Hi! I am new here. Been reading your posts for a while but this is my first post. I don't know where to start. I am a 55 (56 in Sept) and started having some weird things going on over the past few years physically. I have been diagnosed about 4 yrs ago with fibromyalgia and sicca syndrome. I have also had these "flares" of inflammation in my body where my joints will swell, have tennis elbow in both arms treated with injections, bursitis in hip and knees, plantar fasciitis and Morton's neuromas in both feet treated with injections.
Last year I really began to have some serious concentration/memory problems. Couldn't recall names and phone numbers I used all the time. Lose train of thought in mid sentence, etc. Saw a neurologist and had MRI. He said it was ok. I also have had 3 surgeries on my neck for disk ruptures and have a plate in there. Sorry if this doesn't flow well, there is so much information to get out.
This February I started having lots of swelling in my feet and hands and real issues with heat intolerance. My fingers and feet have started to tingle with heat. I am also having numbness at times in my toes and the right side of my face has been buzzing at times with droop to eye and slurred speech that friends have noticed. Sometimes I have dizziness and balance issues with this. I also have numbness (pardon me guys) on the labia on right side only. I have sensation of things crawling on me and biting me and itching. The heat always brings on the tingling in my hands. I have decreased sensation in my right arm. I saw the neurologist again and he did another MRI and told me it was ok, but if I need him to call. Well, I requested a copy of his notes and copy of MRI report and EMG studies. I need to understand what the report is saying, as it mentions "white matter disease" and some other things that he never talked to me about. I also have terrible fatigue with this and sometimes just really drag around. My vision had been worsening and having more blurriness and one time last summer I was on a trip and had the TV on in the middle of the night. I woke up and looked at the screen and could not see!! It was the most blurry its ever been. I went back to sleep and it was ok the next day. But, eye doc said I had some cataracts and so in February/March I had bilateral cataract removal and implanted permanent progressive lens.
These tingling numbness things are all over the map. Some times its worse than others. Yesterday it returned with numbness in my bottom lip. Today I have had buzzing on right side of face and ear and a feeling of buzzing on my left shoulder blade that comes and goes. Feels like a semi mild electric current. I also have numbness under my left heel when walking. My hands are a bit fumbly. I called the neurologists office and find out, he has left the practice. Not only that, he is not even practicing medicine anymore. So, I am hoping that another doc in the practice will take my chart and help me. I told the girl on the phone my current symptoms. Its very hot here this summer and heat nearly guarantees symptoms... even doing housework, etc if I get warm, I tingle. I had asked this doc to do MRI on neck and spine and he didn't do it. The report here said EMG revealed evidence of chronic denervation in the lower cervical C7-8 region. MRI with/without contrast says FLAIR and T@ weighted images demonstrated limited scattered focal areas increased signal including the right temporal, parietal and high right frontal regions. Two additional more subtle defects are present in the left frontal region. None of these demonstrate corresponding abnormalities on T1 weighted imaging.
Impression states: Very limited white matter disease is present predominately near gray/white junctions and not periventricular. He says had talk with me about differential diagnosis to include, small fiber neuropathy, CNS disorders such as MS (already had 2 normal MRI's of brain), autoimmune disorder, myopathy, etc. I have had one episode at night when I woke up 3 different times and couldn't move... haven't had that again. Also in that same time frame I had 2 episodes where I began to wet myself in my sleep. I do not have daytime incontinence. There are times it feels like my right eye EYEBALL is twitching, or moving horizontally back and forth. I apologize if this sounds all over the map, but I am sure someone here can help me with this. I had 2 distant relatives.....a great grandfather...they said he was "cripple". I don't know what from and an uncle on other side of family with similar issue but I don't know what from. Can someone here help me sort out any of this?? Thank you so much!! Lyn in SC
****post broken into paragraphs for easier reading****
Last year I really began to have some serious concentration/memory problems. Couldn't recall names and phone numbers I used all the time. Lose train of thought in mid sentence, etc. Saw a neurologist and had MRI. He said it was ok. I also have had 3 surgeries on my neck for disk ruptures and have a plate in there. Sorry if this doesn't flow well, there is so much information to get out.
This February I started having lots of swelling in my feet and hands and real issues with heat intolerance. My fingers and feet have started to tingle with heat. I am also having numbness at times in my toes and the right side of my face has been buzzing at times with droop to eye and slurred speech that friends have noticed. Sometimes I have dizziness and balance issues with this. I also have numbness (pardon me guys) on the labia on right side only. I have sensation of things crawling on me and biting me and itching. The heat always brings on the tingling in my hands. I have decreased sensation in my right arm. I saw the neurologist again and he did another MRI and told me it was ok, but if I need him to call. Well, I requested a copy of his notes and copy of MRI report and EMG studies. I need to understand what the report is saying, as it mentions "white matter disease" and some other things that he never talked to me about. I also have terrible fatigue with this and sometimes just really drag around. My vision had been worsening and having more blurriness and one time last summer I was on a trip and had the TV on in the middle of the night. I woke up and looked at the screen and could not see!! It was the most blurry its ever been. I went back to sleep and it was ok the next day. But, eye doc said I had some cataracts and so in February/March I had bilateral cataract removal and implanted permanent progressive lens.
These tingling numbness things are all over the map. Some times its worse than others. Yesterday it returned with numbness in my bottom lip. Today I have had buzzing on right side of face and ear and a feeling of buzzing on my left shoulder blade that comes and goes. Feels like a semi mild electric current. I also have numbness under my left heel when walking. My hands are a bit fumbly. I called the neurologists office and find out, he has left the practice. Not only that, he is not even practicing medicine anymore. So, I am hoping that another doc in the practice will take my chart and help me. I told the girl on the phone my current symptoms. Its very hot here this summer and heat nearly guarantees symptoms... even doing housework, etc if I get warm, I tingle. I had asked this doc to do MRI on neck and spine and he didn't do it. The report here said EMG revealed evidence of chronic denervation in the lower cervical C7-8 region. MRI with/without contrast says FLAIR and T@ weighted images demonstrated limited scattered focal areas increased signal including the right temporal, parietal and high right frontal regions. Two additional more subtle defects are present in the left frontal region. None of these demonstrate corresponding abnormalities on T1 weighted imaging.
Impression states: Very limited white matter disease is present predominately near gray/white junctions and not periventricular. He says had talk with me about differential diagnosis to include, small fiber neuropathy, CNS disorders such as MS (already had 2 normal MRI's of brain), autoimmune disorder, myopathy, etc. I have had one episode at night when I woke up 3 different times and couldn't move... haven't had that again. Also in that same time frame I had 2 episodes where I began to wet myself in my sleep. I do not have daytime incontinence. There are times it feels like my right eye EYEBALL is twitching, or moving horizontally back and forth. I apologize if this sounds all over the map, but I am sure someone here can help me with this. I had 2 distant relatives.....a great grandfather...they said he was "cripple". I don't know what from and an uncle on other side of family with similar issue but I don't know what from. Can someone here help me sort out any of this?? Thank you so much!! Lyn in SC
****post broken into paragraphs for easier reading****
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