tingling hands and feet, help me solve this

[Cassiehack]

So I need some help trying to find some answers to this ongoing mystery.I will try and break down everything I know.

Ths story:

Near the end of last summer I started to notice that when I exhaled I would get tingling in my fingers. Soon I had tingling in my feet. My calf muscles also began to feel achy often and my feet also began to tingle. The tingling/buzzing/pinprick sensation became an ongoing (24/7) problem with my hands and feet. My limbs also began to fall asleep much more easily. I also notice sharp shocks in my hands whenever I startle or release adrenaline. I went to the doctors and was checked for deficiencies and thyroid. All was normal, and I had high b12 I think (high end of normal). I had an MRI of my brain and neck it too was normal.
I have had every test done that I could do for lyme disease as well.
After a few months the tingling stopped and seemed to disappear for the winter. 2 weeks ago it came back.


Some relevant info: I am a 23 year old female. I am pretty active (bike everywhere and work out almost every day). I have a bowel condition that doctors have no answer for, just chronic idiopathic constipation. Ive had this since I was 17 and I use milk of magnesia and suppositories regularly. I am tired often. I am prone to anxiety, but I doubt anxiety could cause unceasing tingling in my extremities. I suspect I have a weird form of hypothyroidism, even though I have had my TSH tested 1000 times.. However I am not really overweight so I dunno.

someone able to relate???

[Cassiehack]

also I eat a pretty meat heavy diet, I am mostly paleo. Could I still be B12 deficient?

[Cassiehack]

So I bought a 20 dollar thermometer.....and it was broken....and I lost the receipt.
I am really broke.
I am waiting to borrow one.

I tried to get in to see my doctor but....to make a long story short I have to wait another 2 weeks because....Canadian health care.

Just some thoughts.

During the winter I rode my bike throughout, even during the coldest days of the year. If I was hypothyroid wouldnt this be like...nearly impossible because people who are hypothyroid tend to feel cold all the time? I actually have a pretty good tolerance for cold. Is it possible for thyroid/glandular issues to be intermittent? If so can I heal myself of them in some way?

I ask these questions because I have absolutely zero faith in the medical system here and it usually comes down to "what can I do?" as they always tell me I am crazy/wasting their time etc.

[TheLightSeeker]

Well, most of your symptoms are neurological, so it's likely a combination of factors that have to do with your neurology.

One of main targets of hypothyroidism is the neurological system, even when subclinical.
High B12 levels needs to be revisited. There are not too many causes for B12 to accumulate, since B12 is water soluble.
In the absence of liver disease, kidney failure and some blood cancers,
the one reasonable explanation left, is low methylation, which is characterized by high B12 and possibly high folate, yet, deficient in the neurological forms of these ( methylocobalamin and methylfolate respectively) as I mentioned before.

Your activity level does not seem to be excessive, but what may be of
concern is the postural and high stress/impact of your activities (biking and Krav Maga).
I'm a cycling enthusiast (not big city though,lol!) and used to do Martial Arts( Kuk Sool Won and Tang Soo Do-Korean styles) until I had a freaky sparring accident and really hurt my back.
Miraculously, I made a complete recovery on my own (I'm tough- minded, disciplined and well-trained), but never returned to Martial Arts. I'm into enough physical activities though, to keep myself in good shape.

Standing 7 hours at your job? I hope you have a friendly mat to stand on all these hours. If not, consider talking to your employer about it.
Personally, I would buy my own, if the employer does not take care of it.
Is your job stressful, boring, or other?

Your hypothesis for most part work in theory and I think they're  perhaps contributing factors without necessarily being the main causes.
Inflammation of the nerves, yes, very likely.
Methylocobalamin B12  repairs damaged nerves and helps reduce neurological symptoms.
I was taking 1500 mcg sublingual methylocobalamin drops for nerve pain support as a therapeutic dose daily. Now I take 500 mcg for maintenance.

I hope this helps.
Got any questions, I'm just a click away.

Best,
Niko

[Cassiehack]

Thank you so much for the info. I went and bought a thermometer today and Ill try it out.

So world, I have some thoughts.

I have a theory and I am wondering how it sounds. The tingling in my hands is not quite the same as the sensation in my feet. Its mostly on the backs of my hands and often feels like a burning.....and its effected by my breath sometimes. I realize its most noticeable when I am on the computer.....but its not carpel tunnel. Its most prominent when I am slouching. Also yesterday I tested my blood pressure at a drug store and the cuff inflation on my upper arm caused my hand to really really burn. This makes me think I have some sort of bilateral nerve compression?



I also noticed that when I am in plank position sometimes I get shooting pains all the way down my leg from my hip into my feet. These things happen pretty easily. The pain in my calves and sometimes my hands and feet can be this weird cold sensation.

So I have tingling in my HANDS and feet but not always at the same time. I have had an MRI on my head and neck that was normal. However I am wondering if my constant physical activity has somehow misaligned my spine in some way? Particularly my lower back and some how its affecting my posture and the nerves in my arms.

I also cant figure out why this went away for like 5 months and then came back. I have started back at a job where I stand 7 hours at a time...so maybe that effects my spine. I also have been doing ALOT of Krav Maga the past month (5-7 hours a week) plus my usual bike riding of about an hour per day.


So either something in my spine is effed up or I have some sort of systemic nerve irritation or.....inflammation on the nerves? Any thoughts are welcome.

[TheLightSeeker]

Hey Cassie!

You're funny! Well I don't know about the mob, but sometimes you need
to "push the envelope", to get things done.

I don't think you have Lyme's either. It's a tough condition to battle.
I personally know a lady with Lyme's who worked as an RN a few years ago here in town, and is now totally bed-ridden .
Unfortunately her former medical connections were more of a burden, as she never got a dx in Canada.
She finally seen an LLMD, I think in Philly, who diagnosed her.

Here's some additional info, which may be of help to you.

  fT3/rT3 ratio is probably the most reliable marker for low cellular thyroid function. A ratio over 20 is desirable.

To my opinion though we cannot find a better method to test than Dr. Barnes Basal Temperature Test. (there are several versions now)
I have devoted countless of hours, scanning through the studies and groundbreaking work of Dr. Barnes, The Father of Hypothyroidism, lol!
  Simply brilliant and way ahead of his time!

Instructions For Taking Basal Body Temperature:
Use an ordinary oral or rectal glass (not digital) thermometer.
Shake down the thermometer the night before, and place it on your nightstand.
The first thing in the morning BEFORE you get out of bed, place the thermometer under your arm for ten(10) minutes.
Avoid any heavy blankets, or other source of heat  like partner/ pet .
Record the temperature reading and date right away!
Repeat for 10 days.
Normal Range: 97.6 to 98.2 ( 36.44 - 36.77 Celsius)
Averages below this range indicate hypothyroidism.

Note that in the presence of any infectious conditions,  these results may be inaccurate and this could be a problem with chronic low grade infections accompanied by low grade fevers, for the purposes of the temperature testing.

Or you may want to do the original Dr. Barnes Test. Very similar.
Just check it out online if you want.

Let me know how it goes.

Cheers,
Niko

[Cassiehack]

Heya!

Thanks so much for your response. I am aware of all the Lyme disease BS. I went to a Lyme specific clinic and payed for extensive testing. I do not think I have Lyme, but my heart goes out to those who do, especially in Canada.

I see my doc on May 5th and I will try and convince her to do more thorough thyroid testing, though to get anything done I feel I need to call in the mob or something (kidding).

:)