Hi, Im new and wondering...
 

Hi im Matt and im 23, 5'11, and 186 pounds...I have been having some wierd issues for the past year or so, so I finally went to get them checked out by a neuro

Well had the neuro tests...everything was good except spacisity in my left arm and left leg...also had some overactivity in my left bicep when they stuck the needle in...I guess that is the EMG? The other thing where they shock your hands and arms was all normal. Doc ordered a Brain and Cervical MRI with and without contrast. He looked at it personally and said everything was good in the Brain MRI, and I had a herniated disc in my c3/c4 and spinal stenosis that is congenital.

Now ive been having these flair ups where my muscles are severely achy, burning/shooting pains, cramping up, and feel very rigid with twitching and spasming, and also some tingling and numbness. And these are in all my extremities not just my left arm and left leg. I also feel like im having a difficult time breathing, like my chest is tight and achy.

Now I dont know, maybe im just being a severe hypochondriac and anxious freak about this, or maybe im just sitting on the computer too long and sitting on my butt too much and its affecting my posture and such causing all these wierd sensations. I also have been dx with a chronic sinus infection in which im taking alot of antibiotics for.


If anybody has any insight on this, just tell me im being way too stressed and anxious over this...A clear Brain and Neck MRI gives me a very good chance that nothing is going on right in terms of Neuro disease?

Hello Matt....

Are you using Cipro or Levaquin or Avelox antibiotics by any chance?

These are known causers of neuropathy. Many doctors don't know this. We discuss this at the Peripheral Neuropathy forum.

Im on 875mg of Augmentin 4x a day for the last 3 weeks or so...Ive been having these symptoms that seem to be getting worse for around a year

Hi Matt, Welcome to our little corner of the world. Nice to meet you and glad you found us. :)

I'm hoping you don't have MS, but clear MRI's, at first, do not necessarily mean that you don't have it.

Come back and keep us posted. Be well:hug:

I mean what other kind of tests would they have to run to determine whether I had MS...I know sometimes it is a long drawn out process, but some days I feel like im going to die, and I have thought about calling the emergency room a couple of times. I mean my neuro specializes in MS, very very good doctor in my opinion, and he insists that it doesnt look like MS, not abnormalites where present in either the C spine or Brain to indicate lesions or plaques or anything that im aware of.

It just seems strange that I have these wierd symptoms that tend to come and go every couple of weeks, intensify and then leave for the most part, but never truly go away. Any other conditions that could cause this? Should i be tested for other auto immune diseases? B12?

Ive been tested for thyroid i couple of times which looked good,
lupus antibody was negative
lyme test was negative as well
also I was tested for syphillis for some reason lol, which was also negative :cool:

Anybody with any thoughts or comments, please share, bc I feel like a wreck sometimes, and dont know where to go from here...Ive never felt like this before, and my general doc wants to put me on antidepressants...Im not depressed, yes im anxious, because I dont know what the heck is going on with my body.

(((Matt))) I am sorry you are having such a rough time.:hug:

This could definitely be from the herniated disc and spinal stenosis. Have you talked to your neuro about all of this? Is he/she thinking your symptoms could be related to this? Spasms, numbnesses, tingling, etc. are common with spinal stenosis and herniated discs. Did the dr. prescribe you anything to help with this? PT, maybe?

It is frustrating to feel miserable and have no answers. Hang in there and know that we are here for you.:hug:

Welcome to NeuroTalk Matt!! :)

When I was first starting to notice my MS symptoms I thought I had spinal problems (like a slipped disc or something.)

You have actual evidence of that, thank goodness! I hope that's all it is and it will either improve or you can have it fixed.

Keep us posted on what happens! :hug:

Yes he said that it is definitely causing the left sided pain...I just dont know why im getting it on both sides?...He prescribed me a tricylic antidepressant called nortriptyline that I am supposed to take in low doses at 10 mg a day for the first week then 20 mg a day for the remainder...He says he prescribes for many of his patients who have disc and spinal problems...He calls it "vitamin N" lol...I havent started taking it yet, because im trying to finish off these antibiotics first...im not big on taking too many drugs at once

I talked to him and he said there is no evidence of MS or anything in the MRIs, but i dont know why im getting pain/numbness/tingling/burning in my both of my legs and arms...also my skin feels super sensitive to the touch over most of my body...He said the stenosis was congenital, so it was unlikely to be causing to many problems

Heck maybe I have something going on in my thoracic and lumbar regions as well?

Well I dont think I have it as hard as you guys and gals! :) At least not that I know of.

Just wondering for everyone reading, when you had your MRIs, was there definite signs that at least something was up?...My neuro said there was no evidence of anything other than what he told me...disc issue and stenosis

Sorry you find yourself here. I'm wondering what's being done about your diagnosed spinal problems. I don't know much about it, but it seems if the spine is involved, it could cause some severe problems. Did your neuro discover these? Has he recommended any treatment, or prognosis for the spinal issues? Are they treatable? If so, you might look into that and see if you have any improvement?

All the best and I hope you get relief soon. :hug:

Hi Matt
I'm sorry you are suffering from so much anxiety. It can be scary and worrisome when you are not sure what is wrong. However I'm surprised your doctor didn't refer you to someone who specializes in herniated discs. You need to see a specialist--I wish I could remember what they are called. My husband has herniated discs and had many of the symptoms you do. We used to joke that now he knew what MS patients felt!! He had several rounds of cortisone shots in his neck over a period of weeks. He also did physical therapy for many weeks. Eventually it went entirely away. As far as both sides of your body I'm a firm believer that extreme anxiety can actually cause you to have the symptoms all over. I've experienced it myself with something I later found was non existent. Anyhow you need to see someone for the herniated discs and get that treated properly.

Good luck and take care!!

Hi Matt, and welcome.

You have every right to be anxious if you dont feel good and no none can figure it out. There are more than 100 diseases that can mimic MS, so getting a diagnosis can be tricky. Make sure they do a bucket of blood tests to rule out the easy stuff. Vid def, lyme, lupus, and so forth. As they start to rule out what you dont have, they may be able to uncover what you do have.

Hang in there.

My 1st MRI (3 yrs before dx) showed lesions but at the time I had no clinical symptoms on exam. Even when I lost my ability to walk normally, I still did not receive a dx of MS. A few months later, I had new symptoms and that is when I received the dx.

The nortriptyline may not only help with the pain but the anxiety you are feeling over your health right now.

Sending you big cyber:hug:'s and hoping you feel better soon.

Ive had an antibody test for lyme and lupus and they were both negative...what sorts of things should I be tested for that mimic MS?

I have some C spine problems too - and some neuros say not causing symptoms, but pain docs are better qualified to tell you if in fact your c spine is the issue.

I have herniations, a bone spur, reversed curve, stenosis, etc. And sx on both sides, mainly the arms.

There are other meds to help, too if that one does not do it, so keep trying. I did a lot of steroid shots which helped.

There are too many diseases/disorders to even go into here that could cause what is going on. And Lyme's tests are notorious for coming back false pos or neg. I had 3 before my doc was convinced I didn't have it, and I never even saw a tick bite, lol.

I was tested for all kinds of other stuff too: epstein bar, guillian barre, had a lumbar puncture, EMG, EEG, EVPs.

Hang in there, Matt. I know it's tough.