Can a C5 C6 bulging disk cause a buzzing/vibratory sensation in my face and neck?

[yogamommy]

I am a 38 year old female who has spent too much time at doctor's offices this year.  Years' prior to this I would go for an annual physical and a trip or 2 to the doctor for a sinus infection.  I have seasonal allergies that I take zyrtec or xyzol for when needed.  I don't really take any other meds except a daily vitamin when I remember.  My labs have all come back okay so not my thyroid or potassium levels.  
I went to the doctor in late July because I felt like I was vibrating or better yet had buzzing in my R cheek and a migraine.  Nights prior to this I was waking up in the middle of the night with my fingers asleep (pinky and ring fingers on both hands).  I would change postitions and go back to sleep.   We flipped the mattress thinking it may be that.  The next day I woke up and the buzzing is in my legs as well as my R cheek.  I took a Cyclobenzaper at bedtime and it helped me get to sleep.  I start to notice my legs twitcing, not the whole leg but isolated spots in my legs/certain muscles.  This then goes to my eye as well.  This continues and is noticeably worse at nighttime when I am trying to get to sleep.  I notice it gets worse if I do not sleep well.  The initial doctor who saw me for this back in July was a psyiatrist and said that if my symptoms did not go away to see a neurologist.  In early September, I go to see a neurologist.  I have no weakness with these strange sensations so that is a good thing.  My blood pressure is high at the neurologists office so he thinks it is my heart and refers me to a cardiologist.  The cardiologist does a 24 hour holter monitor and basically says my heart is fine.  I go back to the neurologist who then orders and MRI of the brain and neck.  
I do ashtanga yoga and had a neck injury from doing headstand in 2007.  It was never xrayed though.  I did receive PT with Mackenzie approach that was successful.  Back then, I had headaches and terrible pain with turning my head to the right and upward.  
Back to my most recent MRI's.  My insurance would not approve an MRI with contrast so they were done without.  Brain was unremarkable (phew, no MS) and neck states right paracentral disk protrusion at C5-C6 resulting in mild central and moderate right neural foraminal stenosis.  So, that's it!  I am thrilled to find out what the cause of my weird buzzing or "idling" sensation is from.  I go back to PT for more Mackenzie treatment with neck roll backs.  Only thing is that now I have developed tinnitus in my R ear that gets worse when I pull my chin back or when I push against my forehead.  I do my exercises when I feel the idling sensation but don't really think it is working after 3 weeks. I have woken up the past 3 days now exhausted despite a full nights sleep.  It feels like something is flaring up again.  I called the neurologist today and he is starting me on gabapentin, which I filled and am researching online tonight.  I am scared to take it but will to see if my symptoms go away.  I just want this to all stop.  
So, my question is...can someone have muscle twitching, tinnitus, and a vibratory/buzzing feeling all from a protruding disk at level C5 C6 or is something else going on that the doctors are missing?

[100percentwell]

Oh, one more thing, I do take Gabapentin and have had no unpleasant side effects that I can tell.  I take 100mg twice a day.  One of my doctors described Gabapentin as a child of Lyrica.  So I guess that means, not as strong as Lyrica.   I can't take Lyrica.  It makes me too dizzy and blurs my vision far too much.  I plan to stop using Gabapentin as soon as I can.  I'll have to drop the usage to once a day for a week or so and then stop cold turkey.  But, not yet.

[yogamommy]

Just updating my symptoms and where I am with doctors.  Symptoms:  trembling/twitching in my whole body (not visible on the outside), ringing constant in my left ear (it gets louder with posture changes like pulling my chin back and or with tilting my head to my left shoulder), abnormal periods (skipped 2 mos. & this month came early at day 18 and stopped 2 days later).  I should mention that I am not pregnant nor could I be as I had an ablation in 2007 & my spouse got the snip snip.  I was still getting a period every month regularly after the procedure and before all of my weird symptoms started this past July.  I still have NO weakness, thank goodness.  I do notice that I tremble with muscle exertion when I do yoga now or even when I just bear wait into one arm.  My neurologist sent me to my primary who I saw today.  I get the feeling he is at a loss and wanted another opinion.  She thinks I have Parkinson's Disease.  I am slightly in denial of this DX especially coming from my primary doctor.  She prescribed Mirapex as a trial.  I called my neurologist to inform him of this new diagnosis & am waiting for him to call me back.  Not taking any meds tonight until I talk to him.  Oh, my primary also ordered labs on thyroid ( this will be 2nd time and vitamin B12).  I am not taking anything until I get those labs back!  

[GRAMMALINNIE]

Hello--when I read yours and 100percentwell's comments I think I finally found someone who understand what I have been dealing with for many years with no diagnosis. I have posted comments here but didn't get an answer on the last one. I have had "bulging discs" in my neck and low back for years and gone through alot of physical therapy and nothing makes this go away. I have the tingling, buzzing, electrical pulses on the entire left side of my body but including my face. That seems to be what the curiosity is--if there was something wrong in my brain it would affect the opposite side of my body but all of my other symptoms (and there are many) act like MS but I have not had the diagnosis. I am now 60 and have had to deal with this since I was in my early 30's. It has gotten progressively worse over the years and I finally had to quit working. Because I can't afford to keep going to doctors one by one till they find out what is wrong, I feel defeated and am now trying to exist on such a tiny amount of income that I am on a food card. This has all affected my mental state so much that I can't live alone so my house sits there while I am staying with my daughter and her family, sleeping with all the kids in one room. I have been on so many different medications that my stomach is shot and I have a bad case of GERD. I can't live without the medication for that or I will get pneumonia. I have the twitches, the tingling, spasms, tightening of the torso muscles around my kidneys, all of that, and I feel the weakness in my left side though doctors don't see it when they do their little (grab my hand ) test. I also have the trembling but not all the time.  I hope you get the right treatment and are not just considered a neurotic hypochondriac--this stuff is so real and no one can "see" it, especially if you look good or young for your age.  Take care--

[yogamommy]

I am sorry you have been undiagnosed for so long.  Very frustrating and depressing!   It has been 6 months for me and I am trying my best to be optimistic but do have moments where I too feel defeated.  You see, I am a speech pathologist who works in a hospital treating patients with MS, Parkinson's, stroke, brain tumors, and you name it.  Now I am the patient and it is not the role I want to play.  
My neurologist called meback and wants to see me Friday.  He told me not to take the Mirapex.  I am back to the gabapentin 100 mg and am to increase it to x2 a day.  No lab results yet!  Please be a hormone or vitamin deficiency!

[yogamommy]

Update:   Saw the ENT for the tinnitus in my L ear and basically he does not know why I have it.  My hearing is fine though.  Saw my neurologist Friday, who reassessed me for Parkinson's.  He said my exam is normal and he doubted Parkinson's at this point.  He wants more labs on me, ANA, ESR, magnesium, parathyroid, calcium, sjodren's, potassium, and a menopause workup.  So, I have gone from having parkinson's disease to being perimenopausal in one week :).  You have to find humor in the little things these days.  I also am trying a new med, klonopin in the lowest dose.  Gabapentin is on hold for now.  The klonopin has an anxiety component to it as well as to treat tremor.  I am really more on edge this week.  I took a half dose last night and felt no effect really.  I will up it tonight to a full pill so I can actually sleep through the night hopefully.  I  am noticing that odd feeling in my neck/throat is moving to the back of my tongue.  It feels big and thick.  I keep swallowing.  Today I sm tired and just feel sick.  I can't describe "sick".  Malaise about sums it up.   I spent $100 in copays this past week at doctor visits.  This is a costly road to nowhere so far.  I hope these new labs bring me closer to a diagnosis and mess to eliminate these agravating symptoms.  I miss the old me!      

[KiwiYoga]

I really feel for you,hang in there,use other yoga pranayama to help with anxiety it really works.I was a yoga teacher but injured C-  6/7 bulging disk, prolapsed T4 and lumber annular tears which bulge out at the simplist movement after no problems than heavier movements.
I have been to Osteo/cranial,sacral therapists,Accupuncture,homeopathy intracutaneus injections,all help for a while ,like two days or a week.
Now I am on Gabapentin programme 1x300 2 nights then 300 2x day for 2 days and them 3x300 a day. At moment at 300x2 a day and pain has 75% gone,also take 4x50mg tramadol a day and 4x2mg Diazapam.
Going to reduce diazapam and tramadol and see what happens,im sick of pain and taking pills,and getting the run around with therapists..I just want to go surfing again,im banned from surfing by Doc for 6 months..im grateful i can still work and practice some yoga asana/pranayama.
My prayers are with you. Try the Gabapentin,I was terrified by the feedback i was reading but thought positivly about it and its working,so im very happy so far....more will be revealed. Hari Om David