hi i have what my doctor has said is a type of peripheral neuropathy and really don't know much about the topic.

I have no one in my family's history with any form of neuropathy, tremor, or neurological problem.

It started in March 2009 during a heavy weight lifting session, which I have not been able to get back to since. I felt a pull in my left elbow which with the research I've done was my ulnar nerve. For 3 months it was just annoying tendonitis(golfers elbow) in my left arm, then in july the tendonitis popped up in the other when I had been doing nothing but running at the time. In August 2009 I began having fasciculations in arms only. Then in October, frusturated with tendonitis and wanting to get back to lifting I asked my orthopedic if he thought it was my nerves, I got an emg which showed Ulnar entraptment in both arms. Then in November the fasciculations went all over my body. In december, trying to avoid surgery(still no lifting since march) I felt a tingling in both feet, 4 days later tremors in every muscle in my body. After that I saw one neuro in ann arbor, mi that said it was "nothing to worry about" and my tremors were a result of the adderall 20 mg I was taking twice a day, I went off meds and tremors stayed. Three weeks later I got a Brain and cervical MRI which showed nothing CNS. I am now at a new neuro but couldn't see one for a few months because of no rides(from feb-april) there. I got a new car and am seeing one in ypsilanti, mi now who said "it's a form of peripheral neuropathy, we just have to try and find out what it is." My tendonitis went away in October about 3 weeks after finding out about the nerves, tingling has little by little worsened, no pain but numness in the left pinky toe is completely numb. My nerves are still pinched in elbows and I have unexplainable tingling in my carpal digits. The feet tingle regardless and fall asleep sometimes now, but I still run about 3 miles a day and it doesn't effect them, my hands only tingle when I've been very active like they would with a pinched nerve, otherwise just pain in elbows. Sometimes when i crack my neck(I know bad, but addicting) I get shooting pains down my arms, which he can't explain either. Tremors are worse in hands and feet but are everywhere else, when i get nervous my face starts twitching all over, but tremors are constant and also feel like their slowly getting worse. Fasciculations are all over my body, sometimes not that often, other days 2 every five minutes. Tingling never hurts just feel "staticy" and annoying.

My neuro is running all kinds of tests and have only seen him for the MRI and go back in tomorow to find out about all the blood tests run.

This is really effecting my life at this point I'm very depressed to not lift, but more so scared to death of what could happen.

any ideas?

and can any of you with PN tremors tell me if they keep getting worse? I can't imagine my life 5 years from now if this is going to progress.

ANY INSIGHT GREATLY APPRECIATED.

ps i am in great shape was 6'6 198 in march 09 am now 6'6 185 with no lifting used to lift 5 times a week and run almost daily, eat well and very low body fat.

thanks, mike

Sorry no one has been along yet to offer insight. I wish I could help - my journey in the neurological world started back in 1998 with cervical problems, but it sounds like they've screened your neck with an MRI - hopefully that's ruled out.

Someone should be along in a bit with more experience in PN than I - still in the learning process here. It's good that you are having blood work done; my neuro took 15 vials at one point to screen for a number of problems from Lyme to heavy metals to thyroid.

Just know you are not alone.

Have your Vit D measured. Also B12 at the same time.

At 19 you may be low in Vit D considering where you live.

Fixing that and getting serum levels up to 50-60 ng/ml, might help.

If you play video games, ? do musical instruments like guitars?
or sit at lectures with your elbows on the tables? you could have stress or compression issues.

Do you use MJ? it can be contaminated with pesticides which affect your nerves. Do you eat MSG foods, from dorms or restaurants? It can cause nerve symptoms.

Do you play sports? stress the nerves in other ways?

There are many many questions. Did you get vaccines this fall...both flu vaccines? These may induce autoimmune problems.

You may be intolerant of gluten, which may cross the GI tract and get into the blood before digestion is complete, and cause neuropathies that way.

Many many things! So tell us more... so we can help you be the detective you need to be to feel better!

As has been said- you gotta be the detective.
Step up to the plate and be constantly at-bat, finding out things
and researching your particular problems.
No one else is gonna do it.
You will be more informed than your docs, if you keep at it.

ya i've played basketball all my life, football until i was 17, hockey, and soccer. At the time this occured, i was using creatine with argnine pre workout with about 2 marijuana joints and occassionally adderall at the same time then protein post workout everyday until that elbow "problem" in march. I also used marijuana before I ran everyday. Other than that I had no "drug" usage.

in late feb before this happened i had someone over to my house who i smoked marijuana with, and AFTER we smoked on the same paper he informed me he had "been throwing up all day and been sick, that day," the next day I woke up in vomit and was throwing up all day and that was the first time i had even thrown up since i was in the second grade. I don't know if that had anything to do with it but I often wonder.

that was my senior year of high school tho where i smoked about a quarter to a half ounce of marijuana a week, once i went to college i cut way down, i rarely even touch it anymore. And since i've "cut down" my problems have seemed to only have gotten worse.

There is a bacteria that causes food poisoning called Campylobacter and this can cause neuropathy. But you could have had a virus, like the Norwalk virus which is spread easily from person to person.

There have been other posters here who reported neuropathy symptoms following discontinuing MJ. MJ is used to control pain, and removing it would reveal the pain quickly. So you could have been in pain in the past and not known it.

You could have an injury that is compressing or entrapping the nerve at the elbow. That should be looked at by the doctor.

When you are working out and lifting, do you use a magnesium supplement? Fasics can occur when magnesium is low.
I have a mag thread here:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread1138.html

Hi sorry I am late to this and for all you are dealing with. I was older then you when this began but still quite young at 28. I also am from MI but from a different part. Anyhow mine in my legs started off what I thought was an injury but turned out not to be and when I was sent to multiple neuros and other speciality for many and when I say many it is understatement of tests. I do have PN and RSD dx and the why behind this is still unknown. The hope is with PN is if you can find the why it can help the pain and progression. Like you when this happened and today of course but more in the start I had so many fears. I had never felt pain like this and never even heard of these dx. I went from A to Z in my mid and for the time of testing I kept thinking I was not going to be able to walk,tumor etc. I kept thinking like you of the future. Now and this is hard but I try to stay in the day and get through each one in the best way I can. Have you had blood work for auto immune? Have you had an emg/nc? Are you trying any meds like neurontin? Does your family go with you to apts? I would suggest it because I feel they take you more seriously with an older adult. Sorry so many ?s and not so many answers. Hang in there and hope you get some answers and relief

thank you daniella for your post, it's scary worrying about something that could likely greatly effect the way the rest of my life is, when i don't even know what that something is.

the 'tingling' never hurts it's just a constant reminder, and my pinched nerves in elbows never really hurt unless i do the only thing that makes makes me happy, lift. if they could just stop the progression i would give anything, and to be able to be as active and confident as i once was is my wildest dream, i haven't let go hope, but i'm starting. the tremors are what really got me, my whole life i wanted to be a chiropractor, and if these tremors get bad enough i not only can't do that there's alot of things i cannot do, it's sad because i've always dreamed of just how exciting the future would be, i've always prided myself off my work ethic, i can't believe i'm even saying this, but why work hard, if it all goes to waste so young?!

i just spend alot of my day scared to death about this, and i can never get a straight answer, not that it's any of your fault, your the small few that understand how i feel. i don't even tell people close to me how bad i worry deep down because it sounds like a long list of excuses to them. this is eating me alive, thank you all for your support you have no idea how much it means to me.

I dont think the weed would do it.

Maybe have your blood sent to Igenex Labs for Lyme....google them.

I was extremely athletic to age 50, sprint triathlons. I could swim 500m open water, bike 20 miles in hills and run 3.2 mi in 1:51. Now a walk to the mailbox is a challenge. Looking back, I know I had it at least since age 40. I dont think I did myself any good with the extreme athletic stuff, but, I had no idea I had PN.

I agree with MRSD about infections....I would have all infectious possibilities ruled out....and send the blood to Igenex....I don't know if you have been in any areas with Lyme, but, I had it. I live in an endemic (more like epidemic) area for it. Being active and outdoors a lot, we would get ticks. (Just got one on my hubby last nite) and where we live now is not 'ticky'.

Given you had a really bad 'flu' like thing, get tested. I assume they did all the standard stuff, like HIV, Hep. B, Hep C.

Autoimmunity is the only other thing that is a possibility. They may be less inclined to do an ANA since you are male, but, I would have it done anyway. Guys do get autoimmune disease.

I feel for you, Mike. I am in a similar situation as I have always been a pretty healthy, active male but I still developed these neuropathic sensations when I was 20 (I'm 23 now). My symptoms came on after I had a full body rash for 3 months, I just never returned to normal. All my blood work has been normal so far. The doctors haven't been able to find anything out of the ordinary.

I just had an emg/nc test with my neurologist which came back negative, so the next step is a skin biopsy to test for small fiber sensory neuropathy.

I have been on gabapentin for the past year or so, which helped at the beginning but doesn't really seem to do anything anymore. So I'm going back to my doctor in the next week to see if I can get on a painkiller because the pain can definitely be overwhelming at times.

I share the exact same characteristics as you (was a very hard worker and excited about the future until the symptoms hit) then I fell in to a pit of depression and started questioning everything. What's the point of anything if all you can think about is these stupid symptoms? But instead of continuing to think like that I really had to change my point of view on life. I used to be really into computers and wanted to work a desk job for the rest of my life, but sitting in one place for extended periods of time really makes my symptoms flare so I've decided to work outside where I can be in the sun and moving around.

And I don't know how close you are with your family but mine has been very supportive of me during these tough times, which has been a huge factor in me staying positive.

My best advice is to not give up and do what makes you feel good, be it lifting or whatever. I've found that being in the sun, exercise, constantly moving around really helps my condition. I'm really considering moving south to see if a climate change helps at all. Hope I could be of some help!

Oh, and the weed thing. I've found that I can't even do it anymore because it makes my symptoms go crazy. Last time I did it (sometime last week) I felt like I was on fire! I had to take a Vicodin to quell the pain. So I would suggest to stay away from it as much as you can.

Keep your head up. We all go through **** in life. We can't choose the cards we're dealt. What we can do is choose how to play them. And the longer you play, the more you learn. Keep at it and you'll perfect your game.

If you ever want or need anything I'll be here. It's always nice to talk to someone who is going through a similar experience. Later dude. Take care of yourself.