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Old 07-08-2017, 04:21 PM #1
chris94013409 chris94013409 is offline
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Default Urgency of diagnosis / treatment - How quickly does nerve damage occur?

I'm seeing a neurologist in 2 weeks but I don't know if that is soon enough.

My left arm and lower left leg feel like they are half asleep all the time. Also occasional sharp pains. My local doc said not to worry about the numbness unless I get weakness or motor nerve problems. I don't have those yet; only sensory nerves seem to be affected. I'm Male, 32, good health and no prior issues.

Is 2 weeks soon enough to see a neurologist? Am I likely to get nerve damage before that time or before they can complete their tests?

Thanks, Chris
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Old 07-08-2017, 06:29 PM #2
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Hello Chris: I'm sorry I cannot comment with regard to your concerns. Hopefully other members will be able to offer some perspective. However, since this is your first post here on NT, I wanted to welcome you to NeuroTalk. I trust you will find the time you spend here to be of benefit.

While you're here, check out the stickies at the top of the Peripheral Neuropathy forum. And use the Advanced Search function to look for other posts related to your particular concerns:

https://www.neurotalk.org/search.php

Good luck with your upcoming appointment!
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Old 07-11-2017, 02:28 PM #3
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Default Anyone else have problems with numbness in arm or leg?

Thanks for your reply Skeezyks! This website has been a great help to me.

Anyone else have any experience with theses types of issues: hand or foot numbness leading to nerve damage or hopefully being treated without any damage?


I'm working on getting all my notes together to go over with the neurologist next week so if anyone else is reading through this here's more info on what I have so far on what is going on:

It seems likely that there is an underlying physical cause for my nerve issues since they came on recently and suddenly. I'm hopeful that the neurologist will be able to identify the cause.

Never had headaches or nerve issues before and health is good. Started 2 months ago with fever / migraine for a week.Week 2 fever went away but migraines stayed and I also added bad back pain the next week. Later added pains and numbness in face/eye, trouble swallowing, arm and leg numbness, occasional random nerve pain that can hit anywhere on body.

Now headaches are mostly gone but nerve pains are worse. Wake up at night with nerve pain and need to walk around to calm nerves down or loosen them up. Something is defiantly wrong with my peripheral nerves, but my biggest concern is left arm and left lower leg which feel like they are 1/2 asleep all the time.

Doc hasn't been able to help but physical therapist has been able to help with some stretches for certain areas where he can feel that the actual nerves are tight. So something is causing the nerves to tighten up or become inflamed.
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Old 07-12-2017, 05:57 AM #4
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Default Given what you are reporting--

--this sounds like a post-infectious type of process.

Your report of fever before all this started implies that some infectious agent got you and while your body may well have fought it off, you may now be experiencing a post-infectious autoimmune molecular mimicry.

Basically, what this means is that the infectious agent has a molecular structure that is similar to some body tissue. The body mounts an immune response, and may even fight it off well, but since much of the immune response is based on molecular shape--antibodies are produced that fit and immobilize the pathogen, like a key in a lock--anything that happens to have a similar molecular configuration, including certain types of body tissues, may also be attacked and damaged or even destroyed.

This mechanism, by the way, is thought to be behind a number of autoimmune conditions--tissue types inherited whose structures are like those of certain passages starting a cascade when some environmental trigger, such as infection by such a pathogen, occurs.

It is a mechanism well documented in a number of nerve conditions such as Guillain Barre syndrome (you may have such a syndrome, or a variant) in which the nerve symptoms are preceded by an infectious "prodrome".

It is also possible that toxins from an infection have damaged tissues in the brain or nerves beyond a potential autoimmune attack. Both mechanisms could be at play.

The good news with such situations is that often one can experience at least partial, slow recovery. The younger and in better overall health one is, the better the chances of that.

One of the problems here is that issues with the central nervous system--brain and spinal cord--can be symptomatically exactly mimicked by issues with the peripheral nervous system. Make sure the neurologist you go to will examine both. Some imaging may be in order in addition to nerve testing and blood work ups.
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Old 07-13-2017, 06:06 PM #5
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Default MRI: Tissue damage similar to migraine

Thank you glenntaj for the excellent info. It makes a lot of sense. And I also like the idea of Guillain Barre syndrome because it means that the worst should be aver and I should start feeling better!

I did have a brain MRI 2 weeks ago. All my doc said about it was, 'fine, no MS, may indicate migraines.'

I looked up the actual test result today and what it said was 'multiple small hyperintensities' which are commonly associated with things like migraine. Which means tissue damage - in my brain.

I should not have read those test results. It's very upsetting to read that your brain is damaged. And I have trouble managing anxiety since this all started, and I feel twice as bad when the anxiety really gets going.

I never had headaches before this. Shouldn't it take more than 2 months of migraine symptoms to damage my brain enough that is visible in an MRI? Maybe like glenntaj said- the initial infection did that damage.
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Old 07-13-2017, 06:09 PM #6
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Default here's the test results

Here's the text from my MRI. This was from the radiologist at our small local hospital not a neurologist:


MRI BRAIN without contrast

As seen on the axial FLAIR images, there are multiple tiny white matter
hyperintensities in the subcortical white matter. Range in size 2-4 mm. No
coronal images, however, these appear to spare the subcortical U-fibers.
No mass effect. No restricted diffusion.

IMPRESSION:
1. No acute intracranial process.
2. Multiple tiny subcortical white matter hyperintensities. Nonspecific.
Distribution is not typical for demyelinating process such as MS more
commonly associated with etiologies such as migraine. Consider followup.
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Old 07-13-2017, 11:02 PM #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chris94013409 View Post

I should not have read those test results. It's very upsetting to read that your brain is damaged. And I have trouble managing anxiety since this all started, and I feel twice as bad when the anxiety really gets going.
If it calms your fears any, I had non-specific abnormalities in my brain MRI three and half years ago, and my brain is holding up just fine.

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Old 07-17-2017, 03:23 PM #8
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Default

Thanks janieg that did help calm me down a bit - apparently it's pretty common and doesn't mean much on its own.

The last 2 nights I'm getting woken up in the middle of the night by a fast pulse. I read some other forums that said CIPD / GBS can mess with your heart. And I started to notice I'm loosing some coordination in my left leg / foot this weekend.

I'm still thinking it's likely to be CIPD / GBS. But even with my new symptoms I can't get my neurologist appt moved up from Thursday. I tried calling 6 other nearby neurology departments this morning to get in sooner and they all said F U.

So I likely have this treatable condition and there are a bunch of hospitals around that can treat it. I just can't figure out how to get in and make it happen. And in the mean time I'm just sitting around speculating about how much permanent damage is happening to my nerves. Maybe I can stop being depressed and think of something after a nap. If anyone sees this and has a bright idea let me know.
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