Hello - where to post?
 

Hello all,

I am a 25 year old male. I have browsed through a decent number of other threads here. I try very hard not to consult Dr. Google as it causes unnecessary worry and won't make my symptoms better. However, I have to wait over a month for a neurology appointment, and my GP is at a loss as to what is going on. I'm not sure where to post to get more in-depth discussion going, so I guess I'll start here.

Rather than posting a long narrative paragraph, I'll just list my symptoms below. I have been experiencing these for a little around 2 months now:

-Tremors and twitching in my arms and legs. My limbs will also occasionally jerk suddenly, but just once, and just one limb at a time.

-Numbness in my hands and lower arms, occasional paresthesia.

-My head is falling forward, for lack of a better description. I can maintain it upright when I focus on it, but it is naturally falling down towards my chest, which it never used to do. This is true whether I am sitting or walking.

-Issues with swallowing and speaking. This was actually the first symptom. I can get food and liquid down, but my throat feels tight, and my swallowing does not feel normal. I also have an extremely over active gag reflex, though the severity of this varies. I will occasionally gag repeatedly for no reason whatsoever, just while breathing, or while talking. My speech follows a strange rythm, I will forget words and proper sentence structure, stutter, slur or trip over words...my voice will also become hoarse, as though there were uncleared mucus in my throat. I feel as though I'm not getting enough air at times, though I may be psyching myself out with that one.

-Fatigue, yet difficulty sleeping for longer than a few hours

- Balance problems while walking. Not to the extent that I fall over, but I have noticed myself drifting one way or the other. Feelings of weakness in my legs while walking.

-Brain fog. Confusion, bad short term memory.

-Increased urination, usually clear colored.

I have had a CT scan, as my GP suspected a brain tumor. That came back clean. I then had an MRI, as he thought it might be MS. That also came back clean (Though it was done without contrast,making it less accurate which I was a little annoyed about.) Both of those tests did show something abnormal in my sinuses- I was prescribed an antibiotic. As I have not had follow-up tests, I do not know if that was effective. I have no family history of Huntington's Disease. My GP does believe something is wrong, but he was pretty frank in saying it's out of his league as a family doctor.


Any thoughts you all might have would be welcome, even if it's just directing me to a certain forum here. Thank you in advance.

-Jason

Hello JaseFace
 

Welcome to Neuro Talk. Sorry for what brought you here however. Your GP was correct this most likely out of his ballpark. However, didn't he make any kind of suggestion on what you are to do? No direction or opinion at all?
If so, get another GP Maybe look into what a Physiatrist is. This is not for mental conditions, rather they take a look at the whole body and what is going on. Most doctors, make referrals to other specialty fields of medicine when they are stumped. A good neurologist is also a start. You may need this GP for the referral to get into see one. That is why I am a bit surprised you doctor gave you no direction, nor a referral to any other field of medicine.
Your symptoms sound neurological in how you describe it. That field is very complex and you should see the very best doctor you can find. Sometimes it is very difficult to DX and people on NT have been through what you are experiencing. Not knowing where to turn. Hopefully you will get some good responses on where to start first. It is the question of finding the best help for a DX. All my best to you. ginnie

Thanks for the response, Ginnie. My GP did refer me to a neurologist, but that was over two weeks ago, and I still have to wait another month and change to see him. At this point I really try to just ignore my symptoms and live my daily life. For the most part I succeed, but it's always hanging out in the back of my mind, and when a symptom gets worse, it's hard not to only think about that.

I know I don't have a brain tumor, so yay. Considering the clean MRI, It's unlikely, though still quite possible, that I have MS. Again, no Huntington's in my family. And since I do *not* have any noticeable functional weakness, I doubt I have ALS -or at least I hope not.

Just looking for a place to bounce ideas around and to be reminded that others are dealing with similar issues.

Did your GP mention Lyme Disease? There are so many autoimmune diseases that mimic each other in symptoms. You'd have to be tested to eliminate each one. MS is a member of the autoimmune group. Usually a diagnosis of MS is after all other possibilities are eliminated. I'm sorry you have to wait so long to see the Neuro but you can take your notes and questions with you to your appointment and hopefully get some answers.

Here is a link to our Autoimmune Diseases forum:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum44.html

Great to meet you!!
 

Welcome JaseFace. :Tip-Hat: