Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Postpartum Neuro Symptoms

I see that other people have posted similar threads and I'm just looking for answers.  I had a baby May 1st (my 3rd child) and 5 days after he was born, I started having weird symptoms.

-Labile blood pressures, ranging from 180/115 to 115/70, sometimes within the same hour.
-Tingling in fingers and in feet.

Those were the initial symptoms.  I did have pregnancy-induced hypertension, but it was mild and well-controlled on labetalol 100mg twice daily.  There was some confusion as I was discharged from the hospital... I hadn't been given the labetalol for the two days that I was in the hospital, and when I was leaving, the nurse told me to just check my BP twice daily at home.  So I wasn't taking the med.  I initially blamed the BP spike on the abrupt discontinuation of the med, and assumed maybe the tingling was related to that since they started on the same day.  My BP's continued to run quite high for weeks and I ended up having to increase the dose of labetalol to 200mg three times daily.  It has only recently decreased to the point that I am back to 100mg twice daily.

Since then (about 5 weeks ago), the symptoms have only worsened and increased.  
-Tingling in back of neck and scalp.
-Numbness in left pointer finger, left ankle, and left large toe (feels like a rubber band is wrapped around it at the knuckle).
-Shakiness/tremor.
-Twitches in various body parts at various times.
-Light sensitivity.
-Headaches.
-Neck pain and stiff neck.
-Occasional involuntary muscle jerks.
-Internal "vibrating" sensation in my lower abdomen and sometimes in my hands and feet (feels like phone on vibrate).
-Hands cramped up one day, and since then I have had deep aching in my hands and feet where it feels like they could cramp again.  My potassium was low at the time of the cramps, but it has been treated.

The onset of symptoms caused me severe anxiety, so I know that some of these things can be anxiety-related.  However, I do not believe the consistent numb spots are a figment of my imagination, as well as many of the other symptoms that are very real.  However, at 9 days post-partum, I went to my doctor about it and began taking Zoloft.  I started at 25mg, worked up to 100mg, but felt that maybe some of these symptoms were side effects, so I recently decreased to 75mg.  I also have a prescription for lorazepam 0.5mg to take if needed for severe anxiety, so I take it in the evening sometimes to help me sleep.

I've had lab tests run for everything, including B12, folate, thyroid, and the usual stuff also.  The only values that were remarkable were:
-Calcium (low)
-Vitamin D (low)
-Potassium (low)
-Glucose (frequently low, 40's and 50's... stress kills my appetite)
-Magnesium (high... no clue why)

I had an MRI and MR-venogram of brain, both came back normal.  The neurologist thought some of my symptoms may be due to low calcium, but I've been supplementing and on recheck of it, it was back to a normal level.

So I just don't know where to go next.  I'm going to call the neurologist back for another appointment tomorrow, but when he called me to report the normal MRI and MRV, he basically seemed at a loss.  He said maybe it was a problem caused by the epidural that I got.  I waited until the last minute to get the epidural.  I was having contractions one on top of another at that point, and I was not able to relax and sit very still.  As soon as it was placed, my body started pushing on its own and the baby was born within minutes.  The numbness never really kicked in, except for one spot on my right thigh.  But if it was a problem with the epidural, would it really affect me above the level where it was placed?  When it is inserted properly, it doesn't affect arms/hands, and I definitely have the tingling/numbness in my hands and in my neck/scalp, as well as neck stiffness/pain and headache.

If anyone has read this far, thank you very much.  I feel like I'm dying and losing my mind simultaneously.  I want to feel healthy and normal again, and I just don't know what to do.  


This discussion is related to postpartum neurological symptoms.
7 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
After doing a ton of research because something similar happened to me after I gave birth to my son, I believe this to be side effects of fentanyl which is the drug commonly used in an epidural. I am 2 months post partum and still experiencing symptoms.

See the full list here, specifically the list at the bottom of this link labelled “for medical professionals” :

https://www.drugs.com/sfx/fentanyl-side-effects.html

I collapsed pretty much right after getting discharged from labor and delivery. I couldn’t breathe and was taken to the ER. I could not walk for two weeks weakness in hands and feet, trouble breathing, tingling sensations, involuntary muscle spasms, tongue and lips tingling, vision changes, I was hearing things that weren’t there, etc. Pretty much a whole host of things on this side effects list.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Look up Arachnoiditis. This is from a problem with the epidural, when the epidural medication or catheter causes irritation to one of the membranes of the spinal column. It is rare but it does happen and I have had it happen to me.

There is no real way to fix it, and the only way to diagnose it is to have an MRI with contrast of the spine and to have a specialist in arachnoiditis analyze it (average radiologists may not know what to look for on an MRI). Almost no Dr. will admit that it is from the epidural for legal reasons and fear of being named in a law suit if you try and sue. I have to tell you though that over time the body has a way of healing itself although sometimes this takes a very long time to go away, because nerves take a long time to heal..... and while it may not go away it might get much better anyway.

Arachnoiditis can range from very mild with absolutely no symptoms to very severe with debilitating symptoms.

Here is an article to look at:
http://nationalpainreport.com/my-story-a-new-mothers-epidural-gone-wrong-8824264.html

Good luck and I hope your symptoms get much better over time. Please know to AVOID ANY FUTURE INVASIVE SPINE PROCEDURES (epidurals, spinals, lumbar punctures etc...) because this can make your problems much worse.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I know it has been a while, but I am curious if you ever figured out what the problem was.  I had a baby last January and have had very similar symptoms as you except mine are all positional. I was hospitalized after coming home with the baby with extremely high bp levels too.   Whenever I sit back I have pain and weird sensations all in my body.  Just curious if you ever got an answer.  It is all driving me insane!!
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Hi ladies I am in the same boat. My son is 16 months and I started weaning him a month ago. And two weeks into weaning my symptoms started and has progressed. Tingling and stinging randomly on both sides of my body. Tingling and fullness feeling in the face. Both sides. Twitching from head to toe. None of the symptoms occur at the same time. They are all random. I also moved around the same time while wearing my giant toddler on my back. I am super stressed out. My doctor thought it could be lime and has started me on the antibiotics in case it is lime. I had an Mri of my upper neck which was normal. I will be meeting with a neurologist and I will be doing more scans. On top of all this I have not slept well since my son was born
Avatar universal
For a while now, I've been convinced it is Lyme disease. I had a few incidents where I found ticks on myself in April when my husband and I were looking at some land we were thinking of buying. It was in a wooded area, grass was high, and there were a TON of ticks. My doctor let me try a 2-WK course of ceftin for it and it did help a lot. I feel the best I've felt in months, but definitely not perfect. I'm seeing a Lyme specialist next week and I really hope he can help.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I've been having numbness / tingling / burning since 5 wks post-partum. It's been about 2.5 mos now. As well, have dry mouth and nose.

I believe in my case It's small nerve fiber neuropathy caused by a Sjogrens Syndrome onset/reflare, in turn caused by hypoestrogenism related to breastfeeding.
Had MRI's of brain and cervical spine and nerve tests for large nerve fibers (conduction test, EMG, SSEP) which all came back normal but these were to rule out MS and other demyelination of large nerve fibers.

I'm going to try to ramp down my milk production to increase my estrogen level again and hopefully ward off the Sjogrens-like symptoms.
Helpful - 0
5848391 tn?1380728642
Did you breastfeed? I've had weird symptoms after pregnancy also, but they always started after I finished breastfeeding. 5 days afterwards seems so immediate.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi,
How are you? It is good that the MRI and MRV were negative. Post partum hypertension is common and medical management  may be  indicated. This usually resolves within a  week or more depending on the medical history and symptoms present. The neurological symptoms may be attributed also to one migraine variant, hemiplegic migraine.This usually presents with  headache, numbness, confusion, pain, decreased consciousness and even language difficulties. If your symptoms persist, it is best that you check with your doctor for proper evaluation.Take care and do keep us posted.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Neurology Community

Top Neurology Answerers
620923 tn?1452915648
Allentown, PA
5265383 tn?1669040108
ON
1756321 tn?1547095325
Queensland, Australia
1780921 tn?1499301793
Queen Creek, AZ
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease