What's up with my arm pain/tingling

[Fluffysmom]

I had a NCV test on my right arm, and the neuro said that I had a slight slowing of signal below my elbow on the ulnar nerve, but it was still within normal range.  He used the term "mild ulnar neuropathy".

I got a note from my PCP about the NCV:

"Your nerve conduction velocities were stable and normal.  It may be that the numbness is coming from tight muscles in your shoulder and would benefit from PT there.  Let me know if you'd like to pursue that".

My PT has checked for muscle tightness; I'll bring it up again tomorrow, and get a new PT Rx for it if necessary.

My question is; could the numb pain/tingling be coming from my spine or brain, and should I ask for an SSEP or something like that?  Increasing my Lyrica helped somewhat during my last flare, but it is still a real bother.

Any thoughts, ideas?

Thanks,

Kathy

[Fluffysmom]

Normal?  What's that?!?  :o)

Yes, it would be wonderful to have 24 hours t just be normal again; I'd want to videotape the whole day!

My last full day in CA, my best friend and I got a rental car and drove to Laguna Beach.  I'm normally the navigator on such trips.  That day, I couldn't read the signs properly.  Highway 1 looked like Highway 11 to me (my first doubling of vision), and I had trouble making sense out of other signs.

I see a neuro-ophthalmologist next week; I hope he can figure out what's going on with my vision; the blurring, sometimes jittery vision, difficulty maintaining focus, ghosting or excessive after-images, and now a little double vision.  My eyes have been really dry for years; I have to use lubricating drops.

I have to get the paperwork done for that visit, so my eyes better get it together!

If my physical therapist doesn't think my arm pain is from my shoulder or neck muscles, I'll see if my PCP will order a SSEP.  I'll  bet they do SSEPs for 'cerebral white matter disease".

Kathy

[doni54]

Hi Kath,

It wouldn't hurt to have the SSEP if you could get your PCP to schedule it for you.  

You know we have to ask for things sometimes to get anything done.  I had to push to get my GP to schedule my brain MRI.

It's always something, isn't it.  I'm either numb, itching, spasming, blurring or something.  I thought the other day how nice it would be to have just 24 hours to be normal again.  Wow, wouldn't that be great!!!

Take care,
doni

[Fluffysmom]

Jensequitur,
I've had both cervical and thoracic MRIs; the thoracic showed patchy areas that neither of the last two neuros paid much attention too, though they are visible on both axial and saggital views.

When I saw my current neuro (MS specialist) during a flare, she said my symptoms were likely to be coming from my cervical spine, though her chart notes from that visit were from some template and didn't mention all my obvious symptoms or her comment about my cervical spine, only noted tremulousness in both arms.

After some persuasive talking, I got her to agree to send me for new films on a 3 T machine, but I have to wait until spring of 2009.  The chart notes were funny; they said

"Patient wanted to have MR imaging of her spine done again as is worried that something is missing in her cord.  I advised her that likelihood of any significant pathology on cord is less but for pt's reassurance will do that with brain MRI in spring of 2009 (done as part of surveillance)".

I have more pain than numbness; it's like the signals are scrambled.  My hand will feel cold and numb, but I feel touch normally. My fingers will tingle, especially the last two.  My forearm is the most painful area, but when flared up, the pain makes my arm feel like its glowing; definite nerve pain.  I also have pain down the outside of my arm from my shoulder, kind of like when I had chronic rotator cuff tendonitits, but it glows with the rest of the pain when really flared up.  My hand doesn't work quite right; I have trouble grasping things, writing, etc.  

Wobbly, all these tests are confusing to me, too, but I'm learning from this forum what to ask for; doctors can tend to go for the easy answer: "oh, it sounds like tennis elbow to me", (PT didn't help that), a wrist/hand brace just aggravated everything and cost me a bundle for the 1 1/2 hours I wore it.  

SSEP - Somatosensory evoked potential, where the nerve signals are tested as they go from the body to the brain, and show whether the signals are being sent and received correctly, or something like that.

I wonder if my PCP would order an SSEP?  She doesn't think I have MS, so doesn't want to send me for any tests that are usually done while looking for proof of MS. She thinks I have "Cerebral white matter disease", which I thought was a catch-all phrase for all diseases of the cerebral white matter.  I'll have to ask her for information on the specific disease that she's sure I have.

Thinking out loud, wondering how to speed my trip through limboland,

Kathy

[Wobbly]

sorry, I can't help with this answer...just wanted to say...so many different tests and it's so confusing to me... ??  

is a NVC like a EMG...what's a SSEP... boy oh boy..?

take care
wobbly
undx

[jensequitur]

Have you had a cervical or thoracic MRI?  Numbness can come from the cerebellum or from the nerves going to the neck or spine, as well as weakness.  A SSEP would also help to show whether a nerve is being pinched.