Tingling and numbness in my legs and feet?

[kiki1509]

I am a 30 year old women with no medical problems as of now.  I just had blood work everything was normal.I've suffer from anxiety for 13 years now, with my anxiety i get alot of body symptoms .  I've been having some discomfort on my legs and feet. I have numbness and tingling in my feet. I also get pain in my calfs and knees. i also have discoloration of my toes nails i thought it might be fungus but i read it might be PAD . I'm afraid i might have preipheral  vascular disease. I had and ABI where i work , my right abi was 1.02 and my left abi was 1.06. should i be concern?

[Jigisha S. Amin, MD]

Without doing a physical exam and reviewing your lab results, I can not give you an exact diagnosis or treatment plan.  Your ABI is perfectly normal.  It compares the blood pressure in the legs to the arm.  They should be equal (ratio close to one).  If the ratio is less than one, it indicates there is less blood flow in the legs compared to the arms, so there may be a blockage and further investigation may be warranted.  Also, with PAD, you usually get claudication symptoms, which means that after walking a certain distance, you get pain in your legs or buttocks.  Often exercise works better than medications or surgery to improve PAD symptoms.  Controlling cholesterol and blood sugar and not smoking are also very helpful.

Are you overweight?  Your BMI (body mass index) should be between 18-24.  Being overweight puts strain on your back and knees and can cause leg pain.  Do you exercise?  Exercise (walking 30 minutes a day 3-5 days a week) can help you to lose weight, to overcome anxiety/depression and in cases of PAD, to develop collateral circulation to overcome blockages.

Speak to your doctor about your symptoms.  Based on your previous history, PE and lab results, s/he may decide to do further testing which may or may not include an xray, blood work (B12, RPR and TSH), EMG and nerve conduction studies, and a toenail culture to rule out fungus or yeast infection.

Like you said, your anxiety may be playing a role in your symptoms.  Also,

1)  exercising
2)  not smoking
3)  controlling weight, cholesterol, and blood sugar

are important things you can do yourself to help prevent PAD and other blockages in your arterial system which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

[kiki1509]

Actually i'am 114 pounds ,5;2" in height , my sugar TSH,  B12, HDL,LDL, and  Cholestrol was totally normal. I dont smoke or drink . I do cardio 3 to 4 times a week. I will continue to do my exercise and do as much as i can to stay healthy. I really appreciate your help.