I am a 33 year old female with 2 young children and healthy up until some odd things started to happen a couple of months ago.
I started having tingling and pain in right hand, then by that evening the sensation had spread until my entire body was buzzing. It wasn't painful as such but very frightening. I was able to see my GP the next day who said it was odd and did a load of tests on strength, sensation and eye sight - all I which were normal. He did refer me for nerve conduction studies and did full blood work including vit B12 and sugar - again all normal.
The symptoms have not gone although have lessened a little in severity. The tingling now comes and goes but I have almost constant pain between my shoulder blades and in various joints from elbows to toes and fingers. This comes and goes in different areas almost daily - ie yesterday it was my right big toe and today my left shoulder. The joint pain is like a stiffness accompanied by a very sore sensation like I've just dropped a hammer on the area.
I am seeing the gp again soon and will ask for neuro referral but any advice would be massively appreciated.
I struggle some days to manage daily tasks and enjoy my beautiful children. I'm scared something horrible is happening to me!!
Thank you in advance x

Hello pickle,

Welcome to the NeuroTalk Support Groups.

I'm sorry that you're dealing with these symptoms and trying to manage your children and daily life. Hopefully your doctor will find the cause soon.

Were you ill with a virus or sickness before the symptoms began?

Hi Lara, thank you for your reply. I am new to this and it is comforting to have a response.

I did have an infection about 4 weeks before this all began. I got a pretty bad case of mastitis from breastfeeding my baby which took 2 courses of antibiotics to clear. Because of this, guilian barre (sorry prob wrong spelling) was investigated first but ruled out quickly.

Both the GP and nerve specialist weren't able to shed any light on cause but I raised concerns about MS. This has been dismissed as I don't have eye or balance symptoms. I can't shake MS from my mind though. I guess we always want to try and find a name to help us cope.

Also, I forgot to mention that since this began I've had terrible night sweats, only on chest and neck, and also a burning sensation in both palms. Symptoms seem to worsen with fatigue, ie when baby isn't sleeping well and I'm up through the nights.

I would love to hear from anyone else who has similar symptoms, not that I'd wish this on anyone! Or any suggestions on forum groups that fit my oddness.

Thank you

What antibiotics did you take? Some of them cause nerve damage (neuropathy).

Fluoroquinolones like Cipro, Avelox and Levaquin.
Flagyl (metronidazole)
Tindamax (related to metronidazole)
And Zyvox (last resort for mrsA.)

It may not be connected, but if you had the bacterial infection prior to the onset of these varied symptoms, I wonder if your GP hasn't suggest a Rheumatologist rather than a Neurologist. [The night sweats and the joint pains]. I think there are several types of bacteria that can cause mastitis and maybe it wasn't totally cleared from your body.

No rash or fever or light sensitivity or anything like that now?
It's the joint pains that would concern me.

Welcome Pickle.

You could check out the Fibromyalgia Forum

Not sure how long ago you had your last baby, but postpartum joint pain in particular is not uncommon. Sleep deprivation wouldn't help you either.

New mothers are prone to lower thyroid functions too. Need to get that checked.

Another thing is that some nutrients get depleted by pregnancy and nursing. EFAs like DHA are needed by babies for their brain and spinal cords...so mothers may get low in them.

There are supplements especially made for new mothers... one is called Expecta... and supplies DHA made from algae and not fish.

Another nutrient that needs to be checked is B12. This should be a minimum of 400pg/ml in testing. And also Vit D3. Have this checked as well.

Hello Pickle and welcome to NeuroTalk.

Joint pain, such as you are having, does not fit with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

MS is a disease of the Central Nervous System which includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. There is a diagnostic criteria for MS, The McDonald Criteria.

Although abnormal sensations such as tingling and vibrations/buzzing can be part of having MS those symptoms can also be caused by many other conditions, vitamin deficiencies, some medications, and mental health issues. There is no symptom(s) which are unique to MS.

A Rheumatologist was my thought also.

Best wishes and I hope you get answers soon.

Have you been checked for lymes?