Dear friends,

I hope you don’t mind that term – having read this forum for the past few weeks I feel like I know many of you. I hope you realize what a great service this provides to people.

My story: 48 year old male, reasonably healthy. About 3 months ago (Nov ’06) I noticed what I would call strange sensations on my arms and legs. It felt like I was being touched – slight pressure that would migrate all over. Then a few days afterwards I experienced a severe burning sensation on one arm – 3 hours. That passed. Since then my symptoms have progressed to pin pricks, tightness, burning feelings, deep aches, some tingling and numbness but not that much. It is mostly in my legs – ankles up to mid thigh. The progression has been slow and barely noticeable day to day but I definitely feel worse today than 3 months ago. I also had numbness around my eyes and a severe twitch in one eyelid. I frequently feel off balance, and I started getting slight muscle twitches – fasciculations (I can’t believe I know all these terms now). And – not to leave anything out – I occasionally have these sharp shooting pains in my gums and teeth. I think I may have had the facial numbness at a low level for a long time prior to this.

I suspected MS but a brain MRI was normal. My glucose level was 110 – I do not recall it ever being an issue before but my last check up was a few years ago. My B12 was 480 - I had started a B complex vitamin a week before that blood test so don’t know if that could increase the level so quickly or not. My physical exam at the neurologist’s office was good – I have no muscle weakness etc. My thyroid TSH was 5.59 – just slightly high but my Primary care Dr. thought not significant.

I had been taking Pravachol, a statin, for almost 2 years. I take it because I have an artificial heart valve (surgery 15 years ago), not for cholesterol reasons. I have read that neuropathy can be a side effect. I have stopped it but my symptoms persist. I also take one baby aspirin per day for blood clot reasons, valve related, which I can not stop.

One neurologist gave me nortriptyline for pain and to sleep better. I do not think it is working though. He thinks I have a Guillen-Barre variant disease – “acute peripheral neuropathy” he called it. I am scheduled for an EMG test this coming week.

I have started taking some vitamins and supplements on the advice of the many of you on this site. I do believe my fasciculations and the facial numbness and eye twitches are better.

Needless to say this is all worrisome to me. The pain is getting worse. I would certainly appreciate any thoughts or advice from this group. Obviously I need some more blood work and maybe MRIs of the spine.

Regards, Rob