tingling and numbness

[Roy Stegg]

I wonder if you could give me some advice. For about four weeks now, I have had intermittent 'pins and needles' in arms and legs. The first limb was the left hand, with numbness and intermittent pain going up to left elbow, usually used to last one or two minutes, no longer, three to four times a day. After one week, finished, no recurrence. 10 days later, started getting minor and again very brief bouts of 'pins and needles' in my feet, usually on the soles, just below the toes. This has been going on for about 10 days, maybe feeling the symptoms three or four times a day, for a few minutes at a time. Yesterday and today, I sense a sort of numbness around the right knee and calf, gives me the feeling of my right leg being slightly heavier than the left, when I walk, the two legs do feel slightly different. This numbness seems to have hung around longer than the pins and needles did, was aware of it for a few hours at a time yesterday evening.

I am in good health, though was quite stressed about a month ago, due to two months very hard work, and four transatlantic trips, involving much flying. Had a tension headache for 3 weeks, hence referred for MRI scan of the brain, which was normal, four weeks ago. No reptition of headaches since, at all. I am male, 34 yrs, good health, good height/weight, regular exercise. Concerned about my symptoms being listed on many websites as being possible early signs of MS, but my normal MRI would seem to make that rather unlikely, as presumably some kind of abnormaility might have shown up just before first symptoms?

[kimlynn]

I am having some symptoms which have brought me to this site.  I have had numerous tests(MRI, bloodwork, etc.), but can't seem to find out what's going on.  I have an antiblody problem which causes easy clotting, but that is under control at the present.  My symptoms have been going on for about a year or so and have worsened in the past 3 months.  They include numbness(no tingling) in hands and feet(one at a time or both on left or right).  Also, tingling around left eye, pain in the nape of my neck on left side.  Pain in shoulders down the arm.  Weakness in right arm(very occasional), and pain in back of neck going up to the back of my head.  My doctors can't figure out what is going on, but I am really nervous.  Can anyone help me out with any ideas?  Thanks...

[skydood]

34 f. been having strange tingling sensation on my scalp comes and goes all day (arg). on both sides above my ears and down to the back of head. Also on top. Driving me crazy. Does this sound familiar to anyone. my mom has ms and so do her 2 sisters. Would apriciate any comment. thanks

[Bravo]

I am a 51 y.o. male recovering alcoholic...been dry 2 on & off for few years now.  I had a L4/L5 LUMLAM in mid-1992 and went through a work hardening regimine and haver been working ever since.  However, on June 9th this year I woke up with numbness on the sole of my right foot, no pain, just slight numbness.  I went to the doctor and was told to beef up on B-12,and stop drinking, and she also put a few bottles of re-hydration fluid and misc. vitamins in me via IV.  I had not been eating well, nor sleeping well along with alot of drinking the months before.  It is now December and I now have "slight" numbness on the bottom of both feet, not painful, and not severe.  I take Bercola vitamins and 500 Mg. of B-12 everyday.  I eat well and sleep well with 1/2 or 1 Stilnox tablet at night.  The numbness seems to be going away, my balance is OK now as well.  Am I just adjusted to the slight numbness?  Or shall I seek additional medical consultations?  Therer was some tighness in my leg muscles and tendons but that also has diminished.  I do alot of computer work and am a couch potatoe in the everning, my only exercize is walking 25 minutes after a light dinner.  I have lost twenty pounds of flab (as I was 240lbs., now I am 218). Doctor wants me to lose 20 more) Any ideas?

[KStuWil]

As I read the posts, so many symptoms sound so familiar.  I've had this one spot on my lower left arm (maybe 3 inches above my wrist)since I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia in June 2003.  About three weeks ago, after a traumatic hospitalization for a kidney stone, the sore spot (neuralgia?) suddenly began shooting pains up my left arm into my shoulder and around to my left shoulder blade:  very painful!  Then, I began having the pins and needles and numbness in my hands and feet.  On Veterans Day, my lower left arm went mostly numb, as if it had fallen asleep:  very scary!  Now the symptoms seem to come and go--every other day or so.  My primary care doc and chiropractor thinks it's anxiety related.  I started taking sublingual B12 thinking it might be a vitamin deficiency.  I've been working out with weights at the YMCA since being diagnosed with hypoglycemia in June, so I wonder if I've strained or compressed something?  Anyway, I have an appointment scheduled for a neurologist, though everyone else seems to think I'm a neurotic mess instead of a neurology patient.  What do you think?

[JohnnyTX]

No problem at all Roy. I thought I'd throw GBS into the mix because I have helped diagnose a few people in the past. I also went through all the eye, blood, nerve tests etc. and every single one came back normal. Also I was a very healthy individual and GBS can attack anyone at any age and it doesn't matter if you are healthy or not. I was 25. There is another form Of GBS called CIPD which is the chronic form of GBS. I would look into it just in case. Stress leads to CIDP and GBS amongst a host of other things. I hope you get it figured out.

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a neurological disorder characterized by progressive weakness and impaired sensory function in the legs and arms. The disorder, which is sometimes called chronic relapsing polyneuropathy, is caused by damage to the myelin sheath (the fatty covering that wraps around and protects nerve fibers) of the peripheral nerves. Although it can occur at any age and in both genders, CIDP is more common in young adults, and in men more so than women. It often presents with symptoms that include tingling or numbness (beginning in the toes and fingers), weakness of the arms and legs, loss of deep tendon reflexes (areflexia), fatigue, and abnormal sensations. CIDP is closely related to Guillain-Barr

[Roy Stegg]

thanks for all your comments, and to the Doctors at Cleveland of course. This is a good forum.

Particular thanks to MikeMOK for yesterday's comment, and of course I am hoping that the latter half of your message applies exactly to me. I think the internet is amazing, but I think it can also be a curse, too much information sometimes, and an incentive for people with racy minds to worry themselves sick by trying to self-diagnose. Sadly, I have one such mind. That is why, despite appreciating the offers, I won't be ebtering into direct correspondence with others with similar symptoms or various diagnoses, I think all of us should restrict ourselves to professionals for direct communication, better for the sanity, at least for those in pre-diagnosis stage!

The mind can indeed play tricks, and I am hoping this is what this has been. Two days ago, for example, I read on-line about the 'hot bath' test, and, guess what, virtually the only time I have felt the numbness in my leg for the past two days is when coming out of the bath or a hot car! I am convinced this is the mind playing tricks. My symptoms generally seem rather 'off-on' to be MS, I certainly could not classify any of my symptoms as representing a flare-up, they just come and go....

My blood labs were all normal, I had both eyes checked with my wife at our routine eye exam today and optic nerves apparently both perfect ( I told him to take a very close look),  so hopefully after next week's visit to the neurologist, he will run some tests and then tell me all is ok, and to stop worrying.

thanks to all those who answered, and my best wishes and prayers go to you all.

[JohnnyTX]

sandycove took my answer. I was diagnoses with GBS myself back in 2001. Your symptoms sound very similar. Here is a good message board I visit and they will be glad to answer any questions you have.

http://www.guillain-barre.com/

[MikeMOK]

I'm not sure I've seen anything that truly indicates men are that much harder affected by MS.  I've read articles attesting anecdotally to the idea that men are, for example, more commonly afflicted by the primary progressive form of the disease, but statistics don't seem to bear that out more than to a slight degree.  (In other words, it's true that they are PP more often, but it's not _that_ much more often - it's not like men who develop MS should feel like they're staring at significantly elevated odds.)

Other than that, while the original poster's symptoms _could_ be MS, they could just as easily be unrelated if not benign.  Many people get pins and needles, especially briefly.  Many people become hyperaware and begin feeling things that either aren't there (perceived differences in the way the leg feels, for example) or that aren't there to the degree they perceive.

I've been down the same road.  I once developed fleeting pins and needles sensations in my arms and fingers and on the balls of my feet.  It ended up being related to the height of my chair and the way I was sitting at my desk - not that I was slouched over, just minor things.  A slightly different angle of my arms was putting mild but prolonged pressure a few inches from my wrists and around my elbows.  The angle of my legs was applying pressure to the middle of the backs of my thighs and I was resting my weight on the balls of my feet than on my entire foot.

This isn't to deny there are more serious things afoot, or that people who are worried shouldn't be tested, but there are just so many other things that can account for many small symptoms, up to and including "we just don't know why this happened to you for a while" that it's good to keep these things in mind.

[Enhanced Lesions on White Matter]

The good thing about technology is that one can be diagnosed so much early these days. There are many people that have MS that do not have any brain MS lesions. Many times their lesions are in the brain stem/spine and are so tiny not even a neuro can see them. I found out I had MS when I was 33 yrs old by complete accident. I was in for an MRI for headache/pulse noises and they saw some tiny lesions. After a year of watching me and more MRI's it turned out I did have MS.  Bottom line is I was diagnosed before I ever had an MS attack. Got on a therapy (copaxone) and have never had a problem since. I am benign and live life as I always have just take a shot every nite. Which is one heck of a deal in my opinion.  Listen to your body. Keep up with it. Never feel embarrassed.  MS seems to hit men harder than females. Its important to get an early dx and take a therapy medication that works on MEN longer than 2 years. I hope this is just a stage of something you are going through and that it is nothing. Dont be too scared of MS.  On the todem pole of neuro diseases its the best one to have. The others are the real scary ones.  Good luck and remember, listen to your body. Sounds strange but it is so true.

[Sandycove]

I was diagnosed with GBS in 1998 ...after a bout with the flu.
I was paralyzed from the waist down for 3 weeks, with a 5 month recovery. The only thing I was left with was no feeling in the bottom of my feet.I was fine until last Monday when I felt like a hot blanket had covered my entire body. My legs were numb to my knees. Presently I am numb from the ankles down and the tingling & itching in my hands and feet are driving me crazy. I belong to the GBS site which provides information on CIPD which is what they call it after you have had GBS. I wish all of you every success in a full recovery. I have lots of faith that this will be short term and I am able to get to my regular life.
If anyone would like to talk to me email me at ***@**** I would be more than happy to talk to you....God brought us to it ...he will see us through it...

[dukie77]

peepo28

I am really not sure what that could be.  I do know this MS is usually asymmetrical.  It is not glove and stocking affecting both arms and legs.

[joonbug628]

Hi.  I'm 21 years old and i also have experienced something similar to this.  Last week i woke up with a tingling and numbness in my right arm.  It stemmed from my shoulder where i had an achiness.  The tingling is subsiding now, but the arm still feels a bit weak and hurts at the shoulder blade.  The day before i felt this, i was doing yoga so i'm thinking that perhaps i may have strained myself.  Its only on one side of my body (just the right arm) so i dont think its MS.  (wouldnt it be in both sides and in the legs also if this was a possibility?) My question is, could this be a pinched nerve?
-Fannie

[Spring-02]

Roy: Please get in touch with me personally as it looks like you and I are in the same boat as far as symptoms go.
Mary at
***@****

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-CS]

Yes, the symptoms you have described can be seen in MS patients, but your story would be a little unusual. Also, I agree that the normal brain MRI makes this diagnosis less likely. You should discuss this with your primary care doctor, and possibly start by having some routine labs including electrolytes, vitamin B12, folate, and perhaps inflammatroy markers. If your doctor finds something on your exam, then you may need to see a neurologist to have this evaluated further. Good luck