Postpartum: neurological issue or just anxiety?

[MRSNURSE69]

Hello,

I had a baby 5 months ago. After 18 hrs in labor I had a C-section. I had epidural. No complications other than some swelling in legs and feet after delivery. When I got home from the hospital I started feeling strange things that occurred within 3 days of having baby:

The first was upper back pressure in the middle of my back that was very tight and painful and came intermittently for the first few days after I got home from the hospital. I went to my primary Dr and he thought it was from the epidural and referred my to a neurologist. It didn't make sense to me at the time because it was happening in my upper back. I went home that night and went on google and came across arachoiditis from epidurals and panicked. Next thing I know for the following weeks I experience the following and what seems to be every symptom of it:

-Skin burning/sunburned sensation throughout body (intermittent, usually occurred at night while in bed in middle of night or waking up in the morning)
--Tingling in legs (mainly in the morning)
-Feeling like water dripping down leg occasionally
-Random muscle twitching (constantly)
-Upper back spasms/pain (between shoulder blades)
-Hip pain (right side)
-Ringing in right ear occasionally
-Feeling this very faint sizzling noise/sound in back of neck mainly when hungry or stomach growls.
-Sometimes feeling dizzy
-Chills (happened first night when I got home from hospital)
-Nausea and vomiting (happened once first night when I got home)
-Burning Sciatic pain (bilaterally but worse on right side)
-Feeling like limbs fall asleep easier than normal (when holding baby, sitting cross legged etc.)
and more...

After going to a neurologist and having an EMG and MRI of brain, cervical and lumbar spine (all which were normal) I admitted myself to the ER because I was still so worried about these symptoms. While in the ER they did repeat MRI of brain, Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar spine, Spinal tap, they ruled out MS, and I had all blood work imaginable done.

MRI showed some small "inactive lesions" which they said was nothing to worry about, cervical budging disc which they said wasn't causing the issues, and the spinal tap showed slight increase in protein level of 51. Neuro from hospital said the elevated protein shows inflammation and compared the epidural and inflammation to a "punch and a bruise": The epidural was like a punch and the increased spinal protein was a bruise that would go away over time (days or weeks).

Now fast forward to 5 months later (now)
The only symptoms I have now:
-Twitching (doesn't happen as often as it did)
-Back pain (intermittent)
-Sizzling sound in neck still happens at times.
-Rarely right sided sciatic pain (very faint)
-Sometimes a buzzed/foggy headed feeling (mainly waking up in the morning)
-Skin sometimes still feels warm/sunburned sensation when waking up in the morning.

My husband is convinced I caused myself to experience all these things because I read online about Arachnoiditis after epidurals. I had to see a therapist because of how stressed I was and the therapist said it was anxiety related and that I was being hypochondriacal. The Neurologist in the hospital also wanted psych to see me while I was there because I was so adamant that I had arachnoiditis and he said the MRI didn't show that I did. The psych asked my mother if I ever had hypochondriac behavior before.....I've always been anxious about my health but this time it seemed like the symptoms were too strong to be just from anxiety.

The symptoms are much less now and I am seeing another neurologist to get another opinion but I am worried still..... Do you think this could be all in my head or an actual problem from the epidural? The only thing that was found was the spinal protein of 51 which was slightly elevated.

Thanks.

[MRSNURSE69]

I spoke to the anesthesiologist who put my epidural in like 4 times since I had the baby and he told me he has never seen this before and doesn't think it's related. I have also had the Neurologist in the hospital tell me he doesn't think it is related and told me the twitching and sensations could be from anxiety.