doctors please please please help me, i've posted this 4 times already PLEASE

[mikerobinson41]

hi i am a 19 year old college student. it all started last march(09) when i was in the middle of an avid weight lifting routine. I was up to this point a 6 day a week weight lifter, 6'6 195 lbs with very low body fat and ran 3-4 miles almost daily. I eat very well, and was at that point on track to play division 1 college basketball at depaul university...until my life fell apart..on march 23, 2009 i felt a strong pull just behind the medial side of my left elbow, but kept lifting that day, on my curls that day i felt an almost electric shock feeling on throough my elbow. i was smart and said screw the weights for a bit and thought i'd take a few weeks off..fast forward 4 weeks i saw my MD and complained that even though I wasn't lifting at all my elbow felt inflammed, no more pain at all and at that point sometimes subsiding, but i wanted to get back to the gym. fast forward two weeks, i began with a physical therapist who used ultra sound and electrical stimulation on it and it felt near 100%, but at work, i was a waiter at the time, the night I LEFT PT, i felt that same weird intensified pull in my arm. so i took more time off, still not taking ibeauprofen or icing regularly, i took a few weeks off PT still no weights hoping to get back to 100%. fast forward to June, i finally couldn't take it and decided to try a new PT who was an A$$, and told me he could get e back in the gym in 2 weeks. fast forward two weeks with him, i was doing very light assisted pullups and felt a light tear in my RIGHT bicep, and new right away what just happened. I left that PT that day and never went back, my dad is a chiropractor who is licensed to use PT equipt. so i just started going to him, and seeing my orthopedic, in july i got an MRI of my left elbow which showed moderate inflammation, and at this point i was taking 10 ibeauprofens a day and still absolutely NO lifting. in august i opted for a cortisone shot(even tho im totally against them) in my left medial epicondyle, and it didnt do squat...at that point i began noticing fasiculations(non painful) in my left arm..at that point i started taking fish oil, glucosamine, chondratonin with MSM, and ibeauprofen religiously, and things seemed to slowly be getting better, i even quit my job as a waiter to avoid any lifting..things stayed consistent but slowly got better through october, when i went into my surgeons office and asked "don't you think it could be my ulnar nerves" he replied probably not because i had no tingling in the arm whatsoever, or weakness. but i demanded an emg..just days after i felt a light tingle in my hand through my bottom two fingers, and new what to expect, days later my emg revealed a 42 NCV of both ulnar nerves, and medials tested out fine. at that point i began to spiral into depression, my girlfriend of 3 years left me because i became so depressed, i lost my basketball scholarship, and was holding out of work(i had money in the bank) hoping that little activity meant recovery...my ulnar nerves seemed to get better but i did have light tingling in my carpal fingers as well, but soon after emg and my dad saying "its inflammation causing it" i had some yet little hope. fast forward to  november my tendonitis finally left both arms but cubital tunnel stayed persistant then  i was on the machine in the gym idk what its called but you sit(i think its for women) and drive the pads inward with your thighs, and my legs were realllly jumpy, but to tell you the truth i think thats always been that way(theres a point to this..) i had also began to start feeling my fasiculations all over my body..fast forward to december 1st, as i was walking home from the gym, LOWER BODY AND ABS ONLY(i started this soon after march 23 and never messed with arms once) i sat down at my computer and noticed my feet were tingling, no leg pain just abnormal nerve sensations in my feet, and i almost went nuts, i was still out of work, and the only time i was leaving the house at this point was for my community college classes, other than that i slept all day, but that was strictly my depression, i became severly depressed after the tingly feeling, a few days later i noticed tremors in my fingers, and then later realized they were everywhere, my face, mouth, feet, legs, arms, abs, hands, but nothing horrible, very mild tremors, at this point i became suicidal, no joke, i've lost everything, i got in a fight with my mom and told her i was gonna slit my wrists, and she called the cops, and i got taken into a psych ward for 10 days and it saved my life...after that i moved out of my moms because it was nothing but a depressive hole, and moved in with my sister, i tried to join the armed forces, every branch, i aced their tests, but none would take me with my pinched nerves and all..fast forward xmas eve, i couldnt take not lifting, and decided to just do pushups, like 200(10 sets)..i wasnt 4 pushups in when i felt a pain on my lateral side of my arm and new all to well it was no tennis elbow it was radial tunnel, BOTH arms..the radial tunnel is still here but lighter...fast forward january, i went to see a neurologist in ann arbor, mi, who told me my nervous system was in tact, and that he thinks the nerve injuries are overuse, but i've done only those pushups in almost a year now and theres no way what so ever its overuse..fast forward 2 weeks ago when i got a brain MRI which cleared anything central nervous system, i also got one of my neck that showed my nerves werent pinched in my neck, i knew that because there is only pain in my elbow and i need to go get blood tests done, and a whole bunch of other stuff i see the neuro monday..none of these symptoms have left, staticy feeling at the bottom of my feet seems consistant, fasiculations have died down a lil, tremors are the same, cubital tunnel seems to be worsening these past few days after months of minimal pain..still have tingling in other parts of my hand..also when i crack my neck(i know bad, but im going to school to be a chiropractor so i can do it decently) i feel jolts that run down my arms and make all fingers tingle very briefly, sometimes these jolts are so electrifying i jump a little..the majority of my pain on my radial and ulnar nerves are at the elbow though, and i do not understand why they would hurt there if this was a neck problem..i went to MD today who drew blood and said we may need a few blood tests to confirm anything..my tremors are EVERYWHERE, and do feel like they gradually get worse FYI, if i had to describe them i would say their worse when my muscle is about 'half flexed' if i tighten them up they go away completely, and if i let them rest they're not there. theyre the worst in my face around my lips, and nose, but still hard to notice if your not looking, and in my hands and feet, my neck too..im starting to get suppper scared please help me


no one in my family has had ANY form of neuropathy, disability, any cns diseases, or anything..my grandma(moms side) died of a stroke, the rest of my family died of cancer IE lymphoma(3 people) and melanoma(2 people) and hear attacks(2 people) all lived well into their 80's though, except for my aunt(moms side) who died of melanoma at 44

i take 20 mg of adderall twice a day(have since i was 7), and thats all med wise(ps i quit taking adderall in december-feb because of fear that was it but no avail)

..any insight you may have regarding my situation would mean the world to me. this sits on my mind every minute of every day, i have lost so much through all of this and im sorry but this happens to 60 year olds not 19 year old athletes..i would literally murder to get back to the gym, nothing gets to me more than that, i started working two jobs when i was 16 because i take pride in my work, i did all the ways through when i got hurt, this kills me michaels never needed help, but now this beats my ego daily.

[BLJ720]

What is your update Mike. I'm sure you already know but I could not help but notice that several of your symptoms match up to those listed as adderrol side effects. You did say you stopped that to test a correlation, but it appears that you only stopped for a few weeks. Perhaps stopping for much longer would be worth a try. It could take much longer to reverse effects or get all out of your system and re-balance bodies chemicals to a new state. What is update now?
Furthermore I don't want to shoot down suggestions of others but I can't agree that your weight is necessarily too low for your height, considering your age of only 19. You are thin, but as an athlete of 19 you don't seem definitively underweight. Many healthy athletes w/o problems are of similar weight proportion at that age. We all have different natural ideal weights, depending on our genetics/body-types and our age. Of course I would expect you to gain weight over the next several years. However making sure to get enough fats could well be a good idea as fats are critically involved in nerve system/brain etc. I would especially suggest Omega's and unsaturated fats as well.
I also thought you might consider any possible exposure to toxic chemicals at some recent time period. There are often such exposures in our society and env. which can make things extremely difficult to figure out. One of many example is pesticides and fertilizers that are used in farming.

[ggreg]

As I said in my last post, you can go to a sports injury clinic and they can evaluate your injuries and symptoms, including your spine (which is part of the neurological system), and review your medicines, which the adderal can ramp you up too much.  As for my saying you should quit all sports supplements, read the New York Times article at the below link, and you can decide for yourself if anything you're taking might be making a wreck of your health, and that's ALL I got left to say, so hopefully others will reply to you now:
www.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/health/nutrition/29drug.html

[mikerobinson41]

well i drink strictly water, up to 3/4 gallons a day, im not big on diuretics at all.
my weight is 'too low' because i havent been able to lift in one year, i was 205 march 2009, now feb 2010 im like 187, i worked out on a pre workout creatine, post workout protein diet, 6 days a week, and 3-4 mile run 4-5 times a week(which i kept up through july) and creatine is mostly water retention and when you cant lift, you lose it. with BI LATERAL cubital tunnel syndrome when NO INFLAMMATION is present in a 19 year old is about a 99% chance of a neurological disorder, add in BI LATERAL radial tunnel, unexplainable tingling in median nerve fingers after emg, tingling in feet, paresthesia, fasiculations, and rapidly progressive tremors, you have yourself A NEUROLOGICAL DISORDER.

i wish i could believe what you have to say because its true for 99.99999% of people, but not me, this is neurological it doesnt take a doctor to tell you that.

thanks for your input

[ggreg]

Dear Mike,
Well, there are a few obvious things that stick out to me.  One, you must quit taking ANY and all energy drinks and energy supplements, if any, doesn't matter how innocent they seem, including caffeine.  Two, your weight is too low for your height, so that means you are not getting enough balance of fat, carbs, protein/milk, and vegie/fruits.  Three, dehydration can cause some of your symptoms, so you must drink about a half-dozen glasses of water on a NORMAL day, and lots more when you are active (not energy drinks).  Four, the doctor who prescribes your adderal needs to review the dosage relative to your size, the dosage relative to your agitation, and review the need for it at all (I know, you stopped it for a while).  

Five, you have done what happens to so many gym people, you have injured your body big-time, so you will have to change sports for at least six months from any weight training, over to only aerobics, preferably swimming instead of your running, and always rest on the seventh day, and only swim two hours away from any meal.  Six, while inflammation is there for a reason, which is to protect injured parts of the body, you need some stronger anti-inflammatories than what you've been on, or take an ordinary alka seltzer daily, again  at least two hours away from any meal.  Seven, if you would go to a sports injury center in or near your town, they can better evaluate exactly what you did to your muscles, joints, spine (you need a spinal MRI), and thus all your swirling questions can be put into perspective...but make an agreement with them that you do not want to try any PT they offer for the six months that you will only be swimming.

I think the bloodwork they're doing will reveal quite a lot about your electrolytes and other imbalances, plus your state of nutrition.  In my book, the miracle foods to eat on a regular basis are eggs, brocholi, fresh home-baked bread (get a machine), raw carrots, mixed nuts, 2 percent milk and oat cereal, but not to the exclusion of other foods, nor overriding allergy.  If all this turmoil over your health gets to you, focus your mind on creative activities, like reading, artwork, music, it occupies a part of the brain that gives pleasure, and thus will throw off bad energy.  

Relaxation is key to a quiet soul, and the easiest thing in the world to do is twice a week spend around 15 minutes laying flat on the floor with legs bent, next to a window in a room with no noise, and put a shiny object in the sill and look at it, then take a very deep breath, blow it out, then breathe normally a few breaths, and repeat this ten times, concentrate only on the object and your breathing.  When you finish the course of ten deep breaths, close your eyes, and ask the universe (sorry it sounds strange) what is the issue that is bothering you the most.  The answer will come, you may get emotional, just let it out.  Then open your eyes and just look at the shiny object in the sill for a few minutes, breathe deeply and blow it out one time, and you're done.  Eventually you will only have to think about that shiny object and a pleasant feeling will come over you, you'll automatically breathe deeply, and you'll relax.

I agree with another poster's advice that you seek a second opinion, which going to a sports clinic would be wise.  But only for evaluation.  Get into a swimming program, eat some eggs and brocholi and fresh bread (the top three), don't be shy of eating fats that are within foods themselves, and drink copious amounts of water.  Keep us posted if any of this helps you, let us know what deficiencies or problems your bloodwork shows, and how your attitude is doing about this whole situation after you've tried some suggestions here, particularly the swimming and deep breathing.
GG