Hello 
I wasn't sure if I wanted to actually register and post.. I'm trying not to get too focused on a possible diagnosis, since I am still in the middle of all this. But I decided to at least post a Hello, since I am reading a lot here. Perhaps someone has some insight about what to anticipate at my next dr appt.
A little about me:
I am 40 years old, mother of two kids, ages 21 and 16. I work full time in a medical office. I live in northern/central California. I've had headaches and migraines from a very early age. I've had hypothyroidism since I was 21. I had my gallbladder removed in 2010, and several gyn procedures (LEEP, cryo, colpo, D/C, ablation). Other than that, no real health problems.
The following are symptoms I have had in the last few years. I didn't think they were connected at first, and even though I discussed some of them with various doctors, it was all separately.
- starting 2010: episodes of upper back pain/tightness that sometimes goes around to my chest. I never mentioned this to any Dr, as it came and went, so I figured it was just a muscle spasm.
- 6/2011: numbness/tingling in my hands. I was taking Topomax as prescribed by my neurologist as a prophylactic for migraines. After discontinuing it, this symptom pretty much disappeared.
- 6/2011: Tremor/twitch in my lips/tongue/left side of mouth.
- starting 2011: Sometimes I have difficulty processing words. People will say something to me, and I hear them.. but it's like my brain doesn't actually "get" what they've said until a few minutes later.
- starting 6/2012: Tremor in my hands. I saw the neurologist for this, but he said it was essential tremor, nothing to really worry about.
- starting 6/2012: The tremor in my mouth area came back. At first this was just occasional, but in the past few months, it has increased to being there almost all the time.
- 2/2013: I had episodes of twitching in my upper L arm
- 3/2013: I had episodes of twitching in my R leg
- 9/2013: For a couple of weeks, I had an area on my R leg that was hyper-sensitive, hurt to the touch, like a sunburn. I saw my PCP for this and she thought it might turn into shingles, but it never did.
- 1/2014: I had the same feeling in an area on my R calf
- Starting 9/2014: I began having episodes of dizziness, like the room is spinning, or I just got off a roller coaster
- 10/2014: for 3-4 days, I kept feeling like I was getting goosebumps down my L arm - I could actually FEEL them coming up on my arm. But I would look down, and nothing was there.
- ice-pick pain/headaches: I've had these occasionally for years, I've heard they are associated with migraines. I hate that there isn't really anything you can do for them, as the pain comes and goes so quickly. I've had an area on my scalp that has been feeling like it's being stabbed for the last two days..
So, anyway... the dizziness and the L arm thing made me a little scared, and I made an appt with my Dr. She did a full round of tests:
TSH, CBC, metabolic panel, T4, Vitamin D, and a Lupus panel. The only things that were abnormal were my Vitamin D (low) and my ANA (positive).
While in the office getting my results, she looked up stuff about MS twice, which made me a little nervous. Because I had already done some research, it was in the back of my mind, but to actually think it was possible kind of freaked me out.
She decided to start me out with a rheumatologist, who I saw on 10/27. She was super nice. She's concerned that I may have fibromyalgia. She also ran a bunch of tests:
Vitamin B12, Aldolase, ACE, Antiphospholipid antibody panel, C reactive protein, centromere, CK, cryoglobulin, ESR, histone antibody, HLA B27 AG.. all of these have come back and are normal.
So Rheum Dr referred me to a neurologist (the one I saw previously has retired). I have an appt on Dec 1. Does anyone have any advice on what to expect at the first appt? Questions I should ask?
I wasn't sure if I wanted to actually register and post.. I'm trying not to get too focused on a possible diagnosis, since I am still in the middle of all this. But I decided to at least post a Hello, since I am reading a lot here. Perhaps someone has some insight about what to anticipate at my next dr appt.
A little about me:
I am 40 years old, mother of two kids, ages 21 and 16. I work full time in a medical office. I live in northern/central California. I've had headaches and migraines from a very early age. I've had hypothyroidism since I was 21. I had my gallbladder removed in 2010, and several gyn procedures (LEEP, cryo, colpo, D/C, ablation). Other than that, no real health problems.
The following are symptoms I have had in the last few years. I didn't think they were connected at first, and even though I discussed some of them with various doctors, it was all separately.
- starting 2010: episodes of upper back pain/tightness that sometimes goes around to my chest. I never mentioned this to any Dr, as it came and went, so I figured it was just a muscle spasm.
- 6/2011: numbness/tingling in my hands. I was taking Topomax as prescribed by my neurologist as a prophylactic for migraines. After discontinuing it, this symptom pretty much disappeared.
- 6/2011: Tremor/twitch in my lips/tongue/left side of mouth.
- starting 2011: Sometimes I have difficulty processing words. People will say something to me, and I hear them.. but it's like my brain doesn't actually "get" what they've said until a few minutes later.
- starting 6/2012: Tremor in my hands. I saw the neurologist for this, but he said it was essential tremor, nothing to really worry about.
- starting 6/2012: The tremor in my mouth area came back. At first this was just occasional, but in the past few months, it has increased to being there almost all the time.
- 2/2013: I had episodes of twitching in my upper L arm
- 3/2013: I had episodes of twitching in my R leg
- 9/2013: For a couple of weeks, I had an area on my R leg that was hyper-sensitive, hurt to the touch, like a sunburn. I saw my PCP for this and she thought it might turn into shingles, but it never did.
- 1/2014: I had the same feeling in an area on my R calf
- Starting 9/2014: I began having episodes of dizziness, like the room is spinning, or I just got off a roller coaster
- 10/2014: for 3-4 days, I kept feeling like I was getting goosebumps down my L arm - I could actually FEEL them coming up on my arm. But I would look down, and nothing was there.
- ice-pick pain/headaches: I've had these occasionally for years, I've heard they are associated with migraines. I hate that there isn't really anything you can do for them, as the pain comes and goes so quickly. I've had an area on my scalp that has been feeling like it's being stabbed for the last two days..
So, anyway... the dizziness and the L arm thing made me a little scared, and I made an appt with my Dr. She did a full round of tests:
TSH, CBC, metabolic panel, T4, Vitamin D, and a Lupus panel. The only things that were abnormal were my Vitamin D (low) and my ANA (positive).
While in the office getting my results, she looked up stuff about MS twice, which made me a little nervous. Because I had already done some research, it was in the back of my mind, but to actually think it was possible kind of freaked me out.
She decided to start me out with a rheumatologist, who I saw on 10/27. She was super nice. She's concerned that I may have fibromyalgia. She also ran a bunch of tests:
Vitamin B12, Aldolase, ACE, Antiphospholipid antibody panel, C reactive protein, centromere, CK, cryoglobulin, ESR, histone antibody, HLA B27 AG.. all of these have come back and are normal.
So Rheum Dr referred me to a neurologist (the one I saw previously has retired). I have an appt on Dec 1. Does anyone have any advice on what to expect at the first appt? Questions I should ask?
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