This is a good one....
 

Hello all. First, I want to thank everyone for the support you give each other. Though most of "us" will never meet most of "you", being able to connect with someone who understands, saves lives.

A little about me....(well, maybe not a little.) :)

40 year old mother of 1. Active duty military for 18 1/2 years, one deployment, but not to a combat area. Africa.... Rough life, huh?

I am allergic to: aspirin (and all NSAIDS), morphine, Demerol, Percocet, oxycodones and fentanyl. I also have seasonal allergies and some animal allergies, but nothing so severe that I have required allergy shots.

Hypersensitive to INH and Sudafed.

Dx'd with IBS in 2007, Periodic Limb Movement Disorder in 2010, vitamin D and B12 deficient within the last month, as well as carpal tunnel in both hands. I had a hysterectomy in 2001, but my ovaries were left in place. Due to chronic cysts, they will be removed in 2 weeks. Oh, and I was diagnosed with Age Related Macular Degeneration this past Feb.

Within the past 6 months I am dealing with general fatigue and joint pain. Numbness and tingling in my left pinkie (that is what got the carpal tunnel dx'd, but the Neurologist hasn't really addressed the pinkie). I get muscle fatigue when doing simple things, like scooping the litter box, to the point that my muscles feel like I have working out hard. I get occasional bouts of dizziness, maybe once a day now, but only lasting for a second or two. I haven't fallen down because of it. I have memory loss, which the neuro blamed on the B12, and I feel like I "lose" words when I am trying to talk or type. I am ALWAYS cold, even when wearing multiple layers and with the heat to 70. My IBS flares up 2-3 times a week. My job is stressful, but no more so than it has been for the last 15 years. I do not drink, I do not smoke.

My PCM thinks I am crazy. I am ready to request someone new, he had suggested perhaps I have some sort of auto-immune disorder but then said "but I wouldn't worry about it." I am lucky I got him to send me to a neurologist, I can't seem to convince him to get me back to a GI.

On a side note, being military, I move every 2-3 years and have not had consistent doctors.

Am I just losing my mind? Everything I research suggests fibromyalgia, MS or ALS.

Hello Ajaneena!
 

Welcome to NT! :hug:

Thanks for introducing yourself!

You've come to a wonderful place of support and understanding.
Make yourself right at home! This is a very down-to-earth place and people are very easy to talk to.
Feel free to roam thru the forums and post anywhere you like. You will find a caring soul around every corner.

Just holler if you have any questions or need help in finding your way around.
I hope you will begin to get answers very soon!

It's great to have you!

Caring,
Rae
:grouphug:

Greeting!!
 

Ajaneena,

It is great to have you come and be with us. You will fine a great number of dear friends to listen when you are in need of ears. Please, just let us know how we can help you out. You will find out we are supportive and relaxing place.

So sorry to hear what you are going through at this time. Please keep us up to date on your condition. Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

:hug:

Actually, from what you've described--
 

--major vitamin and mineral deficiency, secondary to the IBS, and most likely related to low B12 levels, low magnesium levels, and possibly low levels of other vitamins and minerals, very much fits the symptom profile, too.

Have you been given comprehensive work-up for vitamin/mineral levels? What were your levels of D and B12 on the lab reports (which you should make sure you always get and keep copies of)?

And, have you been titred up for celiac, or had an endoscopy done to look for for that? Symptom profile strongly suggests that, too.

Malabsorption can certainly produce the range of neuromuscular symptoms you've listed.

You should come over and read some of our info in the Vitamin/Mineral/Supplement and the Peripheral Neuropathy sections here--very thorough and enlightening:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread16628.html

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/fo...sprune=-1&f=20

Welcome Ajaneena
 

We are glad you found us at Neuro Talk. Thank you for your military service.
Your symptoms are not in your head. My son had difficulty with military doctors listening to him as well. You must keep pushing to be heard. Don't let them brush you aside.
I know it is easy to self diagnose, but don't. I wonder if you have been tested for Lymes disease, or heavy metal toxins? Both these things can cause alot of trouble. Auto-immune problems do happen and present with alot of unusual symptoms. Keep a journal if you can of all the different things that are occuring. That way when you go to your next appts. you won't miss anything. Keep a copy of all your medical records and tests. Please don't give up with physicians. It may be worth it to go outside the military for an exam as well. Please let me know how you are doing, and when you go see your doctor. ginnie:hug:

Bloodwork
 

[QUOTE=glenntaj;934351]--major vitamin and mineral deficiency, secondary to the IBS, and most likely related to low B12 levels, low magnesium levels, and possibly low levels of other vitamins and minerals, very much fits the symptom profile, too.

Have you been given comprehensive work-up for vitamin/mineral levels? What were your levels of D and B12 on the lab reports (which you should make sure you always get and keep copies of)?

And, have you been titred up for celiac, or had an endoscopy done to look for for that? Symptom profile strongly suggests that, too.

Malabsorption can certainly produce the range of neuromuscular symptoms you've listed.

You should come over and read some of our info in the Vitamin/Mineral/Supplement and the Peripheral Neuropathy sections here--very thorough and enlightening:


--------------------------------------------

Vit D was 16.8
B12 was only 403, but because my homocysteine was slightly elevated at 15.64, he is calling my B12 low.
B6 is normal at 6.9
T4 is all normal
M-Malonic is normal at 118

Never been worked up for Celiac, but I did have a colonoscopy in 2007 when i was first dx'd. Of course, because of the allergies, they wouldn't sedate me, so the colonoscopy wasn't as indepth (haha, get it?!) as they would have liked.