New here, and hoping for a little help in figuring out what I should be looking for in terms of next steps. I am a 26 year old female in Washington DC.

The story starts about 7 years ago in May of 2002, when I noticed a sort of "tingly/numb" sensation in my right wrist/hand. I paid it no heed, but within a few days it had become more intense and also become very painful, I couldn't stand to be touched in that area. Within a matter of weeks it spread to encompass both my wrists/hands, also spreading along the arm near the wrist somewhat. sometimes it was a tingly sensation, other times stabbing pains, other horrible cold feelings, etc. I couldn't bear to move or use the affected areas, and even the slightest touch was painful. Certain points were especially bad.

Shortly thereafter, I also developed (within a few months) pain in my neck/shoulder on the right side, and also on the right hip. These places didn't so much have the tingly component to it (though I don't completely recall, regarding the shoulder). I also (a few months after that to a year after that) developed horrible back pain and then an area of my back near the mid-back that is persistently numb and yet painful to the touch. According to a chiro my T11/T12 were slightly out of place so I assume that was the cause, but this is still that way years later (the numbness/yet painful to the touch on the right side of the mid-back).

At the time, I went through several tests (complicated by being a college student with poor parents and no health insurance), including thyroid and SED rate blood tests, x-rays, and an EMG of my right hand/wrist/arm (and I think shoulder?). All were normal. I then had to stop seeing anyone for a few years due to lack of insurance and funds, until I got insurance my senior year of college when my mom got a better job. By this time I was somewhat able to use my hands again, if only through sheer stubbroness, and saw a new round of docs, who did an MRI of my hand/wrist, tried cortisone injections, iotntophoresis (sp?), PT/OT, and, because they figured as a last ditch effort it might be a lose joint, did surgery on my hand to stabilize my thumb joint. Long story short, none of it worked. Tests were also repeated for SED rate, thyroid, etc., as well as a test for Lyme disease.

I find my pain tends to be aggravated with cold and with usage, eventually after ruling just about anything else they could think of out, I was diagnosed with RSD/CRPS (esp. as pain is aggravated by cold). By this time it was 2006 or so.

Fast forward to early 2007, I moved to Washington DC for work after graduation and started having what I kept thinking were sinus headaches--pressure/pain in that area, etc. I DO get sinus infections, so it was a reasonable assumption. I also developed a persistent feeling like there was something screatchign at my left eye (I wore contacts at the time, and have severe dry eyes, so I figured that was just my lot in life there). I also started having--or should I say having mroe itnensly/mroe often--when appeared to be migraines of such, eventually by the summer they were much more defined and odder and I went off to see a neurologist. I was getting these odd episodes of this tingly/numbness all around my left eye and the areas around/under/over it, the left side of my nose, upper left cheekbone udner the eye, side of temple on left, etc. Also odd stabbing pain sensations in teeth (upper left) and left side of face, and lower left corner of jaw, some other areas I can't describe too well. Sometimes it would have a ticklish or pressure component to it, sometimes during these episodes it would feel as if I wasn't quite as aware of where my body was in space (but I wasn't actually falling over or anything, it was just a *feeling*, if you know what I mean), or I couldn't quite concentrate *quite* as well as I normally could. Neurologist ordered an MRI (to rule out brain tumor/MS) and then said was likely migraines, as there is family history on both sides of the family. None of the symptoms ever really went away, but there were fairly stable, I think, from fall 2007 till late 2008/early 2009, I even think I experienced a time when I didn't get as many of them. However, the left side of the face was always a bit odd/off, compared to the right.

Here's the really odd part, though--ever since the initial symptoms showed up in 2002, each time I've had surgery since then (3 times--once on the hand, once to have a mole removed, and once to have a bunion fixed) the nerves in the area that I've had surgery in have *not* totally "come back". They remain halfway numb--and yet somehow increased to sensation at the same time--years after the surgeries, in the areas surrounding the incisions. I know that this did NOT happen to me with surgeries prior to developing the odd pain/tingliness/etc. in the hands/etc., because I had 2 surgeries as a child and teenager to remove a birthmark, and my nerves came back 100% fine from those. One of my pain specialists I saw once (not the initial one, but one of the ones I saw briefly) asked me once when he heard that if I had ever been evaluated for neuropathy, but at the time I didn't pay much attention and it didn't register with me as I thought that neuropathy meant the total absence of sensation.

Fast forward to January 2009 or so. I started having more of the "odd tingly episodes" on the left side of the face again. In addition to migraines, btw, the neurologist was wondering (had been wondering for awhile) if some of the symptoms I got there might be some odd form of atypical trigeminal neuralgia.

I then noticed (only mentioning this as it pertains to level of stress in my life) what I thought were enlarged lymph nodes in my neck, and went through about two weeks where I was terrified I had cancer. Subsequent tests ruled that out, but during those two weeks I developed a tremor (stress? or the familial tremor my mother and aunt both have? dunno. my neurologist looked at it and said it is the "wrong" tremor for parkinsons or anything like that, it seems to get worse with stress. It comes and goes throughout the day, and some days I don't have it, I think, other days I have it most all day. I do notice it shortly after I wake up, sometimes, as if my body finds it stressful to wake up). Along the same time (again, mentioning for stress level) I transffered agencies and got promoted.

Then, about seven weeks ago, I was sitting on the train to go home after work when all of a sudden I just got this incredible vertigoish sort of sensation, like I was really lightheaded/dizzy, and I think I recall everything sounding kinda far away at the time? Do not recall if I had ringing in my ears or not. At any rate, it lasted maybe 30 seconds and then passed. But the next day in the mid-morning, I then got a sort of "rush" feeling (best way I can describe the vertigo feeling) that was much milder but also more perisistent and lasting. It did not go away although was worse at some times more than others. I went to the neurologist and she did an MRI "with IAC views" (something to do with inner ear, just in case ear was involved), MRI came back normal, and ENT said IAC views part was normal. By this point (about two weeks after symptoms developed) I had noticed that sometimes it seemed like I could feel my pulse in my head/through my body, rocking sensation as if my pulse were rocking me? Also, was getting pressure headaches (pressure, no or minimal pain), stabbing pressure feelings/odd tinglingy/ticklish feelings/buzzing feelings/wanna tear my face off feelings on left side of face, continuing to have the "rush" sensation occasionally, and was having maybe this odd "buzzing" sensation around/in my head/face. I went back to the neurologist (mine was on leave so I saw one who was filling in), that one ordered an MRA (too look at blood vessels) of the head and neck. That came back normal. Meanwhile, my primary care doc ordered a 24-hour holter monitor test for my heart b/c I was concerned about palpitations. That also came back normal heart rythem but fast heart rate (doc thinks it might be anxiety...I say, no *wonder* I have anxiety with all these mysterious medical issues going on for years that no one can seem to figure out )

Then, about two weeks ago I developed something where it seemed like every time I moved around I felt a horrible pressure feeling in my head. That lasted about a week and has (knock on wood) subsided somewhat. However, about a week ago I started getting more tingling in my face (including in some spots I'd never had it before--it comes and goes) buzzing feelings in/over my head/face, somewhat numb (but not totally numb? hard to tell?) feelings sometimes in parts of my face, and also tingling in my fingers that comes and goes (like the feeling you get when your foot has gone to sleep)?

I've also feeling fatigued (have felt fatigued for years, especially for last year or two), and often in conjunction with other symptoms will have a feeling I can best describe as "wanting to lay down".

In the past four months I have had an MRI (was normal), an MRA (normal), multiple CBC's and metabolic panels, multiple thyroid tests, another SED rate, a C-reactive protein test, a B-12 test (level was 400-something), a Vitamin D test (level was 18, I am now taking vitamin d supplements per my primary care doc's order's), two CT scans (ordered by my ENT to look at sinuses and rule of sinus issues and some other stuff). I was also evaluated by a vestibular PT (did this weird infrared eye camera thing looking for some eye movement thing called nystegmus (sp?), checked to make sure I could follow fingers, walk straight lines, stand on one foot, do stairs, walk one foot in front of the other, touch fingers to objects, make sequences of motions, etc. etc. Both neuros I saw--the regular and the fill-in--also evaluated me with various stuff like that, asking me to do stuff to check motor stuff--but <knock on wood> my symptoms are sensory, except for a possible thing I seem to get occasionally where it may be that like the edges of my vision black out [this can happen several times a day, or go days without happening at all]). I also wonder sometimes if maybe my left eyelid (the bottom half of it) is a little less strong than the right one? Sometimes I feel as if I can't squeeze my eye shut quite as tightly on the left as I can on the right, but not sure if that is due to actual difference in muscle strngth, or difference in level of sensation? I do also feel that area (and that eye) is slightly numb/sensation is off--in fact I know it is, in terms of sensation there, but it's nearly impossible to describe.

I am so, so, so, so, so, so scared. I don't know what's wrong with me, I'm bad at describing my symptoms (or even knowing how to describe what I'm experiencing).

I don't know that I've even had the right tests (I know nerve stuff can be hard to diagnose), I don't know where to turn, or what tests I should ask for, or how to talk to my doctor about all this, or where I should go for tests if I ask her to refer me for any (like many Washingtonians I don't own a car, so public transit accessible/in the area is good--DC/Baltimore?), and above all else I'm so terrified that maybe I have something horrible and fatal.... I'm so,so, so scared of dying.

Any help/advice/suggestions anyone can give would be greatly appreciated.