Headaches, Dizziness, Numness in left arm/hand, Ringing in ears

[tinbin01uk]

Hi,

3 weeks ago I was out for a jog when about 2 mins into this I experienced a 'popping' sensation in my head followed by about 2mins of extreme vertigo type dizziness. For the remainder of the evening and the following day I had a pounding headace that got progressively worse with dizziness. I went to the GP and was referred to A&E immediately who investigated to rule out a bleed to the brain. They carried out a lumbar puncture and a CT scan that was all clear and sent me home with a diagnosis of 'unspecified headache'

My headaches and dizziness have continued with a constant ringing in my ears. It feels like my brain is a second behind my eyes. More worryingly at the start of this week I started to get numbness in my left arm and hand, with intermittent pins in needles in my left foot. I went back to the GP who again sent me straight up to A&E for further investigations. They checked my bloods etc and gave me pain relief but sent me home saying that I need to see a Neurologist and that they would try and hurry up a referral. The numbness in my arm is getting worse, although I can still lift it and have strength in it. The headaches are what I would describe as a pressure headache.

This is all a bit of a mystery ... does anyone have any ideas what this could be?

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
Thank you for the updates. I agree with keeping a diary of events because this can help the neurologist in your coming appointment. Also, write down all questions you want to ask so that you can not forget about them during this time.  Your symptoms can indeed be neurological in nature and it is good that you will be seeing a neurologist soon to evaluate them directly. Side effects from a lumbar puncture range from introduced infection to headache. Serious complications of a lumbar puncture include damage to the spinal cord or spinal nerve roots resulting in weakness or loss of sensation which usually manifest after the procedure. Take care and hope to hear from your appointment.

[tinbin01uk]

I got a referral through for an appointment with a Neurologist consultant later this month. I will update on the outcome afterwards.

You may be interested to note that since my last post in July I have experienced a continuation and variation of symptoms that are a little concerning. Nothing that I am too worried about though.

My 'pounding' headached settled down and I would prob put the severity of them down to the lumbar puncture. What has continued is the numbness in my left arm, hand and fingers. This can come and go but has since developed into pins and needles in my feet and lower legs. When I am driving for any period of time I get pins and needles in my toes very badly. I also get this when in a sitting position for any period of time and also in my buttocks/lower back.  The pins and needles waken me from my sleep most nights for several minutes at a time. My lower arms/hands are completely numb when this occurs but seems to last only a few minutes before I am able to fall back asleep.

My wife thinks that my behaviour has changed and I am more moody than what I normally would be with a lower tolerance around the house. In work I am finding that I am getting tired, or losing 'focus' in the afternoons. I am trying to put it all to the back of my mind and basically ignore all of this but have also noticed recently that I seem to be mishearing words and it would appear that when I am having a conversation with another person that they jumble up typically 2 words i.e. say them back to front. I have been putting this down to fatigue.

What I have done is to try to improve my diet and continue to exercise. On a few occasions when I have engaged in some light weight training I have experienced vertigo, dizziness, nausea and profuse sweating. I have noticed a small weight gain of approx 6lbs in this period.

I have a theory that the numbness may have been caused by the lumbar puncture. The young Doc who carried it out was a student and it was his first time completing one. It took him approx 5/6 times to carry it out and at one point my entire left side went completely numb and I heard the consultant tell him to take it out as he had put it in at an angle. I bear no grudge if this is the case ... we all have to learn :-)!

Does the additional/continuation of symptoms sound like a neurological issue? Should I keep a diary of events and bring with me to the appointment.

I appreciate any comments on this matter.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? It is good that the CT scan and lumbar puncture results were both fine. Numbness and headache highly suggest neurological causes and you may indeed benefit from a referral to a neurologist. Pressure headaches can also be associated with tension headaches. You can also rule out ear issues with an ENT doctor consultation. Dizziness can be attributed to a lot of possible causes including eye conditions, changes in blood pressure or  sugar levels and other underlying medical conditions. Take care and do keep us posted.