Undiagnosed terrible nerve pain attacks for a year now, what do I have?

[cbabo]

Since July 2020 I have been suffering from a range of different symptoms that only seems to be getting more numerous and worse. I'm a 21 year old man, and I'm getting extremely uneasy with what I might have. The nerve pain originally started in my upper right arm, in what I would describe as an nerve attack with tingling and shocks and weakness throughout my entire arm. Within 3-4 days I was bedridden, and put on a Medrol dose pack that helped greatly. It then went away for a while but would come back every couple months when I would push myself too far. I went to get an EMG in August but it found nothing.

By the end of the year I would have the same symptoms in my left arm as well, but significantly less pronounced. By then I had seen 3 doctors, but it went nowhere. From December to April I was doing great, with there only being weakness in my right arm that I had learned to deal with. But in May after cutting my grass (which I had done many times before earlier in the year) I was terribly attacked with nerve pain again that peaked around a week in but took about two weeks to recover from. It felt as if my arms were on fire, but not muscle related. It was here that I learned that ice packs help me greatly, and that when I get hot my symptoms get dramatically worse. My symptoms then went away, but only for them to come back even stronger about a month later, except this time I had nerve pain in my legs and left foot as well. My lower legs were tingling and I would get electrical shocks in my lower legs as well. Over the next couple days my left foot would go numb many times and would be burning, accompanied with shocks and be somewhat hard to walk on. After recovering from this attack, I would be fine up until this past week. In addition, I am now being electrically shocked in my left eye 1-3 times a day, and it is extremely uncomfortable and painful, lasting about a second. This has happened a few dozen times, but I am not in an "attack" right now but am experiencing mild nerve pain in arms and legs with shocks in my left eye that are terrifyingly sudden.

I have been seeing a neurologist for the past couple months, but he cannot find anything. I have done a complete blood work, had an MRI on my head and upper spine, and a second EMG, but still absolutely nothing. Last year I thought I had Parsonage-Turner syndrome as my symptoms matched that perfectly, but I was wrong. Then I thought I had MS, but my MRI found no lesions.

My neurologist thought that I might have small fiber neuropathy, but that was before I started getting electrocuted in my left eye. Also that diagnoses doesn't make much sense as I'm not old, have normal glucose levels, and my nerve pain initially started in my upper right arm. I do not have any vitamin deficiencies or any neurological diseases that can be found through blood.

I'm increasingly worried about what I might have as my symptoms are getting progressively worse, and as of month or so ago, drastically worse. It feels like I'm very limited on what options I have left to get diagnosed. My neurologist has said that I can go the Mayo clinic if I want to.

I am wondering if there is anybody that knows what I might have or something valuable to add. Thank you.

[specialmom]

Hi there.  You are a young man to have all of this going on.  What proceeded the original issue symptoms of nerve compression? Funny you mention mowing the grass and an increased issue.  My own husband after a month of mowing the grass reported the same kind of issue.  The part of the mower that powers it forward had broken, so it was then a push mower and we have a best of a yard.  It was bad enough that my husband went to a large neurology practice for evaluation. They determined the issue and wanted him to have surgery.  Then Fall happened, mowing stopped and by Christmas, my husband's arm was better. We purchased a new mower for the following season and he's never had that issue again. It really WAS due to mowing!  That could be just coincidence for your situation but just thought I'd mention that.  

You are doing the right thing by working with these doctors and in particular a neurologist.  Numbness, electric shock feelings all sound nerve related and often due to compression or issues such as that. I do have to ask you about something. What about anxiety?  Has anyone ever mentioned what role  this could play in this situation?  Have you ever been treated for anxiety?