Shoulder pain / nerve damage or what?

[MInute Maid]

Over the last two years I have developed numbness in my lower arm and hand, involving the palm and the last two fingers.  My GP suggested it was some sort af RSI and I should lay off the laptop for a while, which I did.  

There appeared to be no improvement and then in May '07 I began to notice that my whole arm and shoulder were aching and one day I was stopped in my tracks by the most intense pain in my shoulder, after which I could not move my arm at all for the pain.

My GP who suggested it was a frozen shoulder,sent me for physiotherapy and referred me to an orthopoedic consultant, who x-rayed my shoulder, neck and spine and informed me that I had arthritis in several areas including the neck which could be causing the pain in the shoulder ie nerve damage. I was given a steroid injection which did not help much, strong painkillers which did, at least tmeporarily,  and I also had an MRI scan which again showed arthritis in the neck and spine but was 'inconclusive' as to the effect it was having on my shoulder.

Now I am awaiting a 'nerve conduction' test and I am again in a great deal of pain.  My shoulder pain wakens me up every night and i feel like crying in the mornings as I struggle to get dressed. I feel as though every joint in my body is hurting now and I have difficulty in getting out of bed or a chair. I cannot walk far before my back and legs ache and  I also have osteoarthritis in my hands. Apparently, my liver is also under stress as I have had elevated enzymes for four consecutive months and am awaiting a liver scan.  I don't drink alcohol nor abuse any substances. I am finding that increasingly I am having trouble controlling my saliva and I often drool a little from the side of my mouth.  I have always tended to be quick-thinking and, being a teacher, I have had no difficulty in communicating uisng a wide variety of language - until now, when increasingly I note that I struggle to find the right word and sometimes the wrong one entirely come out before I realise it!  My GP believes that I am chronically tired throug lack of quality sleep but I feel there is more to it.  I fall asleep by day, anytime, anywhere - sometimes in the middle of a conversation.  For this reason, I do not drive. Finally, several parts of my body have started to twitch - sometimes for 24 hours at a time: my finger, my eyelid, my leg. ***** to this, when I am walking along the road or at work, I sometimes seem to misjudge my pace and my back foot does not lift high enough to clear the ground and I literally 'trip over my toes'.  Mt workmates are finding my general clumsiness funny now but I am not too amused!

I wonder if all these symptoms could be related?  I am 54 but  feel as though I have become an old lady in a matter of months!

[jennlake]

Thorasic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) causes most of what you are talking about. (I dont know about the liver) I have TOS and it took 5 years to diagnose. Hand to Shoulder falling asleep at night, vision problems, shoulder neck problems, frozen shoulder.... often is misdiagnosed and hard to diagnose. It can affect your nerves and blood flow. Goes into my hands too.. You have to go to a doctor who specializes in TOS. If a scalene block eliminates your pain you have TOS. My nerves tests were inconclusive and I was almost diagnosed with Cubital tunnel. I try to help those who are searching as I was- Do your hands feel heavy when you raise your arms up above your head? Does it hurt more? It can mimic many other nuerological disorders. I got twitches too in my eyelid and mouth. The entire left side of my face and arm would go numb. They go numb and hurt if I sleep on my side. Confusion, virtigo, vision problems... it is a narrowing of the canal in your bronchial plexis those nerves and veins relate to everything in your body, so once the nerves start firing... it causes intense pain. If veins are blocked it can be dangerous. Anyway, you sound like I was, so I hope this helps...I am not a doctor just someone with TOS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoracic_outlet_syndrome

[MInute Maid]

Thanks you so much for your considered and helpful replies.  Indeed I do have a sleep disorder in that I wake up repeatedly with snoring or choking and sometimes with a start that gives me a fright.  I often dream that I am suffocating, too.  My GP sent me to a sleep study clinic but it was no help because ... I didn't sleep at all!  I was not given the opportunity to do it again but I do think I should ask for a second chance at it.  Apart from that, my painful shoulder wakens me up or sometimes prevents me from getting to sleep.  I count myself lucky if I manage 3 hours of unbroken sleep a night.

And yes, I have had my thyroid function checked because my mother has an underactive thyroid.  I have had several other tests done - ANA and RA - but they came back clear.  The one that keeps presenting a problem is the liver function one.  My GP said it is showing readings typical of alcoholism but I do not drink!

The reason why I posted on here was, of course, because I had begun to think that the numbness, the clumsiness, the tripping over my feet and the slight drooling were perhaps pointing towards MS but having read around a little more, I can see that these symptoms apply to many conditions.  I guess I will have to continue playing the  waiting game till I can get a diagnosis!

Thanks again for your help and your warm welcome.  I will come back and update you when I have seen the neurologist.

[Heather3418]

I would hazard a guess that you have more than one thing going on.  Your shoulder problem is definintely separate from your elevated liver enzymes and your drooling from one side of the mouth.  Your gait problems also seem separate from your shoulder problems and definitely seem like they are not related to your arthritis.

I am with Sally's suggestion, 100%.  You need a thorough work up by a Neruologist.  Some of what you talk about sounds like Bells Palsy in the face, which may be causing the drooling.  A Neuro would be the doctor that I would go to.

I hope that you will continue to post and keep us updated on your doctor visits.  I can certainly understand why you suddenly feel like "an old lady."  I too am 54 and I am beginning to feel like I have aged 20 years over the past 12 months.

We are glad that you are here.  Welcome again,

Heather

[Super_sally888]

Hi,

Welcome here.  What a horrible experience you've been having.
Obviously something is going wrong and it's not just your shoulder.
You need to get a good workup and find out what's wrong.

From what you've said, you could possibly have a sleep disorder.  Have they done a sleep study on you?  They need to look into that urgently.  Sleep disorders can cause neurological problems.  They can also greatly exacerbate other problems (like chronic pain - it will be a viscious cycle).

They also need to test you for other things that could be causing these problems.  Particularly they need to screen for thyroid problems.  Have you been tested for iron and vit b12 levels.  These can cause fatigue and neurological problems as well.  Have you been tested for celiac?

IF all of these screenings have been done, I reckon you need to be seen by a good neurologist.

You are in the right place.  Stay and get to know us here and we will be supportive.  Others here will chime in shortly.  Things are still a bit quiet here at the beginning of the year....

Sally