Seeking advice
 

I've had what my neurologist says is idiopathic peripherial neuropathy for almost a year now. I would say about January 2011 I started noticing a slight tingling in my feet. I thought that maybe I was getting diabetes or something because my grandmother had diabetes. I tested negative for that. In February, I went to my primary doctor and told him that my check felt numb because I thought I had a sinus infection. He was concerned and sent me in for a brain MRI, which was normal. In late March I was in a rear-end collision and developed shoulder pain after the accident. I had x-rays done by an orthopaedic doctor (they found nothing) and went to PT a few times and that was it. Later that year, in early June, I woke up did a arm stretch above my head and something in my neck was pulled. The pain was excruciating. The orthapaedic did x-rays of my neck this time (nothing was found) and I went to more PT. The first PT was trying to get more range of motion (I couldn't turn my neck to the left very far without pain). She tolf me that she had tried everything that she could think of and wasn't making further progress, so she referred me to another PT. This PT decided to "pop" my neck aka spinal manipulations like a chiropractor would do. Two days later I started feeling a pressure like feeling in my left foot that slowly moved up my leg into my buttocks. Also I started feeling tingling in my left arm, left side of face and head. I thought I was having a stroke and went to the ER. They did CAT scan of head, x-ray of lower spine and lots of blood work and found no issues...sent me on my way and told me to go to neurologist. The neurologist first thought MS and did another brain MRI with and without contrast. The results were normal. He also did MRI of cervical spine...results were normal with only a very minor, slight bulge in one of the disks. He did lots and lots of blood work all was normal except for one (GM1 antibodies) came back positive. He said he thought that was not right, because my symptoms didn't match others symptoms with GM1 antibodies and sometimes they get false positives with that test. He also did nerve conduction study and that's when he told me I have idiopathic peripherial neuropathy. Then he later told me it was all in my head. I guess he got frustrated. I went for a second opintion to another neuro and she looked at all of my records and told me that she didn't see anything that concerned her...if it got worse to come back. They both wanted to put me on SSRIs to hide symptoms...and because I told them that this problem is causing me a lot of anxiety. I've been going to a new therapist that says I may have thoracic outlet syndrome, which I've been reading about here...I guess it is a possibility, but that doesn't explain the leg and feet problems does it? Do you all think I have several different things going on here or is it all one thing??

So confused
 

I am going through something very close to your situation. I have had pain in my shoulders for a while. I have had cortisone shots in both. I have lower back pain, but bah whatever I'm 50 that's what happens when you turn 50. LOL. I think about four months ago I went to go see an orthopedic dr because my hands were hurting all the time, they were swollen and were going numb and tingling off and on. He did X-rays had an emg done and had blood test done. Everything came back normal. He gave me cortisone shots in each wrist and said I needed to see a rheumatologist. My husband said he thought I should see a neurosurgeon. I had an MRI done which when he read it he said there was narrowing in there but nothing surgery worthy. He did not know what was causing the tingling,but gave me baxin for the spasms in my shoulders. I started looking around for answers on the web for my symptoms which TOS looked possible, but when I asked my Dr. he said no it couldn't be. I would say about the last month the tops of my feet and my shins up to my knee have been going numb and tingling too. I am so confused. I think this is why people get depressed. It's so annoying to not be able to fix the problem and the Dr don't know what it is.