagnosis is made.  After you deliver the baby I would recommend an MRI of the brain and C-spine, a lumbar puncture (to test for inflammation: Tourtelotte panel/IgG index, oligoclonal bands) and visual evoked potentials.  

   The other possibility to consider is that pregnant women are at greater risk for sinus venous thrombosis (clotting of blood in the venous spaces in the brain).  This generally causes headaches, blurred vision, seizures, focal weakness and decreased conciousness.  Some people with sinus venous thrombosis only have a headache, while others have more symptoms.  A MRI of the brain with MRV (magnetic resonance venogram) can diagnose this condition, but would only be indicated if your doctor was concerned this was an urgent possibility (the effects of MRI on the unborn baby is not known, but is thought to be OK, by anecdotal evidence only).

  The weakness in your left arm/hand may be related to a number of different problems, but if it begins to get better in 2-6 weeks then that is most consistent with multiple sclerosis.  If the weakness persists then I woudl recommend an EMG of the Left upper extremity to assess the weakness.

  I hope this has been helpful.

[mineandours]

Sounds like it could be Lyme disease.  There's a symptoms list to follow.  If you mention it to your doctor, he'll probably dismiss the idea because you don't recall a bite or didn't get the rash.  The only way to be properly tested, diagnosed and treated is to find a Lyme specialist.  When that bacteria enters the pristine environment of the central nervous system, all sorts of strange things happen.



Musculoskeletal System

Joint pain or swelling or tenderness

Stiffness of joints, back, neck

Muscle pain or cramps

Bone pain



Neurological System

Tremors or unexplained shaking (especially at night)

Burning or stabbing sensations in the body

Weakness or partial paralysis/stroke-like symptoms

Pressure in the head

Numbness in body, tingling, pinpricks

Poor balance, dizziness, difficulty walking

Increased motion sickness

Lightheadedness, wooziness

Sudden jerking of fingers or entire limbs

Pain in spinal column



General Well-being

Unexplained weight gain, loss

Extreme fatigue

Swollen glands

Unexplained fevers (high or low grade)

Continual infections (sinus, kidney, eye, etc.)

Symptoms seem to change, come and go

Pain migrates (moves) to different body parts

Early on, experienced a "flu-like" illness, after which you have not since felt well.  (If it was mild, you may not even recall this.)



Eyes/Vision

Double, blurry or dim vision

Increased floating spots

Pain in/behind eyes, or swelling around eyes

Over sensitivity to light

Flashing lights

Optic neuritis



Ears