Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Family Medicine (Expert Forum)
severe weight gain, acute nerve pain in hands, muscle aches
Answered by
J.M. Keyes, MD - Family Medicine
Gainesville - FL
Questions in the Family Medicine forum are answered by Dr. J.M. Keyes. Topics covered include general health issues, adolescence, babies, child health, eating disorders, fitness, immunizations and vaccines, infectious diseases, medical tests and procedures, and senior health.
|
severe weight gain, acute nerve pain in hands, muscle aches
by Alesandra, May 01, 2008 11:08PM
Please help me figure out whats going on in my body!! Please HELP
three months ago on February 1st, I was a different person health-wise.I am 28 year old female. I have always been healthy, taking care of others
In late January I started taking a birth control for the first time ever. It is Loestrin 24 Fe. Before I started taking this pill, my periods were very inconsistent (usually ever 6 or 8 weeks, or longer) but, what I considered to be a normal period. My periods after taking the pill were very regular ,short and light. Now, I feel bloated all the time, and at times gassy.
In February I weighted 125 lbs. I have gained 13 lbs in twelve weeks without changing my diet.
in late February the palms of my hand, thumb, index fingers started having severe pain. Acute sharp pain and weakness. I've been on "light duty" at work for 2 wks. it has improved, but is still suseptible to pain coming back if I over-work them. At times my hands go numb and tingly. Nerve pain has started to be felt in my forearms and upper arms feel weak,achy at times.
Since March I have had constant muscle aches and soreness throughout my body, especially in my legs/thighs. My ankles are starting to feel very weak
I had "pink eye" in March (for the first time in my life). Ive had a sore throat/pharyngitis for 2 weeks.
I go to a work doctor. They supect that I have carpal tunnel or teno/senonitis or wrist sprains. i had the EMG and NCV test. Emg(needle test) was normal. NCV test showed "Right and Left Median Anti Sensory nerve showed prolonged distal peak latency and decreased conduction velocity" "revealed mild median neuropathy across the wrist bilaterally" WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!!
I feel something going on throughout my body and I have never felt like this before?
Is it CTS? Lupus? side effect of birth control? I just want to feel good again. Please Help
I take care of two of my family members- 1) with Lupus SLE, 2) colon cancer I NEED TO GET BETTER AGAIN!!!!!
three months ago on February 1st, I was a different person health-wise.I am 28 year old female. I have always been healthy, taking care of others
In late January I started taking a birth control for the first time ever. It is Loestrin 24 Fe. Before I started taking this pill, my periods were very inconsistent (usually ever 6 or 8 weeks, or longer) but, what I considered to be a normal period. My periods after taking the pill were very regular ,short and light. Now, I feel bloated all the time, and at times gassy.
In February I weighted 125 lbs. I have gained 13 lbs in twelve weeks without changing my diet.
in late February the palms of my hand, thumb, index fingers started having severe pain. Acute sharp pain and weakness. I've been on "light duty" at work for 2 wks. it has improved, but is still suseptible to pain coming back if I over-work them. At times my hands go numb and tingly. Nerve pain has started to be felt in my forearms and upper arms feel weak,achy at times.
Since March I have had constant muscle aches and soreness throughout my body, especially in my legs/thighs. My ankles are starting to feel very weak
I had "pink eye" in March (for the first time in my life). Ive had a sore throat/pharyngitis for 2 weeks.
I go to a work doctor. They supect that I have carpal tunnel or teno/senonitis or wrist sprains. i had the EMG and NCV test. Emg(needle test) was normal. NCV test showed "Right and Left Median Anti Sensory nerve showed prolonged distal peak latency and decreased conduction velocity" "revealed mild median neuropathy across the wrist bilaterally" WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!!
I feel something going on throughout my body and I have never felt like this before?
Is it CTS? Lupus? side effect of birth control? I just want to feel good again. Please Help
I take care of two of my family members- 1) with Lupus SLE, 2) colon cancer I NEED TO GET BETTER AGAIN!!!!!
Doctor's Answer
by J.M. Keyes, MD, May 02, 2008 06:34PM
, May 02, 2008 06:34PM
To: Alesandra
I'm sorry to hear you have seen such a decline in your health recently.
I don't think all of the different things you have going on are related, but some may be. It sounds like maybe the pill you are on dosen't agree with you. There are many different kinds of birth control pills, so if you think you are feeling unwell or retaining fluid (bloated etc) since you've been on this one, there's no harm in switching to another to see if it's better. Weight gain can be related to the pill, but generally not that much. Stress can also lead to weight gain, so that might be adding to that issue.
It is possible that you are having some fluid retention from the pill, which along with the weight gain, maybe triggered your carpal tunnel. It does sound, from your symptoms and the nerve conduction study that CTS is the right diagnosis with respect to your hand symptoms.
Regarding your NCV test: Latency is the time between the applied electrical current (stimulus) and the response (the firing of the nerve). In damaged nerves, latency is typically increased. The conduction velocity is the speed with which the impulse travels down the nerve. "Mild median neuropathy across the wrist bilaterally" means that you have some evidence of damage to the median nerve on both sides. The carpal tunnel is an area in the wrist where the bones and ligaments create a small passageway for the median nerve. The median nerve is responsible for both sensation and movement in the hand, in particular the thumb and first three fingers. The median nerve can be damaged when there is pressure on it in that passageway, due to fluid retention, etc.
Lupus is a difficult disease to pick up sometimes- it can present in different ways in different people. If you are continuing to feel unwell, are continuing to aches/fatigue, or are starting to get more symptoms, getting lupus ruled out by a rheumatologist isn't a bad idea because of your family history.
I hope you are feeling better.
JMK MD
I don't think all of the different things you have going on are related, but some may be. It sounds like maybe the pill you are on dosen't agree with you. There are many different kinds of birth control pills, so if you think you are feeling unwell or retaining fluid (bloated etc) since you've been on this one, there's no harm in switching to another to see if it's better. Weight gain can be related to the pill, but generally not that much. Stress can also lead to weight gain, so that might be adding to that issue.
It is possible that you are having some fluid retention from the pill, which along with the weight gain, maybe triggered your carpal tunnel. It does sound, from your symptoms and the nerve conduction study that CTS is the right diagnosis with respect to your hand symptoms.
Regarding your NCV test: Latency is the time between the applied electrical current (stimulus) and the response (the firing of the nerve). In damaged nerves, latency is typically increased. The conduction velocity is the speed with which the impulse travels down the nerve. "Mild median neuropathy across the wrist bilaterally" means that you have some evidence of damage to the median nerve on both sides. The carpal tunnel is an area in the wrist where the bones and ligaments create a small passageway for the median nerve. The median nerve is responsible for both sensation and movement in the hand, in particular the thumb and first three fingers. The median nerve can be damaged when there is pressure on it in that passageway, due to fluid retention, etc.
Lupus is a difficult disease to pick up sometimes- it can present in different ways in different people. If you are continuing to feel unwell, are continuing to aches/fatigue, or are starting to get more symptoms, getting lupus ruled out by a rheumatologist isn't a bad idea because of your family history.
I hope you are feeling better.
JMK MD
