Disc Problem, Nerve, Brain?..... Please Help me.

[adzib]

Please don’t stop reading because my post is so long, please I’m desperate!

I have been Having symptoms for about 4 months now and it is making my life a living hell!

It all started when i has a pretty bad sinus infection that took a few weeks to clear up-

-Sinus Pain/pressure
-Inflamed ears and nose sinuses
-Eye pain and pressure etc etc… normal sinus infection (doctor said viral)

When it had cleared after a course of Amoxicillin i noticed that i could feel my neck slightly jerking from side to side.
I would also have 5-10 minuet episodes (I rarely get them now) where i would feel really weak and breathless and have heart palpitations, i would feel like my arms were sinking into my body and my temperature would get really high, i went to the ER a couple of times with this as I felt so weak that i needed a hospital ASAP.... after waiting for about 5-8 hours my symptoms would be gone by the time i would see a doctor and they would just give me a blood test and send me home (making me feel like i'd wasted there time).
About 3 months into my illness my appetite completely disappeared and i would eat about half a meal a day and i could barely walk because i felt so weak, i slowly receded into myself and this lasted for a couple of weeks.
Since then i have developed muscle jerks in my legs and arms (a few jerks and then it stops, 2-3 noticeable jerks an hour), slowly i have developed a weakness on the left side of my body, it started with my leg (which improved and is almost un-noticeable now) and then my shoulder and arm started to feel really heavy, fluttery /buzzing feeling in my calf muscles.
Then, Practically over night the heaviness in my arm was about 80% better and i had my appetite back completely and have had it back ever since.
Lately i have started to feel ill again, my muscle jerks seem to be about the same but i have developed a twitch on my upper eyelid, my left arm and shoulder muscles feel stiff and tender, I have developed neck pain toward the top of my neck (left side) and i am having back pain (upper and lower) i sometimes get head pains that seem to rise from my neck to the top of my skull and can travel to the front of my head (much like the sinus pressure/pain that i had during my infection), I’m also tired all the time and sometimes feel that I’m slightly out of phase with the rest of the world, I also get ear pain and a sudden burst of tinnitus in my left ear that is gone within a second or two (doesn’t happen very often).
My doctor thinks that I’m just depressed  (a chemical imbalance as he put it) because it runs in my family, I’m in no way depressed or stressed, the fact that my symptoms improved when I was stressed after my dog died is a good indicator that depression or stress is not the problem.
My symptoms seem to be better in the morning, ok in the afternoon, worse at night and improve again before bed (I spend an hour on the computer every night and for some my arm, neck and back loosen up).
I went to a neurologist (he was a very rude man) and he did all sorts of tests on me and the only thing that could be found was a single face twitch when he asked me to stick out my tongue and open my mouth (this twitch has never happened before so it might just be coincidence) he told me that he had no idea what was wrong with me (except  myoclonic jerks... he only saw one) and has ordered an MRI and EEG which I have yet to have.
I sneaked a look at the notes he had written whilst the receptionist was asking for my details (I could only read the last sentence) and it read ’ possible early CJ disease?’, which I’m guessing is  the human form of mad cow disease, the only reason he could have come to this conclusion (my doctor mentioned it too) is because I immigrated to Canada from Britain two years ago…. I’m not at all worried that I have CJD because it’s so rare but he didn’t even bother to give an opinion on my symptoms, nor did he care very much about my arm, shoulder, back and neck pain, because of this I’m not sure that I belive that he found nothing… also, I seemed to forget to tell him some things because he made me feel so uncomfortable.
Please could you  give me your opinion on what would be wrong with me, I’ve not known what is wrong with me for 4 months and it’s really starting to get me down.
Sorry for the long post…. It’s four months of frustration and worry pouring out of me, my biggest worry is that I have some sort of neurological disease or tumour, but, I’m hopeful it is something as simple as a herniated disc in my cervical neck, thyroid problem or vitamin deficiency.

I also forgot to mention that my blood pressure is elevated, my dad has high blood pressure,high cholesterol and had kidney stones, my grandmother was also diabetic.

I’ve had lots of blood tests done but I have never been told the results!!

[ggreg]

Yeah, I meant to say EKG tape.  Glad that is normal.  I hope you will be seeing a regular doc soon... keep in mind if you don't have one, you can always go to the county health clinic for your area and they can check your temp, bp, pulse, draw blood, and in general have a good look at you, to find out how come you still have symptoms.

[adzib]

Thanks for the advice ggreg, i forgot to mention that when i went to the hospital they put me on a machine to test my heart.... they put electrodes on my chest and a machine recorded my heart for about a minuet and this was printed onto a long strip of paper (EEG strip?) that was found to be normal.
I'm just scared stiff about the MRI and EEG, i just want to be healthy and get on with my life again!
It does seem a big coincidence that my symptoms appeared straight after a rather nasty sinus infection, so, i'm really hoping that the problem is related to that and nothing else.

[ggreg]

I forgot to mention you should drink plenty of water daily, so as to avoid dehydration, and exercise is very helpful in getting enough good rest... becuz if you don't get enough sleep, you can get muscle spasms, particularly in the face.

[ggreg]

Adzib,
I think whatever made you sick in the beginning is still lingering.  Infections in the body can be stubborn and hard to get rid of, and repeat infections happen (from stuff like re-using the same toothbrush).  Also, when the body gets sick, it can lower normal blood cell counts from fighting the infection, and you can become a little anemic.  I think you need to (a) get blood drawn to check your blood cell count, check for anemia, check for vitamin and mineral deficiency, and (b) start eating a bunch of protein and B-vitamin foods like whole grains.  And yes, there is a possibility something is amiss with your circulatory system, so when you get blood drawn, they ought to take your temp, take your blood pressure, and check your heart rate, plus maybe run an EEG tape, to help rule that category out.  When you go see your regular family doc, write down your top five symptoms and give it to him, ask for the above stuff I mentioned, and I hope this time they can help you get better.
GG

[adzib]

Thanks chronicpain1, it makes me feel better knowing that there are people out there feeling the same symptoms as me!

[adzib]

Sorry, i forgot to add that when i say that i have developed a weakness in my arm, shoulder etc.... it is a heavy tiresome type of sensation but i seem to have no loss of strengh, even the neurologist seemed to think my strengh was fine.

[ChronicPain1]

I can tell you I get a lot of facial/ear/skull pain related to my disc problem. It also goes down my back to my shoulderblade, and all the way to my arm. Muscle twitches are common for me too.