Numbness from the waist down

[RickyMalin]

Hello there,

I have been reading over and doing some research on the net to find answers or people with answers who have experienced the same issue that i have at the minute.

I am Male, 27 years old and an active person.

From Wednesday (2nd April 08) i have had a numbness sensation from my waist down to my feet, and this includes all areas..
It started off with a slight pins and needles feeling in my legs, but has gradually began to get worse.
I went to my Doctor last friday the 5th April who examined me and came to the conclusion that i have a trapped nerve. And that was it - he sent me on my way and said give it a few days.
I didn't believe that a trapped nerve could cause so much uncomfort!

I have a history of blood clotting due to a blood disorder which i was diagnosed with some years back ( Factor V Leiden Mutation ) I was prescribed Warfarin which i took for a while until the Doctor said i didnt need to carry on taking them, i havent taken Warfarin for roughly 6 or 7 years now.
My last complaints of anything similar to this would have been about 4 or 5 years ago when i had a slight numbness sensation like i do now, only it wasnt half as bad and only lasted for a day and i didnt go to the dr.

I went to my hospital on Monday of my own accord and after a 3 hour wait and 30 minute of being poked with a pin the Dr was baffled - Doesnt know what's causing this, told me to Monitor myself for a week and if symptoms persist to go see my GP who will refer me to a neurologist.
He did say however should i start to get any pains in my legs or impaired vision of any sort then i should go back to casualty.

I called my Dr the next day and made another Appt, re-examination and he came to the conclusion that it's not a trapped nerve, he took blood samples which i am currently waiting results, he also mentioned that the hospital should have performed an MRI scan ( What is this for?? )

This whole experience is frightening and no one seems to have any answers, i "may" need to be referred to a neurologist if the symptoms dont go away.. even if they do i want to know why they came and how to prevent them in the future!!

If anyone has experienced anything similar and has any answers i would be most grateful.

Many thanks
Ricky

[spastic]

Hello and Welcome to our forum family.  Ok, most Dr's insist on MRI's when you are having neurological symptoms such as the pins and needles and numbness.  Many different ailments and diseases can cause these things.  One of them being MS.

I am curious for the reason your Dr had you quit taking the Warfarin. I have to wonder if your blood clotting disorder is surfacing again.  My dad had autophospholipid antibodies and had to take blood thinners for the rest of his life.  I am not a Dr or anything but I have to ask you this, are you having any discoloration anywhere on your body?  Are you bruising more easily?  Are you in any pain?

Feel free to look at our health pages, they have great info in them and again Welcome.

Spastic Ada

[RickyMalin]

Hi Ada,

Thanks for the fast reply, i was 18 when i first had a blood clot in my left thigh @ the back, i was given Warfarin but only took them for 6 months as i had to go and have my blood tested each month and the Dr thought my levels were fine and took me off.

The Factor V Leiden and Clotting was obviously my frist reactional thoughts - i was worried i had another clot but that was cleared by 2 doctors and they don't seem to think this has anything to do with this.

I currently have no pain at all in any area of my body and i do not bruise easily either, i have always been very pale skinned and to be honest i havent noticed any difference.
I dont know if its my mind playing tricks on me but when looking at my legs i can see the veins more clearer than i ever have, or maybe i have just never noticed.

I just have a feeling that this is going to drag on for quite some time before i get any logical answers from my Dr.

Thanks again

Ricky

[spastic]

Okay, I want you to google livedo reticularis and see if that is what you are seeing on your legs.  I have that and in my case the veins look like purple lacy patterns on the skin.  We all have those times where we think our minds are playing tricks on us but don't sweat it, I doubt they are.  We know our bodies best.

With you having the V Leiden Mutation, I am not sure if this is any relation but there is a thing called Inherited Spastic Paraplegia, it causes some pretty unusual symptoms, mainly abnormal gait, weakness in the legs, some people perceive weakness with pins and needles.  It is also caused by a gene mutation.

[santana8]

Hi, I had a sudden onset of vision disfunction two years ago. My brain MRI showed about 10 white matter lesions. I have had MRI's every six months for the two years to look for new lesions, so far none has shown up. My dx for now is ADEM it is an acute illness that is almost identical to MS, except it is monophasic, meaning one attack with no relapses. But MS has not been totally ruled out yet, eventhough my spinal tap was negative. Anyway when I asked my neuro if he was sure that it wasn't a stroke he said he didn't see evidence of one, but that it could end up being vascular. That is not a clear enough answer for me because I have a family history of a couple of young deaths around 30 years old from blood clots. So this week I was refered to a hematologist to check my blood for inherited clotting disorders. One of those test is the factor V you mentioned. My brother was one of the ones who died at age 31 from a massive heart attack. His son, and my nephew has been dx with factor V and started on cumadin and has been told that he will be on blood thinners for the rest of his life, he is 25. His doctor told him that this may have been what his father had and just didn't know it. Two weeks ago my 28 year old cousin had a headach for three days, the third day being excrutiating.She worked in the hospital pharmacy and while at work that third day she went down to the ER because she started getting numb down one side. They found two dime sized blood clots, one on each side of her brain. They started hefrin to try to break them up. The next day she started to get some of the feeling back and they were considering letting her go home. Suddenly she started seizing and her head fell over and she went unconcious. When they scanned her again the clots had moved to her brain stem and had blocked off all blood supply to one side of her brain. They induced coma to keep her still. She never came out of it and she died 3 days later. They said the cause of the clots was a new birth control pill that she had started 6 weeks prior. They said that she may of had a clotting disorder that caused the birth control pills clot her blood. All of this is why that I am getting checked for factor V and all other blood clotting disorders. Eventhough my neuro said he didn't think that the lesions in my brain were from stroke and two years have passed, he still didn't rule out any vascular reasons. I am not willing to take that chance. I have since been reading up on the factor V and others. From what I have read about factor V and if you have been dx with it, you definately should stay on blood thinners probally for life. I don't know why your doctor took you off of them, but if I were you I woulld get a second opinion on this one. I'm not saying that this is what is going on, but factor V is a serious condition and from what I have read  it is a life long condition.

Santatna

[RickyMalin]

Ada, i searched for livedo reticularis and going by the photos on the page i can thankfully say my legs are not matching the photos. When i say i can see the veins i mean the blue colour veins just vaguely - i don't think its anything to worry about.
Just hoping that the blood tests come back with answers and that this numbness goes away before Monday so i don't have to go to hospital!

Santatna, firstly i am very sorry for the losses within your family, it must be devastating, and for the constant worry you must be going through too.

I have never really questioned as to why the Dr took me off Warfarin, i knew nothing about  it and just assumed he knew best ( I hope he still does ).
I will however be bringing it up when i see him again incase this is related to it.

I will let you know the results of my blood tests which hopefully shouldnt take too long and of any other advances which are made.

Thanks again guys, it's great to talk to people who are on a smiliar wave.
Ricky

[Quixotic1]

Hi, Welcome to our forum.  I hope we can help with the information you need and supply some company and entertainment along the way.  I am a physician, but I am here unofficially.  I was not a neurologist.   I have MS and I try to help people find information.

I also am concerned that you are not being treated for the Factor V Leiden Mutation.  The problem with not go away and is not something you'll grow out of.  I worry about a problem in your spinal cord.  A trapped nerve would have caused problems only on one side.  Having both legs numb is more suggestive of something like a spinal cord problem that goes all the way across, called Transverse Myelitis TM.   This can result from a blood