I had to turn to this forum, because this is the only thing that makes sense to me right now. I don't know what I have because I have not yet been diagnosed. All my symptoms point to PN.

Two Satuday's ago I experienced a dull and achy pain in my hip that progressed to numbness in my left leg. Last week a lot of things happened. Most of my body went numb, I had shooting pains through my arms and legs, blurry vision and lost all feeling in my abdomen. I became very weak as the week progressed.

I ended up in the hospital for 2 days and had some extensive testing done. It found no structural damage, pinched nerve or tumors. I came out without a diagnosis. Basically, they told me that everything looked normal and all this is probably caused by stress.

Right now I am very achy, have blurry vision and feel weak (can't even hold a dinner plate). My abdomen still feels weird and somewhat numb. Last night I had terrible cramps and burning with urination (my urinalysis was normal btw). I am very confused at this point as to what exactly I have. I only know what I don't have.

I am sorry you feel so poorly. I can somewhat understand how you feel as I have been there before. I have been through a lot of illness, surgery and different diagnosis' since I was about 25 years old. I am now 48 and have just received a diagnosis of small fiber neuropathy. I also have connective tissue disease, fibromyalgia and inflammatory arthritis.

My diagnosis did not come immediately and for years I had many 'normal' test results. I remember laying in bed for weeks in the hospital and at home wondering how I could possibly feel so bad and have so much pain, yet have 'normal' tests...

Fortunately, the sharp edges softened over time and I did get somewhat better. Things waxed and wained. I learned to be calm and strong. Unfortunately, a lot of 'unusual' illnesses such as autoimmune, neurological and musculoskeletal illnesses can take time to surface to where it can be identified and diagnosed...

It is fortunate that you were hospitalized and that tests were performed. It is unsettling that you still are having scary symptoms, but at least all of the things that put your health in an immediate risk have been ruled out.

Be certain to keep good medical records. Obtain them from the hospital and then with results in hand, see another doctor. Perhaps an Internal Medicine doctor.

I surely hope you feel better. Keep us informed.

Mere

I'm going to go see my PCP today with my 3 sheets of notes of my symptoms. Every day this week I've had new symptoms. Last night my legs started hurting and today I feel okay but now my hands hurt.

I'm not as concerned with my diagnosis as I am concerned with going back to work. I have to work long hours and I am on my feet sometimes more than 10 hours per day. This week I took FMLA and filed my Short Term Disability claim but today I feel better somewhat, despite new symptoms appearing. I know I may not be able to do my job to the best of my abilities, but at the same time I can't afford to lose the income either. With me going from better to worse and back to better confuses me.

That's good that you have an appointment and that you have your records to take along. It is very difficult to balance a job and illness. Try to stay calm. Believe me, self-induced stress makes everything worse. It would be good if you could take some more time to care for yourself...

Let us know what the doctor says...

--of brain and spinal cord done, looking for signs of stroke or other ischemic event and/or central nervous system demyelinating diseases (such as MS)?

Yes, I was thinking multiple sclerosis too.

First attacks can be confusing.

I'd post your question at our MS forum: there are lots of experienced posters there:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/fo...aysprune=&f=17

Numbness is often a first sign.

My PCP put down neuropathy as my diagnosis and told me not to dismiss MS just yet. I was supposed to see the neurologist today but the weather was bad and they were closed. I decided to go back to work because now I find myself crying and being depressed from having to sit at home. I stress over money to easily as well and until I have steady income it will just get worse. So, on Monday I will try to get back to normal and do my job to the best of my abilities and I will have to re-schedule my neurologist appointment. Today< I also bought a B-12 supplement and a multi-vitamin supplement in hopes that those will give me more energy.

The thing about MS is that all my MRI's showed no lesions of any kind.

Yes, the results were normal.

I went for a consultation and saw a PA instead of the neurologist who saw me in the hospital. She went over my test results from the hospital and told me once again that everything looked normal. She put me on Nortriptyline and said that someone would call me to schedule a nerve conduction study. It's been 3 days and no one has called, even though I told her I wanted to do this as soon as possible. She acted as if I'm imagining everything. This whole thing about my stress causing all my symptoms is really getting on my nerves. I told her that my vision was still blurry and she suggested I see an eye doctor. It was never blurry before all of this started, so why do I have to see an eye doctor?

My symptoms got worse yesterday. I was in severe pain. It started at my shoulders and would randomly shoot through my arms and then through my legs. At one point I was about to break down and cry again because this is just too overwhelming for me. My legs have been having numbness as well and I have some difficulty controlling them, I feel wobbly and like I have to work extra hard to get my feet moving in the right direction. Also I don't feel when my bladder is full most of the time and my bowel movements are very irregular.

I have a co-worker who has MS and at this point she is one of the very few people who understand what I am going through. Everyone else just looks at me like I am crazy.

When the Chernobyl nuclear plant exploded I was 4 years old and lived about 300 miles away. Could exposure to radiation then, cause me to have PN now?

Perhaps....and other problems, like thyroid damage.
http://chernobyl486.tripod.com/

There are many internet sites with explanations on Google.
I used this keyword search:
"medical issues following Chernobyl"

There is a form of neuropathy that comes from cancer.
It is called paraneoplastic neuropathy, and often precedes the diagnosis of cancer. So you should tell your doctor(s) you were so close to that radiation disaster.