what might be going on

[serenam]

hi, in two pregnancies, both miscarried early, i developed sciatica and peripheral nerve pain. it went away after the first mc several years ago, but not in 6 mos since the second mc. i've always had a moderate to high positive ANA, but after my last miscarriage i also had transient antiphospholipid antibodies and a mildly elevated sed rate.

other things that seem maybe related include several isolated episodes where i had a burning pain at the base of my skull on the left side, in same place each time, on separate occasions when i took high-dose progesterone and the antibiotic metronidazole. since taking the metronidazole, which i took for two days, two years ago, i've had a lot of neck pain, which i thought initially might have been strain but hasn't gone away. (two years!) the metronidazole also caused numbness and tingling in my extremities for a brief time but that went away within a couple of weeks.

since my last mc 6 mos ago the sciatica irritation has continued without lapse and is so bad i can't sit or lay or stand still or walk for extended periods. most of my peripheral pain has gone away, except occasional burning on the top and bottom of the foot on the side the sciatica seems most dominant. besides the neck pain more recently i've also been having isolated stabbing shock-like pains in my back and neck that do *not* correlate with any kind of neck or head movement, and sensitivity sometimes when i touch my spine along my back and neck and the muscles nearby. the only thing that helps is physical therapy which seems to relax the muscles and the nerve pain goes away for a couple of days then returns.

i saw two neurologists and a rheumatologist after my mc and all had no idea what might be causing my problems and did not seem overly concerned despite the abnormal blood tests. all my other bloodwork, office exams and nerve conduction studies were normal. in your opinion should i be worried and pushing for more/other kind of testing, and if so what kind of tests, and looking for what?

thanks so much for your time.

[JainMD]

Hi,
I said that nerve compression can be due to lower back spinal disc pathology and you should get evaluated for same. You should ask for evaluation by an orthopaedician.
There is a definitive guideline which suggests that a person can have MS. What all investigation have been done by the doctor so far?
Is MRI brain been done?
Keep me posted with your answers.
Bye.

[serenam]

yes they think the miscarriages are related to the antibodies. i've never had any children (all miscarriages). do you think the "venous stasis" could cause nerve compression? what about the neck? is there any chance this is ms??? thx!!!!!

[JainMD]

Hi,
How old are you? How many kids do you have? Is this your first pregnancy?
You miscarriages are related to anti-phospho-lipid-antibody being positive in your blood. Anti-phospho-lipid- antibody syndrome would cause thrombosis. These will probably lead to decrease blood supply. Hence it can cause venous stasis and further can lead to pain, numbness in that part.
Your symptoms of sciatica are related to nerve compression at lower back which you might want to get evaluated with help of imaging study.
You can get evaluated for anti-phospho-lipid antibody syndrome.
Hope this helps you.
Keep me informed.
Bye.