Advice needed,,whole body numbness, tingling, sudden jerky movements
Hello,
If someone could read & give me your thoughts/suggestions==I'd really appreciate it !!
Happy New Year to All !!
Jennifer
47yr old female, 5'2", 168lbs
Medical Conditions
* Several bouts with minor depression
* One period of mania
* One 2 year period of major depression brought on by divorce
* 12yrs ago multiple rounds of ECT (electro-convulsive therapy)
* Sleep Apnea
* Narcolepsy
* Double vision (worse when lying sideways & close vision)
* On and off swallowing/throat problems (last sev weeks & then disappears..have had about 30 or so incidents,drs. never able to figure out why)
* tremors (worse in morning-mainly shows in hands..sometimes head)
* Continual constipation
* no energy..fatigue especially in last few years
* Painful, sudden spikes of pain in toes(once or twice a day)
* Continual soreness & stiffness all over body,,oftn very difficult & painful to get out of bed in the morning (have to hold on to furniture to gain balance and lean on for support)
Current medications:
Lithium
synthroid
lexapro
wellbutrin
lamotrigine
nuvigil
Timeline
* 7yrs ago--24/7 total body numbess/major pain increasing over
6-9 months from no apparant injury
* Referred to surgeon, ACDF cervical C-5 to C-7
* B4 surgery, had brain MRI done...dont have copy of results:
* 2007 increased neck/arm pain
* Cervical MRI,,,,No major changes
* Brain MRI…..several FLAIR punctate hyperintensities in the occipital lobes
bilaterally, unchanged from previous exam...no lesions, masses,
etc., normal vascular flows..some motion degradation.
IMPRESSION: Findings consistent with chronic small vesssel
ischemic changes in white matter tracts in the occipital lobes
bilaterally.
(my 76yr old father..just recently had a very significant stroke-
related to the caratoid) also have family history of Parkinson’s.. paternal grandfather & father
* Over last 6 years, on & off pain...
* Have always experienced moderate twitching while falling
asleep..recently severe jerking..even during the daytime..even
whole upper body, head, legs/feet (twice while driving) even my
stomach !!
* Just experencied six months of continual numbness & tingling of left side arm/hand..sometimes stomach/foot/leg & head cervical MRI, shows increasing degeneration, but nothing to
point to the reason for the recent numbness/tingling/pain
* Had Eeg done--diagnosed with pro nator teres syndrome..nothing abnormal..except I do have INCREDIBLY
sensitive reflexes,,,,,referred to ortho surgeon..after looking at EEG and then cervical mri from 5 yrs ago,,he ordered an immediate cervical mri and referred me back to my original cervical surgon,,mri came back relatively
normal..just a little more degeneration.
After 6 mos, numbness and severe pain disappeared
* Two months ago, had 2 mornings/nights with severe dizziness
only briefly while rising & walking short distances to the
bathroom
* Severe short & long term memory issues.
* A day ago, while folding laundry (t-shirts to be specific) I held
the shirt up in front of me..my mind went totally blank and I could
not remember how to fold it..i started to get scared..then after 2
or 3 seconds..it came back
* at least several times a week i can drive a period of several blocks or more and not remember having seen anything on the drive
Recently had to start searching for a job after working 25+ years for same employer...i m very concious of my memory limitations...i would so love to go back to school & get a nursing-even a medical coding job. I realize that there's no way I could do anything that requires strong memory skills and it really bothers me.
Over the years increasing persistant pain/soreness/stiffness in
entire body(went to rhumatologist..no problems)
did order MRI of my left knee..results (don't have technical
report) but it was basically bone on bone at kneecap
Any info & suggestions would be appreciated…sometimes I get so frustrated and I think this is just part of getting old and I need to just deal with it…somebody please give their thoughts,,,thank you
Jennifer