Odd things, any suggestions??
 

I am a 33 year old female with 2 young children and healthy up until some odd things started to happen a couple of months ago.
I started having tingling and pain in right hand, then by that evening the sensation had spread until my entire body was buzzing. It wasn't painful as such but very frightening. I was able to see my GP the next day who said it was odd and did a load of tests on strength, sensation and eye sight - all I which were normal. He did refer me for nerve conduction studies and did full blood work including vit B12 and sugar - again all normal.
The symptoms have not gone although have lessened a little in severity. The tingling now comes and goes but I have almost constant pain between my shoulder blades and in various joints from elbows to toes and fingers. This comes and goes in different areas almost daily - ie yesterday it was my right big toe and today my left shoulder. The joint pain is like a stiffness accompanied by a very sore sensation like I've just dropped a hammer on the area.
I am seeing the gp again soon and will ask for neuro referral but any advice would be massively appreciated.
I struggle some days to manage daily tasks and enjoy my beautiful children. I'm scared something horrible is happening to me!!
Thank you in advance x

Hello pickle,

Welcome to the NeuroTalk Support Groups.

I'm sorry that you're dealing with these symptoms and trying to manage your children and daily life. Hopefully your doctor will find the cause soon.

Were you ill with a virus or sickness before the symptoms began?

Hi Lara, thank you for your reply. I am new to this and it is comforting to have a response.

I did have an infection about 4 weeks before this all began. I got a pretty bad case of mastitis from breastfeeding my baby which took 2 courses of antibiotics to clear. Because of this, guilian barre (sorry prob wrong spelling) was investigated first but ruled out quickly.

Both the GP and nerve specialist weren't able to shed any light on cause but I raised concerns about MS. This has been dismissed as I don't have eye or balance symptoms. I can't shake MS from my mind though. I guess we always want to try and find a name to help us cope.

Also, I forgot to mention that since this began I've had terrible night sweats, only on chest and neck, and also a burning sensation in both palms. Symptoms seem to worsen with fatigue, ie when baby isn't sleeping well and I'm up through the nights.

I would love to hear from anyone else who has similar symptoms, not that I'd wish this on anyone! Or any suggestions on forum groups that fit my oddness.

Thank you :)

What antibiotics did you take? Some of them cause nerve damage (neuropathy).

Fluoroquinolones like Cipro, Avelox and Levaquin.
Flagyl (metronidazole)
Tindamax (related to metronidazole)
And Zyvox (last resort for mrsA.)

It may not be connected, but if you had the bacterial infection prior to the onset of these varied symptoms, I wonder if your GP hasn't suggest a Rheumatologist rather than a Neurologist. [The night sweats and the joint pains]. I think there are several types of bacteria that can cause mastitis and maybe it wasn't totally cleared from your body.

No rash or fever or light sensitivity or anything like that now?
It's the joint pains that would concern me.

Welcome Pickle. :Tip-Hat:

You could check out the Fibromyalgia Forum

Not sure how long ago you had your last baby, but postpartum joint pain in particular is not uncommon. Sleep deprivation wouldn't help you either.

New mothers are prone to lower thyroid functions too. Need to get that checked.

Another thing is that some nutrients get depleted by pregnancy and nursing. EFAs like DHA are needed by babies for their brain and spinal cords...so mothers may get low in them.

There are supplements especially made for new mothers... one is called Expecta... and supplies DHA made from algae and not fish.

Another nutrient that needs to be checked is B12. This should be a minimum of 400pg/ml in testing. And also Vit D3. Have this checked as well.

Hello Pickle and welcome to NeuroTalk.

Joint pain, such as you are having, does not fit with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

MS is a disease of the Central Nervous System which includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. There is a diagnostic criteria for MS, The McDonald Criteria.

Although abnormal sensations such as tingling and vibrations/buzzing can be part of having MS those symptoms can also be caused by many other conditions, vitamin deficiencies, some medications, and mental health issues. There is no symptom(s) which are unique to MS.

A Rheumatologist was my thought also.

Best wishes and I hope you get answers soon.

Have you been checked for lymes?

Hi everyone, thank you so much for your comments, suggestions and support. It is such a relief to have your input. I'm not sure how to comment per reponse (newbie) but hope this is picked up.

To your comments:
I'm afraid I can't remember which specific antibiotics I had but the ones named above don't look familiar. Could effects from antibiotics come on several weeks after completing the course? I will talk to GP about this possibility thank you.

My baby was 11 weeks old when this began and is now four months. I am no longer nursing so can take ibuprofen which takes the edge off the pain but not the tingling and burning sensations. I will start some new mum supplements as suggested, thank you.

Thank you also for the MS information :)

Re lymes, I haven't had any rashes or illness other than described nor any bites that I've noticed. I haven't been camping or anywhere likely to pick up a tick bite. Do you still think this is possible? If so I'll also raise this with the GP. Thank you for the suggestion :)

My baby still has night feeds so fatigue is definitely in my life although hubby is a great help. I definitely feel worse with the pains and tingling when particularly tired.

Is anyone able to suggest what rheumatic conditions may present like this and so suddenly? I am keen to go to GP armed with as much info as possible as they seem keen on suggesting this is driven by anxiety... Which I am very sure it isn't.

Thank you again so much for your time.

The fluoroquinolones can have a delayed nerve damage profile.

Flagyl is usually more immediate.
I don't know about Zyvox as it is not commonly used...it is a drug of last resort.

Most doctors remain unaware of fluoroquinolone nerve damage inspite of new warnings:
http://www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/ucm365050.htm

Autoimmune diseases may appear after a pregnancy.

So most doctors know this and can test for lupus, or rheumatoid arthritis with blood tests.

The links below will give you some indication of the scope of Rheumatology, although there is more which is not listed:

http://www.ibji.com/services/rheumatology-auto-immune

http://www.hss.edu/rheumatology-rheumatologist.asp

In the case of MS, many of the Rheumatology conditions need to be ruled out before MS can be a possibility. Many conditions have similar or overlapping symptoms.

On the other hand, women who have been diagnosed with MS have problems with what is known as a relapse within the first 3 months post-partum. It is not uncommon for some women who have not had a diagnosis of MS to experience their first symptoms of MS post-partum. Some women go through the diagnostic process for MS post-partum.

Although anxiety and stress can cause some of what you are experiencing I find it annoying, to say the least, that Drs. pick that as an answer to symptoms before exploring possible other causes. One possibility to prove or disprove anxiety as the cause is to go on an anti-anxiety medication. If, after awhile there is no improvement the anxiety can be ruled out as a cause.

Hi everyone, it's been a while but thought i'd just post an update in case it's of interest or help to anyone.

Since my last update the symptoms have continued to lessen and only really give me any trouble now after a few nights in a row of limited sleep (baby is getting much better at the whole sleeping thing hoorah). I feel so much better in myself and can get on with life normally.

Simultaneously, I have seen a neurologist who agreed with my GP and the nerve specialist that symptoms did not fit a disease profile. He ordered an MRI anyway to be sure which has come back normal. So it all seems very reassuring!

For now at least I plan to enjoy my children and life and try not to worry.

Thank you again for all of your comments and support. Xx

Great to hear from you.

That's really great news that you're doing so much better.

Take care of yourself. :)