Muscle tremors/shakes, "electric shocks" before sleep, constant ear ringing, memory loss

[seekmedhelp]

Physical info: 27 year old white male, 6'1, 160 pounds, non-smoking, non-drinking, with no previous serious health issues.

For about three months I've been having the following symptoms:

1. Tremoring/shaking muscles upon exertion. When resting they occasionally twitch, without being strong enough to actually my limbs. Walking down stairs has become uncomfortable as my thighs tremor when my muscles fully engage.

2. violent head shocks/zaps that have left me awake for 36 hours at a time. They occur the moment I am about to "cross over" into sleep. Sometimes sharp noises trigger them (wood, plastic cracking), but it only happens when I'm sleepy, accompanied by my vision going from black to bright gold.

3. Constant ringing in my right ear for about a month and a half. The tremors started occurring about one month before the ringing. About two days after the ringing started the head zaps began. They occur on average of 2-3 days a week. During the worst episodes I cannot sleep for 36 hours, and one time for 48. I only pass out from sheer exhaustion.

4. My short term memory and concentration have been slowly fading.

I have no insurance and no money. I am exhausted from sleeping only 2-3 hours a day for over two months. Is there any way I can get help from the government? I live in NJ, USA. A person can only endure so much.
Brian

[seekmedhelp]

Why haven't you had an MRI done? CAT scans are only good for hard tissue like bones and will not see neurological problems except perhaps a large tumor or extensive damage from a stroke.

You probably don't have insurance otherwise your neuro or family doctor would have already ordered an MRI. In that case all I can say is dig deep for state programs that offer assistance, be it a catholic hospital, medicaid or free clinic. Try calling Universities with an MD program of the state in which you are a resident. They almost always have a free clinics, but wait times will probably be months.

Our symptoms sound very much alike. Hopefully my tests will give you a clue as to whats happening. I truly feel your pain...

  

[seekmedhelp]

Chloe,

Your symptoms sound terrible. Not giving you an MRI is just plain barbaric. If a nurse bothers to fight for you, something MUST be wrong, because they can get in trouble for questioning a MD's judgement, who in turn must answer to an insurance company, which in turn gives out bonuses to MD's for saving them money. And so goes the merry go round.

Do your parents have insurance? I suppose not if you cannot get proper tests performed. Sign up for charity care if your state has it. Your parents should apply for Medicaid.

Ask to see hospital's social worker, who by law has to provide you with all treatment options available, both in the state and federal government. Many programs exist for adults, and even more for children.

You urgently need to see a neurologist and have an MRI performed. It took me five months to see one after much pain and paperwork. Hang in there...

[Merilee123]

I am extremely anxious to hear the results of your sleep study. I've been experiencing most of the same symptoms for eight months. I haven't had tremors but I jolt awake all night as I drift off to sleep and my ears have been ringing the entire eight months. (Which, I'm told sometimes causes hearing loss) I also get headaches and occassional dizziness, some muscle aches and a general feeling of being unwell and run down. I had the CAT and the blood work done. Everything came back normal. It's disheartening when everyone I've spoken to online or read about hasn't had it resolved. I sincerely hope you get to the bottom of it while I'm trying to do the same. Good luck.

[taherkody]

by the way. what are the normal ranges for your thyroid levels?? each lab has different normal ranges. sometimes you can be in normal ranges but high normal or low normal.

[chloestartzman1224]

Ive had tremors for 2 years a few night they got so bad i had to go to the hosbital the musles in my cheast were convulsing and i stoped breathing i had to be intabated my doctors never gave my a MRI or CT a few blood  test but thats it ive been hosbitalized for psycological problems and every time i stayed all the nurses and doctors always talked about how strange it was ive acctually had a few nurses fight for me to be put in some nero studies. My docter is concerned but the only thaing he does is give me a bottle of lorazapam and send me on my way its progressively getting worse im 15 years old and its so bad i havent gone to school in a year im forced to do home school i have them every day its in every part of my body my legs toes face arms fingers back neck stomach ...ext....i dont know whats wrong can anyone help me?

[taherkody]

Unfortunatly by the time The doctors knew my problem was from my thyroid ((2 1/2 months later) I was over the thyroid storm and I was moving into hypothyroidism ..My thyroid tests then were ;
Tsh 3.15 normal 0.4 -4
Ft4 1.2 normal 0.8 - 1.9
Ft3 3.3 normal 1.5 - 4.1
It wasnt the tests thats got my diagnosis ..It was the my fast growing goiter and high blood pressure and heart beats that finally got them to realise that I had a thyroid problem.. I think you should get you TSH tested also...It is also important with the freeT4 and free T3 tests.. I got those done and also ultrasound.  Im so sorry for what you are going through, Ill keep you in my thoughts and hope you get a proper diagnosis and get better soon..